Digital Drum

Project of Heart: Have a Heart for First Nations Children

Place: Federal Court inside the Supreme Court of Canada 
301 Wellington Street, Ottawa ON

Time: 9:30am to 4:30pm (breaks at 10:30am, 12pm, and 2:30pm)

Date: February 13,14, and 15th
Purpose: To appeal the decision by the chair of Human Rights Tribunal Hearings on whether or not the federal government is treating First Nations children fairly.

On February 26, 2007, the Assembly of First Nations(AFN) and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society(FNCFCS) filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission(CHRC) alleging that Canada is racially discriminating against First Nations children by providing less child welfare funding, and ths benefits, on reserves.
However, the government of Canada used a legal loophole to dismiss the case. The loophole is that Canada is saying that they “fund” the services to the First Nations children, they do not “provide” the services. Canada says its funding, no matter how inequitable, is not a service and thus they should not be held accountable under the Canadian Human Rgihts Act. Canada’s failure to ensure culturally based equity in its First Nations Child and Family Service Program and to fully implement Jordans Principle is discriminatory according the the FNCFCS and the AFN.

There will be 5 parties(organizations) that will be presenting their opinion and legal arguments (factum) at the Appeal. They are the FNCFCS, the AFN, The Human Rights Commission, the Chiefs of Ontario, and Amnesty International. The responent (Canada) wll also present its argument and will be last to do so. The FNCFCS the AFN will speak on day one. The CHRC and Chiefs of Ontario will speak on day two. Day three will see Amnesty International present their position and lastly, the Government of Canada, represented by the Attorney General, will close the session.

The more people. ESPECIALLY YOUTH that come to witness this event, the greater the message to Canada that the government cannot get away with violating basic human rights of FN children!! 

rpmfm:

RPM is hiring! Apply by Friday 5pm PST for the Digital Media Intern position. Info here: http://rpm.fm/jobs/ #jobs #Indigenous

As 2011 comes to a close, we will all reflect on the year that was, but also reflect on all that has been.

Aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit, Metis, Native American, Indigenous, and so on and so forth are the names original peoples have been given to describe us as a whole. But, we are each unique and individual nations, defined by our heritage and primarily our lands. The land has shaped our language, many languages flow like the rivers and streams they are born to, many languages are strong and rigid cutting the air like the mountains they came from, and all our languages have carried prayer and laughter since time immemorial. 

Although our people change with the modern age and new technologies, we are still unique. We may lose aspects of our cultures in this age, but that doesn’t make us any less of the people we are born. It is like the earth, it is ever changing, lands erode away and new earth is uplifted through the waters, but it is still the earth. The earth is also what binds us. It is the thing that defines us, but it is also the source that provides for us. So as stewards of the lands, we are one. Remember this, as unique as we all are individually, we are bound by our mother the earth. Do not critique each other without love, do not do business with each other without respect of the other, and do not deny your identities or potentials.

Ahma Yaa, Egosi, Hi hi, Meegwitch, and many other thank yous of many other languages.

We hope you honor the change in seasons, have a happy holiday season, and bring in the new year with more hope, more pride, and more respect.

Many thanks. 

Brett Huson,

Digital Drum.