Indigenous Peoples

Federal government, Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq sign housing agreement

Federal government, Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq sign housing agreement

A new agreement between the federal government and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia will allow Mi’kmaw First Nations to manage and control their housing and infrastructure. "Since 2015, we have been working in a nation-to-nation partnership with Indigenous Peoples to advance self-determination,” said Patty Hajdu, minister of Indigenous Services. “Whether for water and health or housing and infrastructure, Indigenous communities must have the tools to decide for themselves. Today is an important step on this journey.”

What happened to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s most important relationship?

What happened to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s most important relationship?

He promised to end boil-water advisories in First Nations communities within five years. He said constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations are a sacred obligation. "I know that renewing our relationship is an ambitious goal. But I am equally certain that it is one we can, and will, achieve if we work together," Trudeau told the Assembly of First Nations in December 2015.

Ottawa to table ‘co-developed’ First Nations water legislation this fall: Hajdu

Ottawa to table ‘co-developed’ First Nations water legislation this fall: Hajdu

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu says she hopes to table a piece of legislation this fall that she says is the closest the federal government has come to co-developing law with First Nations. “It’s really, to me, very important that it reflects the input of Indigenous Peoples,” she said.

Water Back: A defining movement

Water Back: A defining movement

The Land Back movement has called for global solidarity to address the oppression and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories. The alienation of Indigenous Peoples from Water has largely been absent from this call to action. However, there is a growing consensus among Indigenous Water Protectors who assert that there cannot be Land Back without Water Back.

Human Rights Watch report cites Canadian shortcomings on Indigenous, climate issues

Human Rights Watch report cites Canadian shortcomings on Indigenous, climate issues

It says inadequate access to clean drinking water continues to pose a major health threat which continues to impede the advancement of Indigenous rights in Canada, "one of the world's most water-rich countries." The report also says Canada is a top G7 greenhouse gas emitter, and says it is the world's top financier of fossil fuel producers. "Canada is contributing to the climate crisis taking a growing toll on human rights around the globe," the report says.