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Wawakapewin Press Release

We announce with great sadness of the sudden passing of one of our community members. Sheila Childforever age 54 passed away on December 7, 2006 at the Sioux Lookout Menoyawin Health Centre at the 7^th Avenue site.

Sheila was a former Chief for Wawakapewin First Nation from February 1998 - March 2005. She leaves behind her partner, Roger Cook, children, Anne Marie (Beardy), Cherilyn (Beardy), Troy, Shawn, Melissa and Vanessa Childforever, and numerous grandchildren.

Viewing and Memorial Services will be at the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home, 128 Front Street on Wednesday December, 13, 2006 at 10:30 - 12:00 p.m. Funeral will be in her home community of Wawakapewin on Thursday December 14, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. at the St. John the Devine Anglican church with Rev. Stewart Nanokeesic officiating. Internment will follow after the services at the Wawakapewin Cemetary.

For information, please contact the following:

Noreen Meekis (Sioux Lookout)
Tel: (807) 737-2662, ext. 268
Cell: (807) 737-0980
Fax: (807) 737-4226

Barry Frogg (Wawakapewin)
Tel: (807) 442-2567
Fax: (807) 442-1162

NAAF press release ...

Recipients Announced for 2007 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards 
 
TORONTO-- (Dec. 10, 2006) - Fourteen outstanding achievers have been named as recipients of the 2007 Aboriginal Achievement Awards. They include the CEO of Canada's winning 2010 Olympic bid, the producer of one of Canada's longest-running TV series, a world-class diver and 11 other First Nations, Métis, and Inuit role models who converted their potential into success.

"The 2007 award winners are an amazing celebration of achievement," said Roberta Jamieson, CEO of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. "We invite all Canadians to join us in recognizing these outstanding persons who have contributed so much to Canada and the world. The awards will be presented at a gala event in Edmonton next March and will be televised on both Global and APTN."

The Foundation is delighted that Adam Beach, most recently seen in Flags of Our Fathers, will host the awards while Jennifer Podemski - prominent producer, actor and writer is the Creative Producer.

Juno award winners, Gemini-nominated actors, and a slate of talent that reads like the who's who of Aboriginal Canadian entertainers will honour the recipients with performances at the 14th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards on March 16, 2007 in Edmonton at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

The recipients and their categories for the 14th annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are:

Joanne Cardinal Schubert - Arts
…. a writer, curator, lecturer, poet and Aboriginal arts activist, Cardinal-Schubert inspires and enables Native artists across the continent to challenge and reclaim their creative identities.

Jack Poole - Business and Commerce
…. is credited with bringing the 2010 Olympics to Canada and it's little surprise Poole's been called a cautious optimist, a visionary and a modest overachiever, it's what helped shape him into becoming one of the most successful real estate developers and community builders in North America.

Andre Alestine - Cultural, Heritage and Spirituality
…. a Heritage Researcher for her community she successfully combines her gifts of Gwich'in traditional knowledge with that of Western Science.

Joe Michel - Education
…. one of the most outspoken advocates and leaders on Aboriginal education in the country. Michel has gone on to develop curriculum for linguistic courses in universities and played a major role in reviving the near extinct Secwepemc language back into the schools.

Chief David Walkem - Environment
…. builds communication bridges with developers and forestry companies that allow Aboriginal people to benefit from the business of forestry but also allow the land to regenerate and renew.

Joe Couture - Health
…. as the first Aboriginal person to receive a PhD in psychology, Dr. Joe as he is affectionately known, has not only built bridges of understanding between two cultures but has systematically affected generations of educators and students with his straightforward and profound traditional healing methods

Hugh Braker - Law and Justice
.... the first Nu Cha Nulth lawyer in the country, has been the Director of Self Government for the Assembly of First Nations, and is renowned for his work on Aboriginal child welfare law and protecting Aboriginal children.

Bertha Clark Jones - Lifetime Achievement
…. always spoke out for the underdog and moved women's rights groups forward by strides when she founded the Alberta Native Women's Voices in the late 1960s. That organization blossomed to become the Native Women's Association of Canada, a powerful voice for Native women in the country.

Lisa Meeches - Media and Communications
.... helped lead Aboriginal media into the mainstream by exposing the 'truth', Meeches buries old prejudices and opens minds with her meaningful and traditional-based approach to television production.

Freddie Carmichael - Politics
… currently a second-term President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council piloting the direction for a successful cultural and socio-economic future which includes building a foundation for self-government.

Lewis Cardinal - Public Service
…. is designing education systems that integrate traditional knowledge, and is involved on an international level in a global forum where the world's Indigenous peoples meet to share, discuss and participate in building a more sustainable future for everyone.

Wegadesk Gorup-Paul
…. a champion diver who began a diving career at age 12, Gorup-Paul is stirring up the waters in world competitive diving. He's traveled the globe competing against the sports' top divers in the Pan Am Games, the Commonwealth Games and even the South African National Championships.

Monica Peters - Technology and Trades
…. Indigenous languages are at risk. … By combining modern technology with ancient words she built an instrument that not only gave her identity but has the potential to save threatened languages of the world.

James Makokis - Youth
… his love for his community and his desire to learn the wisdom of his ancestors that drives his passion. …It's his unique ability to share what he's learned through nationally syndicated columns, programming university research projects and combining his family's wisdom with that of his ongoing quest to further his knowledge.

The recipients are selected by a national jury comprised of past award recipients and individuals representing First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples from diverse geographic regions of Canada and areas of the economy.

The awards are produced by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Canada's leading Aboriginal charity dedicated to providing financial assistance to Aboriginal students for post-secondary education. Since 1985, the Foundation has awarded more than $22 million in scholarships to deserving students across the country for all disciplines, including law, medicine, education, psychology, fine arts, business, and computer sciences.

The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards are generously supported by:

Private Sector:
Lead Sponsor - CIBC
Air Canada, Alliance Pipeline, BP Canada Energy Company, Casino Rama, CN, Diavik Diamond Mines, Enbridge, Encana, First Air, IBM Canada, Investors Group, Nexen Inc., Petro -Canada, RBC Foundation, Scotiabank, Shell Canada Ltd., Suncor Energy Foundation, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Talisman Energy

Public Sector:
The Government of Canada - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Forces, Canadian Heritage, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Elections Canada, Environment Canada, Industry Canada - Aboriginal Business Canada, Health Canada, Service Canada, Transport Canada

For more information please contact
Kim Ziervogel at K'Image Communications at 780.490.6762 or 780.231.1873
Or Scott Cavan, Dir. Communications, NAAF at 416.926.0775 ext. 237 or 416.903.4331 (cell), Toll-Free: 800-329-9780, E-mail: scavan@naaf.ca

From http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/News/273958.html
 
Treaty 3 separates from Chiefs of Ontario
By Mike Aiken - Miner and News - Friday December 08, 2006

Grand Council Treaty 3 announced Thursday their decision to withdraw from the Chiefs of Ontario.

A spokesman for the council, Adolphus Cameron, said he was pleased with the council’s decision.

“I’m proud of it. They’ve taken a firm stand on their direction,” he said.

“Some communities may suffer, but ultimately it’s the right choice,” he added.

Cameron noted Grand Council Arnold Gardner has wanted to move in a direction that protects treaty and aboriginal rights, while building relationships that will help rebuild the Ojibway nation.

He said the Chiefs of Ontario had gone too far in becoming an administrative body for the purposes of program funding.

The decision comes as Grassy Narrows First Nation, in the northern part of Treaty 3, celebrates the fourth anniversary of its roadblock at the entry to the Whiskey Jack Forest. Protesters are against clearcutting and the destruction of traditional lands by logging companies, such as Abitibi.

While the Slant Lake site has been peaceful, a total of 21 demonstrators were charged last summer -- mainly with mischief -- in connection with the two blockades. The first halted traffic on the Kenora bypass along the Trans-Canada, while the other stopped logging trucks along the English River Road.

Treaty 3 represents about 17,000 people on 28 First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba.

The Chiefs of Ontario movement began in 1975, and it became a co-ordinating body for 134 communities within the province.

The Grand Council’s decision had been rumoured for several days, and it was announced the same day as a Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa.

In the capital, federal Health Minister Tony Clement and National Chief Phil Fontaine, of the Assembly of First Nations, signed a joint workplan that aims to improve the First Nations health system over the short and long-terms.

From http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2006/12/08/nonprofit-activity.html

Non-profit sector accounts for billions in economy: study
Friday, December 8, 2006 - CBC News

Non-profit organizations in Canada generate billions in economic activity every year, a study by Statistics Canada concluded on Friday.

"Non-profit organizations not only play an important role in the well-being of Canadians, they also constitute an economic force," the agency said.

In an account of non-profit institutions and volunteering, Statistics Canada found that in 2003 the gross domestic product of the non-profit sector amounted to 7.1 per cent of the total economy or $80.3 billion.

The study, which looked at data collected over a seven-year period, found that economic activity by the non-profit sector as measured by GDP outstripped the pace of the overall economy from 1997 to 2003.

It said that GDP for the non-profit sector grew at an average rate of 6.4 per cent every year over the seven years, faster than the average rate of 5.6 per cent for the total economy during that time period.

In 2003 alone, GDP for the overall non-profit sector grew 6.3 per cent, a rate of growth greater than that for the total economy, which rose 5.6 per cent in 2003.

Statistics Canada divided the sector into two groups to analyze the data. The first group includes hospitals, universities and colleges, while the second group, described as the core of the sector, consists of mostly smaller organizations.

The agency said revenue for the core non-profit sector came from a variety of sources, including sales of goods and services, government transfers, membership fees and individual donations.

For hospitals, universities and colleges, however, the main source of revenue was government transfers and sales of goods and services.

"Hospitals, universities and colleges accounted for nearly two-thirds of economic activity in the overall non-profit sector between 1997 and 2003. The generally smaller organizations in the core sector accounted for the remaining third," it said.

Economic activity in the second group or core non-profit sector increased 7.6 per cent between 1997 and 2003, a rate faster than the 5.8 per cent growth for hospitals, universities and colleges. The core's share of the GDP in the sector overall rose 34 per cent in 1997 to 36 per cent in 2003.

The GDP of the core non-profit sector reached $29.1 billion in 2003, representing 2.6 per cent of the total economy. The entire non-profit share rose to 7.1 per cent when the GDP of hospitals, universities and colleges was included in the total.

Non-profits are big business
Statistics Canada reported that the overall non-profit sector generated economic activity greater than that of the mining, oil and gas extraction, and retail industries.

Even the smaller core sector was about twice the size of the agricultural industry and larger than the accommodation and food services industry in Canada.

The analysis also looked at volunteering, concluding that the value of volunteer work was more important than individual donations to the non-profit sector over the seven-year period and that volunteering mainly occurred in the three main fields of culture and recreation, social services and religion.

Of the three main fields, culture and recreation relied more heavily on volunteers than on paid workers, the analysis found.

Related External Links

StatsCan: Account of non-profits and volunteering - http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/061208/d061208a.htm

From http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature6.cfm?REF=163

Huge changes looming in Telecom policy - Citizens' forum calls for government to put public interest first.

Dateline: Tuesday, December 05, 2006

by Marita Moll and David Murdoch

Federal Industry Minister Maxime Bernier is considering changes to the Telecommunications Act, stemming from recommendations by a somewhat obscure policy review panel, which could drastically affect our daily lives.

The Liberal government formed the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel (TPRP) in April 2005, to address major technological advances and changing market dynamics. But most Canadians are unaware of the process — much less the nature and the importance of the TPRP's recommendations — and for who are, it has been difficult to participate.

According to delegates at an Ottawa forum discussing these issues, the Telecommunications Act, which has historically played an important role in our national development, is about to take on a whole new flavour.

The Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum was organized by the Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN). Policy experts, academics and representatives from over a dozen community and public interest organizations across Canada discussed the implications of these policy reforms in the context of social and community economic development.

Participants were critical of the direction taken by the Panel in its recommendations. The Report places far too much faith in "market forces" in an era when access to advanced telecommunications services has become essential to economic, social and political participation, according to the participants. If this direction is adopted, they said, government would be abdicating its responsibility to govern, by assuming that market forces could be relied upon to meet such needs.

Telcom recommendations would put too much emphasis on market control.

If the goal is universal access to broadband services, direct government action is an imperative both to the provision of services wherever Canadians live and to providing the means and the knowledge for Canadians to use those services effectively. For example, those who live in a rural or remote part of Canada not currently served by broadband (high speed internet) can't expect "market forces" to deliver what they will need in order to participate fully as members of Canadian society. "Market forces" will only deliver such services where subscribers are sufficient in numbers to make the service profitable.

"Canada would do well to learn from the mistakes already made south of the border in the US, where we embraced aggressive deregulation sooner," suggested Ben Scott, Policy Director for Free Press, a Washington, DC media policy think-tank. Scott went on to point out that, since 2001, the US has fallen from 4th to 12th in OECD rankings for broadband penetration.

Direct government action is also essential to maintain services like the Community Access Program (CAP), which provides support to those needing access to new technologies. These include people on low incomes, seniors, aboriginals, recent immigrants and others who are being left behind as new technologies are becoming increasingly commonplace in daily activities. Currently, the more than 3,000 CAP sites across the country are experiencing a withdrawal of government funding. This massively successful, but financially fragile national network can easily be destroyed by short-term and market-focused thinking.

The Forum also affirmed that telecommunication performs an essential role in the maintenance of Canadian sovereignty and identity and that this principle should be retained in any new version of the Telecommunications Act. Philippa Lawson, of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), pointed out "the proposed rewrite of section 7 of the Telecommunications Act would eliminate important policy goals such as reliable, high quality service and the protection of consumers from telecom-specific marketplace abuses."

She continued, "It would also remove key provisions including the requirement for just and reasonable rates and the rule against unjust discrimination. Without these goals and basic ground rules, we can expect lowest-common-denominator approaches to telecommunications service in Canada and widespread marketplace abuses. More than ever before, we need such principles in order to ensure that telecommunications in Canada continues to serve the public good as well as the private shareholders of dominant players."

Marita Moll is a CRACIN co-investigator and David Murdoch is the coordinator of the Halifax Regional CAP Association. Both are board members of Telecommunities Canada, an alliance of CAP and other community technology centres. For more information on this issue visit the site below.

Related address:  www.cracin.ca

INAC press release ...

Reporting progress on plan of action for drinking water in First Nations communities - Government Tables Expert Panel Report

To read the full report visit  http://www.eps-sdw.gc.ca/rprt/index_e.asp

     OTTAWA, Dec. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, today tabled a report from the expert panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations. This fulfils a commitment made as part of a plan of action for drinking water in First Nations communities, announced on March 21, 2006.

     The two-volume report has been shared with Minister Prentice, Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Environment, for their consideration and review.

     "Earlier this year Canada's new government announced plans to take decisive action to ensure that all First Nations reserves have access to clear, safe drinking water," said Minister Prentice. "This report, which was the result of public hearings across the country, takes us another step closer to this goal."

     The Government also tabled a report outlining progress made on all aspects of its five point plan of action, including the removal of several drinking water advisories, improvements to a number of water treatment plants, and increased assistance and training for operators.

     "The AFN welcomes the final report of the expert panel," said National Chief Phil Fontaine. "As almost one-third of all of our 633 First Nations were at high risk, we support the panel's recommendation to the government to deal with the water systems of these communities immediately."

     "This report has the potential to affect the health of First Nations in a positive way by providing workable and effective options for regulating the quality of drinking water on reserves," said Minister Clement. "I will review the report with interest, and look forward to taking the next steps with my colleagues, Minister Prentice and Minister Ambrose, toward addressing this important issue."

     "The expert panel report provides clear options for moving forward to address the issue of safe drinking water for citizens on First Nations' reserves. I am particularly pleased the panel is advocating a comprehensive approach that includes protecting the quality of drinking water at its source. Environment Canada has a particular interest in this area, and I look forward to working with Minister Prentice and Minister Clement as we consider how best to move forward," added Minister Ambrose.

     This news release, the progress report on the Government's plan of action, including the report of the expert panel, and more detailed information on both reports is available at http://www.inac.gc.ca

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/For further information: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; Minister's Office: Deirdra McCracken, Office of the Honourable Jim Prentice, (819) 997-0002; Media Relations Unit: (819) 953-1160; Assembly of First Nations: Bryan Hendry, Acting Communications Director, (613) 241-6789 ext. 320; Health Canada: Paul Duchesne, Media Relations, (613) 954-4807; Environment Canada: Media Relations, (819) 934-8008, 1-888-908-8008/

• Backgrounder - Progress Report - Plan of Action for Drinking Water in First Nations Communities
• Backgrounder - Progress Report on 21 Priority Communities
• Progress Report Plan of Action for Drinking Water in First Nations Communities
• Summary of Report
• Frequently Asked Questions on the Final Report

Sioux Lookout Exclusive Premiere!

Muffins For Granny

"A touching story told through the eyes of a grand daughter coming to terms with her Granny's residential school experience."

• Winner of Best Documentary - Winnipeg Aboriginal Film and Video Festival, 2006
• Honourable Mention for Best Documentary - ImagineNative Film and Media-Arts Festival, 2006 in Toronto

Sunday, December 17th, 2006
Sioux Mountain Public School
7pm-9pm
Ages 14 and up

Question & Answer to follow with featured Elders and Director, writer, producer Nadia McLaren

*coffee and muffins will be served

*****

As reported by Garnet Angeconeb ... "Muffins for Granny is a great production about the legacy of the Residential School system. Don't miss it. This is a powerful production by Sioux Lookout artist Nadia McLaren."

Read the CBC online coverage of this important ruling following the AFN press release ...

AFN press release ...

Assembly of First Nations Applauds today's Supreme Court of Canada rulings on Sappier/Polchies and Gray cases

     OTTAWA, Dec. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - "This is a victory for the Mi'gmaq Nation and Maliseet Nation," said AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine. "We congratulate those who have successfully met yet another challenge to the recognition of Aboriginal rights.

     The Sappier/Polchies and Gray cases involve the First Nations right to harvest timber for domestic use.

     "These decisions are a positive signal for all First Nations because it opens the door for other communities to pursue access to resources for domestic uses," added National Chief Fontaine. "This is a step towards the eradication of poverty in First Nations communities

     "This ruling will provide access to much needed resources in our traditional lands to build shelter, provide transportation, tools and fuel," said AFN Atlantic Regional Chief Rick Simon, who noted today's decisions are based on findings of the importance of natural resources to traditional and contemporary First Nations culture.

     Today's decision provides more clarity with regards to proving Aboriginal rights among all parties. Furthermore, today's decision by the Supreme Court signals that a more flexible approach to recognizing Aboriginal rights is required by the courts and the federal government.

     "However, further negotiations with governments must move forward in terms of resource revenue sharing arrangements," added Regional Chief Simon.

     The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization that represents First Nations citizens in Canada.

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/For further information: Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, (613) 241-6789, ext. 229, Cell :(613) 293-6106, bhendry@afn.ca; Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor to the National Chief, Cell :(613) 298-6382, npine@afn.ca/

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From http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/07/native-court.html

Top court upholds aboriginal logging rights on Crown land
Thursday, December 7, 2006

Native people have the right to log Crown lands for personal use, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a unanimous judgment on two New Brunswick cases.

'A practice undertaken for survival purposes can be considered integral to an aboriginal community's distinctive culture.'
-Supreme Court decisionThe high court judges decided three New Brunswick men who took Crown wood to make furniture, build a home and burn as firewood were exercising their aboriginal rights, not stealing.

The ruling upholds the decision of the lower courts in New Brunswick, which also ruled in the men's favour.

"The respondents possessed an aboriginal right to harvest wood for domestic use," the judges wrote in their summary.

In 2005, the Supreme Court had ruled against aboriginal people's right to log Crown lands for commercial purposes — but these men were clearly logging for personal use, the court said.

Darrell Gray, who is Mi'kmaq, was originally charged in 1999 for taking maple trees from Crown lands near three reserves. Clark Polchies and Dale Sappier, both Maliseet, were charged two years later for harvesting trees on Crown land without a licence.

The Supreme Court judges ruled that both Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people logged wood on those lands long before Europeans arrived in North America.

The judges said records show the wood was historically used for shelter, transportation, tools and fuel. It was key to native people's survival.

"A practice undertaken for survival purposes can be considered integral to an aboriginal community's distinctive culture," the judges wrote in their summary.

The judges said the right to harvest the wood must be allowed to evolve with the times. Historically, natives used the wood to build temporary shelters, but now the right must be allowed to evolve to the construction of modern homes, they wrote.

They stressed that the wood cannot be sold, traded or bartered for money, even if the money is used to build another home.

Native leader applauds decision

Jeff Tomah, chief of the Woodstock First Nation in New Brunswick, praised the decision. Sappier and Polchies belong to Woodstock First Nation.

"Housing has been an issue for quite some time and this case here, of course, will help," said Tomah.

"There's a lot of our people scattered and we haven't had time to build houses in a timely manner, but this is a landmark decision that will sure help our people."

The judges' decision follows a long legal battle.

After lower courts and the New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the men, the Crown appealed to the Supreme Court.

New Brunswick government pleased
The New Brunswick government is pleased the Supreme Court brought clarity to the issue.

"In this case, we really do have a well-written decision," said Education Minister Kelly Lamrock, speaking on behalf of the government.

"It is well reasoned and it is clear…. It's one that we certainly believe can be accommodated in our shared interest of managing the land."

Six provinces, the federal government and two forest industry associations intervened in the case, siding with the New Brunswick government.

Nova Scotia was one of the interveners.

The provincial government announced Thursday it will review the ruling to determine the potential implications for Nova Scotia.

Provincial Natural Resources Minister David Morse said an agreement signed in 2002 involving the Mi'kmaq, and the Nova Scotia and federal governments will lead to full negotiations on native rights issues, including forestry.

Dear Make Poverty History supporter:

The rate of child and family poverty in Canada has been stalled at 17-18% over the past 5 years despite strong economic growth and low unemployment, according to a new report by Campaign 2000.

The 2006 National Report Card on Child & Family Poverty finds that 1,196,000 children - almost 1 in every 6 children - live in poverty in Canada. In First Nations communities the child poverty rate is higher: 1 in every 4 children.

“These disturbing findings demonstrate that we need political commitment to a Poverty Reduction Strategy for Canada with targets, timetables and funding. Countries like the United Kingdom have done this with success and Canada can too.” stated Laurel Rothman, National Coordinator for Campaign 2000.

You can voice your concern about child poverty and call for government action by going to http://www.campaign2000.ca and click on Take Action to send a message to the Prime Minister. Add your voice to the growing call for a poverty reduction strategy today! 

One of the specific things the Make Poverty History platform calls for as a way to end child poverty in Canada is “involving groups where poverty is predominant, such as Aboriginal People, women, minorities and youth in the design and implementation of a domestic poverty reduction strategy.”

Now there is a way you can contribute to designing such a strategy.

The National Council of Welfare, an independent body established to advise the government on social development, has recently launched a web-based survey to seek input from Canadians on developing a poverty reduction strategy for Canada. They want to hear from individuals and organizations about why you think there is so much poverty in Canada and what you think we can do about it. To participate click on:

https://media6.magma.ca/www.leverus.com/ncw/?refererid=12 

The more people who participate in this survey, the more the results will have to be taken seriously by government.

Thanks,

Dennis Howlett Coordinator, Make Poverty History

Everyone is invited to watch the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly online at http://afn.ca. The sessions are being webcast live.

From the AFN Press Release ...

     OTTAWA, Dec. 1  - The Assembly of First Nations Annual Special Chiefs Assembly is being held this Tuesday, December 5 to Thursday, December 7 at the Westin Hotel and Ottawa Congress Centre. A full agenda is posted on the AFN website, www.afn.ca

December 5 Highlights include:

•      National Chief Phil Fontaine's Opening Remarks at 9:45 a.m.; followed by National Protest "To Save Our Legacy", Parliament Hill, at 11:30 a.m.
• Reports on AFN's Make Poverty History campaign; AFN's RCAP Report Card; update on United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples; Chiefs in Assembly Statement.

December 6 Highlights include:

•      Addressing Urgent Needs, Securing Sustainable Solutions: Drinking Water and Housing; presentations by Downtown Vancouver Eastside Women's Shelter, and Aboriginal Women on the Move Cycling to End Family Violence.

December 7 Highlights include:

•      Address by INAC Minister Jim Prentice at approximately 9 a.m. and Closing Remarks by National Chief Phil Fontaine at 11:30 a.m.

     The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.

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/For further information: Bryan Hendry, A/Director of Communications, (613) 241-6789, ext. 229, Cell.: (613) 293-6106, bhendry@afn.ca; Media registration: Nancy Pine, Communications Advisor to National Chief, Cell.: (613) 298-6382, npine@afn.ca/