Op-ed: The whole gambit
- John Lagimodiere | October 06, 2014
September always comes with a buzz. The economy picks up as we spend our kids back to school and we get back to our routines. Despite lots of challenges in the community, this year seems more optimistic than last. Actually the challenges seem to be uniting the communities. Thankfully it is impossible to compare the first day of school for the residential school students just recently honoured in La Ronge with the first day of school for kids these days.
As bad as the residential schools were, survivors like Elder Albert Ross of Lac la Ronge continue to lead with their resiliency and their perspective. Even though he was abused, Elder Albert is thankful for the limited education he did receive and he doesn’t know where he would be without it. Those days are gone but will never be forgotten. He and his fellow survivors were fittingly honoured last month with the placement of a monument at the site of their former school in La Ronge.
Albert is likely amazed at the current offerings in our schools. Instead of residential schools, we are actually teaching about residential schools, the Indian Act and Treaties and finally hearing about the Métis grievances. Instead of suppressing culture, First Nation and Métis languages and dance are being celebrated and encouraged. Elders are present. People are being fed nutritious food. Kids are nurtured.
Saskatchewan has never seen more First Nation and Métis people in post secondary education ever. Graduation rates are rising and the Aboriginal unemployment rate has dropped every month for thirteen months. It is a testament to the community that all these gains have been made while still fighting an uphill battle with Ottawa over money. Imagine what could be accomplished with suitable funding levels and an engaged citizenry working together to fight poverty. We are doing amazing things, we just have to do more.
Time for action and an inquiry
There has to be an inquiry into the causes of high numbers of missing and murder Aboriginal women. We could go on to list hundreds of emotional reasons why, but you have heard them already. We need the inquiry to pull together the massive amounts of empirical data and research out there already, speak to families and create an integrated strategy that addresses the root causes. The thing is these things take lots of time, something we don’t have the luxury of when it comes to stopping the next sister from becoming a statistic.
That’s why, as the process is starting on the inquiry, people who can do something about it, like Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill, Premier Brad Wall and Métis and First Nation leaders across Saskatchewan, should be putting forward best practices and implementing them immediately. That means cooperation, action and people and financial resources.
This issue has united Canadians. Sure, not all agree on whether or not to have an inquiry and the debates can get ugly, but most people with comment on the issue certainly don’t want to see any more women hurt. That we all agree on.
Sending best wishes
This is the second year of the Northern Saskatchewan Football League. Teams across the north finally get to enjoy that autumn ritual of putting on the team colours and smashing mouth against nearby towns. The rivalries are intense up there and the football culture is really catching on.
The league kicked off in Pinehouse this year with La Loche visiting. On the way home, one of the La Loche Lakers team vans was in a single vehicle accident that resulted in injuries to six players in one of including a serious injury to #15 Dianna Janvier. She remains in hospital. We send our best wishes out to Dianna.
Speaking of Pinehouse
A judge in Prince Albert has thrown out a lawsuit that set out to stop a collaboration agreement between Cameco, Areva and the Northern Village of Pinehouse.
According to paNOW, Judge Rothery said the lawsuit didn’t have enough facts to justify the suit. The case was brought forth by forty plaintiffs, only four of whom were actual residents of Pinehouse. Some were from as far away as Australia.
Not to over state it, but the plaintiffs alleged the collaboration agreement broke almost every law in Canada. The judge saw through this tactic and came down hard on the plaintiffs for the frivolous suit. She ordered the plaintiffs to pay the costs of the defendants who will each receive $2000.
Correction
In our last issue we did a story on the Métis Monument at the Back to Batoche site. In that article there was a reference made that there will be research done on Métis veterans. That research has already been done by academics like Cathy Littlejohn and institutions like Gabriel Dumont Institute. The research is vast and will lead to over 7000 names being engraved on the Métis veteran’s monument. We apologize for the confusion.