Here is a 5 minute summary of a two-day conference held last year at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. Some of the topics discussed at the conference included: Indigenous Nations and the Legal Relativity of European Claims to Territorial Sovereignty in North America; Indigenous Law and its Contribution to Global Pluralism; Aboriginal Traditions of Tolerance and Reparation; Comprehending First Nations Jurisprudence; and, Ethical Space: Transforming Relations.

Following the summary you will find a handful of the full talks, all of which are available online. Each of these are about an hour long, and you will need Real Player or …

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) have responded to the recent sentencing of Chief Donny Morris and 5 other members of the community. In no uncertain terms, they will continue to struggle for their land and rights. See the full Press Release below.

PRESS RELEASE

March 20, 2008

Kitchenuhmaykoosib, Ontario - We are saddened today that our leaders have been jailed for contempt and they’re there for what they strongly believe – to protect Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) Homelands!

As a result of our community assembly on March 18, 2008, the present Chief and Council notably, …

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake have sent out an urgent call for support, asking people to help them prevent Canada from illegally replacing their Traditional Government.

Canada is attempting to do so by taking advantage of a leadership problem that began last September, according to the Ottawa Citizen, “when former chief Jean Maurice Matchewan stepped down after being charged with gun- and drug-related offences. He remained on council, and Benjamin Nottaway was named acting chief.”

The “New Chief” said this change was made without consultation, so his supporters held their …

Six of the seven members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation were sentenced yesterday to six months in jail for opposing unsanctioned development on their Traditional lands. (video)

KIFN has yet to make any formal statements about the ruling, but Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare, representing the 42 member communities of the Anishinabek Nation, has spoke out in support of the Six.

“In one breath we hear Ontario talk about the importance of First Nations sharing in the wealth of the province’s resource revenues, and in the next breath …

The Canadian Government along with the Province of British Columbia announced on Friday that they will accept the recommendations made by the Kemess North Mine Joint Review Panel.

Last September, the Panel rejected Northgate Minerals’ mine expansion proposal because they felt ‘the benefits of the project outweigh the risks of significant adverse environmental, social and cultural effects.’ If Northgate was allowed to proceed, they would have turned Amazay Lake, held Sacred by the Tse Keh Nay Peoples, into a toxic waste dump.

In a Press Release dated March 7, Leaders …

Luwaran reported on February 23, that a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Central Mindanao has warned Canada about pursuing a gold mining operation in South Upi, Maguindanao. Inhabited by Tirurays, Maguindanaos, and settlers, the situation was described “as a ‘tinderbox’ that could bring about both bloodshed and sufferings to the people.”

The article continues,

The NGO’s spokesman, who requested anonymity, told Luwaran that the Canadian firm, which is still unnamed as of press time, has a tie-up with a powerful politician in Maguindanao, who claimed the town as part …

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (KIFN) Chief Donnie Morris and five other members of the community will soon find out if they, like Ardoch Algonquin spokesperson Robert Lovelace, will be fined and incarcerated for asserting their own rights—that is, for attempting to stop a molestation by walking away from Canada’s so-called consultation process and refusing to accept unsanctioned development on their land as “a given.”

According to a recent Press Release by KIFN, which you can find below, sentencing will take place on March 17 at the Superior Court of …

After meeting with the Chief and Council of Norway House, representatives from Manitoba’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines announced they will be suspending a drilling permit issued to Victory Nickel for their Minago Nickel Project. To date, the Manitoba government has issued three permits to Victory Nickel, however they did not consult or notify Norway House Cree doing so.

In a Press Release dated Feb. 22, Norway House Chief Marcel Balfour points out that under section 35 of the 1982 Constitution Act, “governments are required to …

In their plans to build a jumbo pipeline across unceded Lubicon territory, TransCanada’s failure to consult and address the concerns of the Lubicon Cree has begun ricocheting back at the company.

According to a Press Release by the Friends of the Lubicon dated February 26, TransCanada shareholders have learned of the failure and are now “taking the company to task for mismanaging the issue of aboriginal land rights and rightly raising the possibility of delays and/or cancellation of the project if Lubicon land rights are not properly addressed by the …

Rights Action reports that, after a delegation of indigenous representatives were invited to take part in a workshop to discuss “mining exploration and exploitation in Guatemala,” they learned the workshop was being co-financed by… “Goldcorp (Montana Exploradora de Guatemala), Skye Resources (Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel), the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and the Prospectors and Developers’ Association of Canada (PDAC).

This prompted the delegation to formally withdraw from the workshop and issue a statement, which you can find below.

Before reading the statement, please note that while this may have been a good …