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Remains found at Kamloops residential school 'not an isolated incident,' Indigenous experts and leaders warn

That's one view, even if held by an actual band.

Seems the Federal government via Kimberly Murray, a federally appointed official tasked as the special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked burials is doubling down on the mass grave narrative.

History of residential school cemeteries is evidence of genocide, interlocutor says

"The histories of the cemeteries that were located at former Indian residential school sites are evidence of genocide and mass human rights violations"

No actual evidence of anything like genocide only some photos of graveyards, graves and burials which of course occurred just like they have since time immemorial across the world.

Suspending Habeus Corpus in service of advancing certain political agenda is a familiar theme throughout history, sadly...
 
That's one view, even if held by an actual band.

Seems the Federal government via Kimberly Murray, a federally appointed official tasked as the special interlocutor for missing children and unmarked burials is doubling down on the mass grave narrative.

History of residential school cemeteries is evidence of genocide, interlocutor says

"The histories of the cemeteries that were located at former Indian residential school sites are evidence of genocide and mass human rights violations"

No actual evidence of anything like genocide only some photos of graveyards, graves and burials which of course occurred just like they have since time immemorial across the world.
Someone is invested in this and I would not be surprised in the least that many many $$$ were involved
 
Someone is invested in this and I would not be surprised in the least that many many $$$ were involved
The money is in treatment not the cure.

There's a gigantic industry built around treating first nations for this that and the other thing. Becoming a functional part of society would put a lot of people out of work, and cut off the money tap from a lot of organizations.
 
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The money is in treatment not the cure.

There's a gigantic industry built around treating first nations for this that and the other thing. Becoming a functional part of society would put a lot of people out of work, and cut off the money tap from a lot of organizations.
Thought experiment time:

How would that be implemented? Does the Crown just say “our contract is done - you’re on your own”?

What about the bands who don’t want to change the status? Especially ones in remote areas where realistically, all of them would have to relocate to have a viable future?
 
Thought experiment time:

How would that be implemented? Does the Crown just say “our contract is done - you’re on your own”?

What about the bands who don’t want to change the status? Especially ones in remote areas where realistically, all of them would have to relocate to have a viable future?
As the Nisga found out, getting a treaty is a bit like a teenager moving out. Once the initial money dries up, they had to start making deals with industry to keep the lights on. Quite a few FN's decided then that treaties might not be a good of deal as they first thought.
 
Thought experiment time:

How would that be implemented? Does the Crown just say “our contract is done - you’re on your own”?

What about the bands who don’t want to change the status? Especially ones in remote areas where realistically, all of them would have to relocate to have a viable future?

Good questions, I'm not sure. Some of these pacts are over 300 years old. Should we honour contracts from a time when we knew we would fall off the world if we sailed too far? What if the pacts are contributing to the epidemic of substance abuse and generational trauma? At this point are we back to enabling genocide?

The supreme court decided the authority of hereditary chiefs supersede any elected indigenous officials, that's a nepotism super button. How can reserves lift themselves into the 21st century with that barrier?
 
Good questions, I'm not sure. Some of these pacts are over 300 years old. Should we honour contracts from a time when we knew we would fall off the world if we sailed too far? What if the pacts are contributing to the epidemic of substance abuse and generational trauma? At this point are we back to enabling genocide?

The supreme court decided the authority of hereditary chiefs supersede any elected indigenous officials, that's a nepotism super button. How can reserves lift themselves into the 21st century with that barrier?
I mean, common law is literally about precedent. It doesn’t matter when the precedent was set - just that there is precedent.

If we had a “statute of limitations” on common law, that would be a complete other can of worms. Maybe Napoleon was on to something about this “civil code” business…
 
Thought experiment time:

How would that be implemented? Does the Crown just say “our contract is done - you’re on your own”?

What about the bands who don’t want to change the status? Especially ones in remote areas where realistically, all of them would have to relocate to have a viable future?

The 'contract', or fiduciary relationship, places an enduring onus upon the Crown to care for indigenous peoples...



In broad legal terms, a “fiduciary” is “one who holds anything in trust,” or “who holds a position of trust or confidence with respect to someone else.” Hence, a “fiduciary relationship” is one in which someone in a position of trust has “rights and powers which he is bound to exercise for the benefit” of another. Such relationships include those between trustees and their beneficiaries, solicitors and their clients, and so forth.(2)

The Supreme Court of Canada has adapted these largely private law concepts to the context of Crown-Aboriginal relations. In the 1950s, the Court observed that the Indian Act “embodie[d] the accepted view that these aborigines are … wards of the state, whose care and welfare are a political trust of the highest obligation.”(3) The Court’s landmark 1984 decision Guerin v. R. (1984)(4) portrayed this relationship more fully, and established that it could or did entail legal consequences.

 
In April 2000, then National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine observed that “DIAND, like the Government of Canada itself, suffers from a schizophrenic personality. It holds and administers fiduciary obligations to our peoples at the same time as it must observe its political obligations to the rest of Canada. … It advocates one moment on our behalf and in the next moment, through the Justice Department, against us.” As the Supreme Court of Canada’s Wewaykum ruling commented, the Crown is not an ordinary fiduciary and may be required to consider multiple interests in some contexts.​

The above is pulled from the final commentary para in this document.

It’s an interesting admission that the GoC and Canada is being pulled in two opposing directions. In the long view of history the First Nations treaties and special rights will inevitably vanish, the same as innumerable other treaties and assigned rights have.
 
The 'contract', or fiduciary relationship, places an enduring onus upon the Crown to care for indigenous peoples...



In broad legal terms, a “fiduciary” is “one who holds anything in trust,” or “who holds a position of trust or confidence with respect to someone else.” Hence, a “fiduciary relationship” is one in which someone in a position of trust has “rights and powers which he is bound to exercise for the benefit” of another. Such relationships include those between trustees and their beneficiaries, solicitors and their clients, and so forth.(2)

The Supreme Court of Canada has adapted these largely private law concepts to the context of Crown-Aboriginal relations. In the 1950s, the Court observed that the Indian Act “embodie[d] the accepted view that these aborigines are … wards of the state, whose care and welfare are a political trust of the highest obligation.”(3) The Court’s landmark 1984 decision Guerin v. R. (1984)(4) portrayed this relationship more fully, and established that it could or did entail legal consequences.

So does the Constitution, Sections 25 and 35 specifically.

Good questions, I'm not sure. Some of these pacts are over 300 years old. Should we honour contracts from a time when we knew we would fall off the world if we sailed too far? What if the pacts are contributing to the epidemic of substance abuse and generational trauma? At this point are we back to enabling genocide?

The supreme court decided the authority of hereditary chiefs supersede any elected indigenous officials, that's a nepotism super button. How can reserves lift themselves into the 21st century with that barrier?
There have been many calls from time-to-time to completely overhaul the Indian Act. I don't think I have ever heard a FN position to abolish it. Power positioning and politicking is not the exclusive domain of Ottawa or the provinces.
 
The supreme court decided the authority of hereditary chiefs supersede any elected indigenous officials, that's a nepotism super button. How can reserves lift themselves into the 21st century with that barrier?
"Hereditary Chiefs" generally means "Slave Owner" as owning the most slaves was a status thing that only the Chiefs could afford.
 
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