Top News - March - 2003
NAFTA listens to Indigenous groups
Police services attend domestic violence forum
Urban Natives are organized
THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF ONTARIO BIRCHBARK MARCH ISSUE
ARE ONLINE IN THE ARCHIVES - ACCESS IS RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION INFO.
NAFTA listens to Indigenous groups
Treaty 3-Native and environmental groups from across the country have finally been given standing by NAFTA on the softwood lumber issue this month. Among them, the Grand Council of Treaty 3, a member of the Indigenous Network of Economies and Trade (INET), and Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (Treaty 9) have made presentations before both NAFTA and the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the issue. Western First Nations in INET, along with the Sierra Club of B.C. and the Dogwood Initiative, also based in B.C., are part of the protest wave too.
A NAFTA tribunal has accepted their submissions regarding softwood lumber countervailing duties. In January this year, the WTO accepted similar submissions.
Aboriginal people and the environmentalists got involved in the ongoing softwood lumber international trade fight because they say the government is ignoring Aboriginal title and is not living up to its commitment on environmental protection on traditional territories.
But the recognition by the international trade organizations gives them some hope their rights will be taken seriously.
Treaty 3's Grand Chief Leon Jordain, said, "Our peoples are very proud of the acceptance of our submissions, which shows that Aboriginal proprietary interests and environmental concerns are taken seriously by international trade tribunals, where national governments often fail to take them into account or implement them.
The Dogwood Initiative's Will Horter, speaking on behalf of separate public interest groups and Aboriginal peoples, said, "It is important our voices are heard, because Canada is trying to pass their administrative stumpage system that exploits the forest resource off as a competitive market system to the detriment of conservation and the overall economy."
Police services attend domestic violence forum
Margo Little, Birchbark Writer, Manitoulin
A conference sponsored by the Ontario attorney general's victim services division was held in Little Current Feb. 20-21.
The police education awareness workshop was designed to improve communication between frontline officers and community social service agencies.
Shauna Pitawanakwat, co-ordinator of the Manitoulin-Espanola Victim Witness Assistance Program, welcomed 112 delegates from Northeastern Ontario to the assembly. Representatives from the Ontario Provincial Police, First Nations police services, child and family workers, sexual assault counsellors and volunteer crisis workers heard several guest speakers address the roots of domestic violence and criminal harassment.
A graduate of Sault College and Nipissing University, Pitawanakwat has worked in youth programs and addiction prevention programs. She serves as the co-lead for the district's domestic violence court advisory committee. Originally from Mnidoo Minising, she also participates in cross-cultural teaching seminars.
Pitawanakwat reported that the ministry expects to have victim witness assistance programs in 54 jurisdictions by next year.
Currently 42 sites have programs. She is responsible for victim services on Manitoulin and the North Shore, she told the gathering at the Little Current Howland Recreation Centre. "The service is new so there are still a few bumps to smooth out," she said.
Her work involves liaison with three crown attorneys and six police divisions.
"Keep in mind that the North is unique and people face a different situation from our southern counterparts," she said. "Women in the North have isolation issues and ties to the land; there are many rural realities to address."
The victim witness assistance program was set up to help individuals involved in a criminal case, either as a victim of a crime or as a witness called upon to testify.
Victims' rights advocates had lobbied for many years to sensitize the attorney general's office about the confusing and frightening nature of the criminal justice system.
Some of the innovations include tours of the courtroom, separate waiting areas for victims and provision of copies of bail conditions and probation orders to victims. Above all, an effort is made to provide on-going emotional support for victims.
Pitawanaquat explains the roles and responsibilities of court personnel for victims and translates court jargon and terminology. In addition, she assists clients with victim impact statements. "We try to reach the victim right away to ease any concerns they may have," she said. "We keep tabs on all court appearances so the victim has less stress; we let them know we are on top of it. And we let them know they are not forgotten in the process."
Manitoulin tribal police services were well-represented at the workshop. Constable Ray Corbiere, an officer since 1995, serves six First Nations in the area. He noted that statistics for 2000-2001 reveal 80 spousal assaults during that period. "Non-reporting is a big problem here," he said. "Often the victim doesn't report the assault; many are reported by third parties."
In his view, domestic violence is a hidden problem in many communities. "But the more you report it, the more likely people are to stop doing it," he said. "We should shame these people by putting their names in the paper and then they'd stop doing it."
Sgt. George Trudeau of Anishnabek police services in Sagamok said that domestic disputes often occur in his community of 2,200 as well. "We have four officers, and they keep us hopping most of the time," he said.
Chief Gary Reid of the Wikwemikong police services suggested that domestic violence remains a taboo subject in many First Nations.
But he has observed that there has been a drastic change in the way victims are treated. "In the past all the focus was on the bad guy," he said. "The police concentrated on getting him arrested and convicted. Now the trend is to give the victim's needs more priority."
His staff of 13 respond to 1,200 to 1,500 incidents per year, he reported. "It is important to give the victims support. Many are reluctant to come forward because of embarrassment or distrust of the system. As the senior officer in Wikwemikong, I encourage communication with local social service agencies. That way we get a more blended community and we all help one another. After all we are all looking for the same results," he concluded.
Urban Natives are organized
Crystal Morton, Birchbark Writer, TorontoGiving a voice to urban Aboriginal people is the goal for a new council being formed in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
On May 5, the membership of the Aboriginal People's Council of Toronto (APCT) will vote for 18 people to represent them in discussions on a variety of issues affecting them.
"Basically Native people in Toronto don't really have a political voice-not political representation-but a political voice on issues that impact them," said Joe Hester executive director at Anishnawbe Health in Toronto and an APCT committee member. "The APCT is trying to fill in that void and build a sense of community in this big city."
Topics such as housing, the economy, police brutality and school programming are a few items that Roger Obonsawin, who helped form the organization and who is a nominee for president, plans to investigate after the elections.
"Those are the kinds of things we'd address," said Obonsawin. "We'll hold community forums to hear from the people what issues are at hand, and then address those issues with the proper authorities."
Discussions regarding the formation of the urban council began several years ago when those who were trying to deal with problems and concerns became increasingly frustrated with not being heard.
"People get frustrated in Toronto because, well, it's difficult to be recognized and sometimes they feel left out," said Obonsawin.
"It's felt that when issues are being decided, they are being done so by people who don't really know about it."
Obonsawin added that it doesn't matter whether these decisions are being made by the provincial government or by band councils, because Aboriginal people's needs in urban centres differ from those living on reserves.
That was a view echoed by Hester, who said, "In all honesty, urban Aboriginal issues are very different, and when issues for Aboriginal people are discussed politically it's not about the Aboriginal urban population."
APCT hopes to bring an urban Aboriginal voice to the forefront, but not take away from the bands.
"The APCT is not to replace a band, but to have a council to represent band issues in the GTA," said Obonsawin.
This is the reason a public forum held by 200 people in May 2002 nominated and voted in a 12-person committee to research the process of establishing a council.
The work so far has been done on a volunteer basis, and as APCT grows it will continue to operate without government grants.
"We are not going to accept government money," said Obonsawin. "We feel we can't represent the people with government funding. We have to break the cycle; we can't be controlled by them."
Obonsawin emphasized how making a choice such as refusing funding will emphasize how APCT is ultimately a people's council.
"That's very important, it's got to be accountable to the community, not the government," he said.
In order to meet that objective, it was discussed as to which type of council the people would like to see represent them.
"The response was divided between an elected system and a traditional clan system."
The process was long, and much consideration had to be put into what the people attending the forums were requesting.
Commitee members were very interested in how Winnipeg's Urban Aboriginal Council has been running for the past 12 years, and after extensive studying have borrowed from its approach.
"It tries to combine, into one council, both ways," said Obonsawin.
In November 2002, an announcement was made throughout the GTA that from Feb. 17, 2003 until March 14, 2003, nominations could be put forward for an 18-person council. Nomination forms were placed in First Nation offices across the GTA.
APCT will have a four-member executive committee, as well as four female and four male regional representatives, four clan representatives, one Elder and one youth representative.
It will include both elected individuals and selected clan members from the four directions.
The APCT membership, who will vote people into the elected positions, is currently sitting at 500, but Obonsawin expects close to 5,000 by the time the process is complete.
"They (clan members) may decide for their own election process for their representatives," said Obonsawin.
He also thinks there may be an election process put forth by the clans for the Elder representative-who is to be more than 59 years old-and for the youth representative-who is to be at least 16 years old.
