Page 5 Chatter - July

THE CALGARY HERALD IS REPORTING THAT
Dr. Melvyn Lavallee is suing the Siksika Nation Tribal Administration, its health services and a senior manager of Siksika Health Services for damages for wrongful breach of contract and defamation. The paper reports the doctor’s trouble stems from Siksika’s response to an interview he did with Windspeaker in 2004.
Lavallee spoke back then to Windspeaker about concerns he had with issues at Siksika Health Services where he had been working for a decade, hired from private practice in Fort McMurray. He told Windspeaker about the lack of supplies at the clinic, nurses who were offering care beyond their skill set, and shortcuts allowed at the Health Canada clinic that could lead to malpractice lawsuits against doctors.
“They said if I hadn’t blabbered my mouth, they’d still have their nursing station,” said Lavallee of the uproar that resulted from his interview, reports the Herald.
Lavallee, a First Nations from Cowessess who graduated from medical school in the 1960s, was terminated in 2005 at the age of 65 despite an agreement that he could work at Siksika until he retired, though Siksika denies there was ever such an understanding.
Six hundred tribe members signed a petition demanding his return, but to no avail.
The Calgary Herald believes the court battle should last several days.

SENATOR TOMMY BANKS SAYS THE FIRST
Nations Clean Water bill is a travesty and an abdication of federal responsibility. He called on senators to do their job of reviewing bills and amending poorly conceived legislation.
“It is a difficult thing to be critical of proposed legislation that says it’s going to bring clean drinking water to First Nations,” said Banks, “but this bill is severely deficient.”
Bill S-11 does not contain resources and training to create facilities and ensure they are operated properly. It does however contain the right for the Crown to override Aboriginal and treaty rights.
“Didn’t somebody suggest that this was supposed to be a bridge to self-government?  This is not a bridge to self-government. This is a slap in the face. This is arrogance beyond belief. This is a travesty,” Banks said.
Bill S-11 is currently at second reading in the Senate.

HUNDREDS OF INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
survivors, Aboriginal leaders, church groups, government representatives and members of the public gathered June 16 in Winnipeg for the opening ceremonies of the first national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). (Windspeaker will have special coverage of the event in the next issue.)
“Today, we welcome Canadians to join us in honoring all survivors of residential schools who are present and with us in spirit,” said Chief Wilton Littlechild, a TRC Commissioner. “We invite you to open your hearts and minds, and affirm a genuine desire to see positive change for today and for generations to come.”
They have gathered in Winnipeg to talk with each other and to share their experiences with the commission at the four-day national event. Included in those conversations are the voices of former staff and other school workers who have been contacted and encouraged to come forward.
“This is a story about Canada, and Canada needs to take notice of what it is that is being said,” stated Justice Murray Sinclair, the TRC Chair. “There is an unmistakable, absolute truth experienced when the person across from you summons up immeasurable courage to tell you something they may have never told anyone,” he added. It is the type of truth that causes the most stoic of us to squirm.”
The event is of great importance for non-Aboriginal Canadians who may have had nothing whatsoever to do with the schools directly.
“We have before us an incredible opportunity to better understand and rewrite our own history,” said TRC Commissioner Marie Wilson. “We can all learn from the lessons of the past, and walk toward respectful relations for the future... for the sake of the child taken and the parent left behind.”
The Winnipeg event is the first of seven to be held across Canada over five years. It is expected to draw thousands to participate in cultural exhibitions by First Nations, MÈtis and Inuit groups, film screenings, plays, art exhibits and musical performances.
Archbishop Gérard Pettipas, chair of the Corporation of Catholic Entities Party to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement (CCEPIRSS), will be present and participate in the four-day event.
Archbishop Pettipas said the group “is committed to supporting the work of the commission and applauds the launch of the national events as part of an inclusive process to collect the stories of all people who were involved in Canada’s IRS system.