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Dear Editor:

Does "open federalism," as Mr. Harper calls it, mean the weakening of federal authority and its ability to respond to national issues such as finance and social universality, or does it mean more participation of the provinces in decision making on the national level? I would agree with the latter, and fight vehemently the former.

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Dear Editor:

I know that it will not be easy in selling the vision of a national Aboriginal agenda. Coming up with a slogan may be just as hard, but you can think about this slogan: Our prosperity is your prosperity.

Thomas Musko

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Editorial

Crucial days are passing without any action on initiatives of huge importance to First Nations people across Canada. Anger and worry are increasing, so is frustration on the ground. So one has to ask: Is the Stephen Harper government wreaking a little political revenge on one Phillip Fontaine?

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Nadine Gagne of Vancouver British Columbia was named a National Aboriginal Role Model on March 20 at a gala in Ottawa. The National Aboriginal Health Organization's Lead Your Way! program celebrates the accomplishments of First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth aged 13 to 30. Gagne works as an infant development consultant and early childhood educator for Kla-How-Eya Aboriginal Centre in Surrey.

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The government of British Columbia has committed $1 million to preserve First Nations languages. About 60 per cent of all Indigenous languages in Canada are found in British Columbia. It's estimated there are 53 Indigenous languages found in the country, of which 32 are found in the province. Only a handful are likely to survive, said Premier Gordon Campbell.

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The all-white Spirit Bear (Kermode) has been adopted by British Columbia as its official mammal.

It is estimated there are about 400 Kermode bears in the province. They are part of the black bear family and inhabit the central coast and the northern parts of the province, areas the government acted to protect this year.

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When women seek help from physicians for feelings of anxiety, depression or insomnia connected to their life experiences, the result is often a prescription for benzodiazepines, a central nervous system depressant shown to have significant side effects, including memory and learning impairment, depression, emotional blunting and paradoxical aggression. Benzodiazepines are also highly addictive.

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As Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver began to fill on Good Friday, April 14, parish staff offered parishioners copies of a letter written by Andrew Hutchison, archbishop and primate of Canada's Anglican Church urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to finally settle the compensation issue surrounding Indian residential schools. He asked Harper to honor the promise of advanced payments to the elderly and sick, once students who attended the schools, and to move forward on other payments without delay.

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With each new case of Avian Influenza reported in the media, the idea that the virus responsible, H5N1, could be the cause of the next global pandemic seems more grounded in reality.

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Michael White was "ecstatic" when he found out he would be one of this year's recipients of the University of Toronto President's Award for Outstanding Native Students of the Year, handed out each year to two Aboriginal students who have demonstrated excellence through their academic achievements and contributions to the Aboriginal community.

The honor came with a monetary award that the U of T archeology student put to good use-it allowed him to accept a 10-week internship at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.