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Dear Editor:

Re: "Ontario NDP leader wary of new approach"

As the new Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and one who has long had an interest in Aboriginal matters, I wish to clarify a number of statements made by Ontario NDP leader Howard Hampton about funding of the Ontario Secretariat for Aboriginal Affairs (formerly the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat) in the July 2005 issue of Windspeaker.

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Windspeaker Editorial

Chief John Martin of the Gesgapegiag First Nation, chair of the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi political alliance of Mi'kmaq communities in the Gaspe region of Quebec, was moved to write a letter to the editor of Windspeaker this month that was unfortunately a little too long to print in its entirety.

We say "unfortunately" because Chief Martin's essay was quite informative and, in light of the Supreme Court of Canada ruling in the Bernard and Marshall cases, very timely and important.

Page 5 Windspeaker Editorial

Chief John Martin of the Gesgapegiag First Nation, chair of the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi political alliance of Mi'kmaq communities in the Gaspe region of Quebec, was moved to write a letter to the editor of Windspeaker this month that was unfortunately a little too long to print in its entirety.

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Visitors to this year's 35th annual Back to Batoche celebrations, held at the Batoche National Historic Site in Saskatchewan from July 21 to 24, had the chance to celebrate Metis culture and take part in a variety of traditional Metis activities.

While the ball tournament that is usually held during the event was cancelled this year due to a shortage of teams, a number of other perennial favourites were on the agenda, including the Batoche musical, voyageur games, horseshoe tournaments and, of course, plenty of fiddling and jigging.

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Visitors to this year's 35th annual Back to Batoche celebrations, held at the Batoche National Historic Site in Saskatchewan from July 21 to 24, had the chance to celebrate Metis culture and take part in a variety of traditional Metis activities.

While the ball tournament that is usually held during the event was cancelled this year due to a shortage of teams, a number of other perennial favourites were on the agenda, including the Batoche musical, voyageur games, horseshoe tournaments and, of course, plenty of fiddling and jigging.

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The opening ceremonies of the 2005 First Nation Summer Games, hosted by Kawacatoose First Nation from July 2 to 8, offered up a vibrant display of colour, sound and motion as a parade of 1,000 or so young athletes marched around the track. The parade was led by a cadet bearing the eagle staff, along with flag bearers, an RCMP colour guard, the Kawacatoose pow wow princess, veterans, Elders, the Wynyard Cadets and other dignitaries.

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The opening ceremonies of the 2005 First Nation Summer Games, hosted by Kawacatoose First Nation from July 2 to 8, offered up a vibrant display of colour, sound and motion as a parade of 1,000 or so young athletes marched around the track. The parade was led by a cadet bearing the eagle staff, along with flag bearers, an RCMP colour guard, the Kawacatoose pow wow princess, veterans, Elders, the Wynyard Cadets and other dignitaries.

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The Sunshine & Raine Society is on a mission to help First Nations help their youth through sport.

"By linking together volunteer training, sports equipment and the Sunshine & Raine spirit of competitive play philosophy, families experience the many benefits of a community controlled sport program," said Russ Mathews, program director of the Sunshine & Raine Society.

Sunshine & Raine is a newly registered non-profit organization committed to using sports to promote healthy lifestyles for Aboriginal people.