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Balancing the Budget at Indigenous Peoples Expense

THE CONSENSUS ANALYSIS of Budget 2022 seems to revolve around the term “centrist.” Mainstream Canadian media has emphasized the Trudeau Liberals’ plans to lower the national deficit while highlighting investments in policy areas like housing and dental care. But centrist can also be a euphemism for big cuts. While there are investments in areas meant to …

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The Promise and Failure of First Nation Policing in Ontario

While the original intent of the Anishnaabek Police Services (APS) was to deliver peacekeeping in a more traditional sense to our communities, lack of recognition and support has resulted in a system that produces First Nation OPP officers who aren’t trained in the specificities of policing / peacekeeping in a First Nation context and a service that is disconnected from First Nation aspirations for self-governance.

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The Gaping Holes in Ottawa’s Indigenous Fiscal Policy

Rather than address fundamental issues of land distribution, the federal government is prioritizing “fiscal capacity building” in an effort to prepare bands – not for self-determination – but for compliance with the self-government policy that does not expand the authority of First Nations over their traditional territories.