*Pls RT* – Letter to Senate Opposing #BillC27 First Nations Financial Transparency Act #IdleNoMore #cdnpoli

To: The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples

Please stop Bill C-27, First Nations Financial Transparency Act that is currently before you.

Bill C-27 is a misleadingly titled bill since the following financial transparency is already in place:

-First Nations already prepare annual audited financial statements that are submitted to the AANDC (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada) that are publicly available through their website.

-The Auditor General estimated that First Nations provides 168 reports (on average) annually to four different organizations of the federal government. An onerous task and yet it has been shown that only 65% of those reports are even looked at.

-Funds are already withheld for non-compliance.

The INAC (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) mandate at the First Nations Crown gathering Jan 2012 was to improve social well-being and economic prosperity and develop healthier, more sustainable communities, “a future in which First Nations… are strong, sustainable, self-sufficient… with Financial self-sufficiency as the end-goal… and both parties can create the conditions to enable sustainable and successful First Nations..”

Bill C-27 goes against this core mandate requiring overly punitive burdensome conditions setting up First Nations to fail. For example, if First Nations do not comply with the request for financial statements from any person within 120 days, funding can be cut off unilaterally (no essential services, no housing, no medical, no education, no road or water maintenance, etc), funding agreements can be changed, the Minister can create an action plan to remedy the breach, and it enables any person to apply for a court order to the superior court. With Bill C-27 these financial reports will be published on the internet for ten years.

The argument put forward in Senate in favour of this bill is if First Nations want to govern themselves they should be [as] accountable and transparent as all other levels of government who make their salaries accessible to the public yet, Bill C-27 far surpasses current reporting required by any other level of government and only reinforces the outdated paternal relationship long ago established by the Indian Act that we need to step away from in order for First Nations to be self-governing and sovereign nations.

This bill cripples First Nations and ensures they will never become economically viable, taking away any possible competitive edge that may be gained in business by forcing them to disclose their financial audits which no corporation is required to do, again going beyond standards set for other businesses in Canada. This bill only serves to add to First Nations already onerous reporting functions that the auditor general has frequently criticized, recommending the reporting requirements be reduced.

This bill severely jeopardizes First Nations funding in an already precarious system where many are living in third world conditions. We cannot afford to put any more First Nations lives at risk by threatening to remove funding based on the requirements of this bill; it is unreasonable and unjust to place such demands when some band offices may not even have the administrative capacity to be able to manage the requests.

The act would lock First Nations into legislation far surpassing current agreements and does not make any allowance for possible changes in the fiscal relationship between First Nations and Canada. This bill only reinforces an already unstable and changing fiscal relationship between First Nations and Canada whereas going forward; we need to stabilize funding to ensure we can best serve First Nations citizens and reserves.

Please immediately abandon Bill C-27 and ensure that any future legislation for First Nations is created following the Constitution Act 1982 (Section 35) that honours First Nations and Aboriginal Treaty rights, and states, “Specific financing arrangements will be negotiated among governments and the Aboriginal groups concerned.”, and ensure First Nations are consulted prior to introducing future legislation per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that Canada agreed to.

First Nations are interested and invested in advancing jointly designed plans encompassing First Nations rights, jurisdiction and Treaties and the principles of accountability and transparency but Bill C-27 is not the solution; it is only going to serve to further burden and destabilize an already over-burdened and uncertain financial system.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

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Please print, sign and mail -OR- copy it, sign and email it to:

Send mail to a senator postage-free at:

Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A 0A4

Email: appa@sen.parl.gc.ca

Or you can phone or fax:

Clerk : Marcy Zlotnick – (613) 990-6080

Administrative Assistant : Lyne Héroux – (613) 949-4372

General Information : (613) 990-0088 or 1-800-267-7362

Fax : (613) 947-2104

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Jane Shepherd’s Recent Artwork – An amazingly talented artist, dear friend and creator of my avatar image

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Please click on the link—>  Jane Shepherd – Recent Artwork.

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#IdleNoMore Slam Poem

My Idle No More Slam Poem – Please feel free to share it in this format.

©2013 Clear Wind Blows Over the Moon

Written Text of Letter to the Governor General’s Wife

I decided to post my letter as not everyone will want to listen to a radio show (per the below post).  I want it out there in the world. This is my prayer for Mother Earth, for Canada, for my people, and for all people and I am honoured to share it with you in any form.

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January 30, 2013

Excellency: Dear Mrs. Sharon Johnston,

I am honoured and hopeful to share my poem with you about the Idle No More movement and about the plight of First Nations and our sacred Mother Earth.

It wasn’t long ago that I was honoured to share with you another poem when you came to visit us back in March, 2012. That day I shared a poem that described my love and admiration for nature and I appreciated your positive comments, and that you are also a lover of nature.

That’s why I hope you can understand the strong passion that is behind the poem that I wrote, and I hope I do not assume too much to ask that you please also accept this letter. I feel strongly that nature is at stake here – Nature; my only ever true, loyal and most constant dear friend that has carried me through many a dark time.

I love Canada and that I am a First Nations Canadian. I am not a status Indian yet I lived the same terrible legacy from my ancestors going through the Indian residential school system that many status First Nations live; scars that I carry today and work daily to heal from. Yet I support Idle No More regardless.

Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 is not being followed; First Nations treaties are not being honoured as the omnibus bill and over a dozen other pieces of legislation have been passed into law without any discussion or consultation with First Nations.

Since joining INM, I have and continue to encounter more racism for being First Nations, than I have my entire life. The ignorance of the true history of Canada and of First Nations is rampant in our country and as long as it remains, I fear this negative situation will continue and worsen.

When I went through the education system we didn’t learn the history of my people. The most we learned was to touch on the Métis and the rebellion. Canada is a great country for reaching out and embracing all nations and cultures, supporting diversity, but in our own back yard, First Nations are being left out in the cold, and as long as this gap in our education system remains, I feel the racism I describe will continue to flourish.

Three mandatory United Nations reviews conducted in 2012 all found “very serious human rights challenges facing Indigenous peoples” in Canada, per an Amnesty International report released in December, 2012.

They are concerned over the situation with First Nations in Canada as are many other people all around the world including academics, Greenpeace, aboriginals in other countries, et al and thus the support is growing for Idle No More because of these grave concerns.

Too many First Nations people are living in third world conditions in our country, some on reserves where the cost of groceries and other supplies can be as high as twenty times the rate in the rest of Canada.

Canada was one of only 4 countries to try to vote against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples when 144 states endorsed it, and it took years for it to be accepted here. It hurts me greatly that we have over 700 missing and murdered First Nations women in Canada that the government will no longer fund the investigation for.

Canada rates high on the United Nation’s Human Development index at #6 but when First Nations are factored into the calculation, Canada drops down to somewhere around a ranking of #67. I feel all of these points say a lot about the relationship between the Harper government and First Nations in Canada.

I am saddened at the racist/biased reporting on Idle No More that is dominating mainstream media as it is creating great misunderstandings on very complex issues as well as taking the focus off of the matters that are most important to the movement such as protecting the land, water, First Nations treaty rights and culture.

I am further saddened to read in the news this evening how two of the CP government’s conservative caucus (an elected MP and a senator) were saying disparaging statements about Chief Theresa Spence while attending a party. One went so far as to comment on her physical appearance. This is hardly what one would expect from appointed/elected officials representing our country and Her Majesty the Queen.

To clarify, Chief Spence is not the leader of Idle No More as we are a grassroots movement and thus we have no leaders. But her starving and dying every day of her 44 day hunger strike was an example of what is happening on the reserves and to my people – My people are dying.

I find it very difficult to comprehend how any one can make such cruel, racist, misogynist remarks, about a woman that was so desperate about the state of affairs on many First Nations reservations in Canada that she was prepared to lay down her life for it.

The media shifted the focus off of the causes of the movement and tried to discredit her. I understand that the average Canadian does not understand the spiritual significance of the act of fasting (as she did for 44 days), nor that it was an act for not only her children, but your children and for all children, as we consider seven generations forward when making decisions per our ancient teachings.

I am thankful her hunger strike has ended and I hope the Aboriginal 13 point Declaration of Commitment that the opposition parties signed will be fulfilled. Idle No More continues and has to continue since Harper will not even acknowledge the Idle No More movement or any of the many issues mentioned.

I read in the news tonight that in parliament this week, when he listed the priorities for Canada, he made no mention of First Nations. I fear he will continue to ignore us, and my people will continue to suffer, and our sacred mother earth will not be protected, negatively impacting ALL Canadians.

Many people don’t realize that clean water also impacts the air we breathe since the earth constantly cycles back water from the land, out to the ocean and back again. So if people are not concerned about the toxic water that exists on many First Nations reserves today (some in the 7th year of boil water advisory) since they feel assured it won’t impact them, they are wrong. That water could seep into the ground water and thus into the aquifers that we all need to get good, clean drinking water from.

That toxic water is absorbed into the land and the air we breathe and cycles out into our precious oceans that support myriad life and again, cycles back to the land to become water we drink. So this issue isn’t only out on remote First Nations reserves, this impacts Canada and the oceans that impact the world. But for now, sadly, it is out of sight and out of mind for most Canadians.

However, with the omnibus bill C45 being passed into law, we no longer have protection for our waters. Provincial governments will now be able to make major decisions impacting all of Canada (since we all drink water and we all breathe) and the voting system being forced onto reserves ensures that anyone that shows up to vote on an issue can decide the entire fate of the reservation – that could be just a few people with the new laws. This, even in spite of the fact that many do not receive notices of such events.

In my humble opinion, it is not right that the government put through laws having huge impacts on First Nations, and when it comes to waters and thus the air, all Canadians. So this is where INM is coming from.

I am excited about the INM movement as I hope it will raise awareness in Canada to the plight of my people and educate them on the true history of our country. I don’t believe we can move forward until we have looked back and until all people embrace and acknowledge the truth. I am so glad the movement has opened up dialogue with people and hope it will one day open dialogue with the government.

Many dismiss requests for His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada to be present at meetings but I know that many First Nations feel it is very important that there is Crown representation at ANY discussions since they hold in great respect, honour and trust, the treaties that were entered into with the Crown and it would mean so much to them. I believe it would go a long way in restoring their faith that the government is serious and ready to work together, and to finally acknowledge First Nations, were he to attend.

INM has given new life to my people. I have seen little kids supporting and learning the ancient ways and languages as it has revitalized our communities. I have been moved to tears to see the public flash mob round dances; to hear the drum beat that connects us with mother earth’s heartbeat; to listen to the wisdom at the teach-ins.

There is a lot of healing going on. I’ve never witnessed pride in my people, in our culture and for being First Nations as I have since INM. I have read stories of youth (at greatest risk for suicide) that feel proud to be First Nations for the first time in their lives and I have seen elder grand parents go out in the freezing cold weather to take part in round dances and peacefully demonstrate. It’s really wonderful to see and I feel these positive changes will only continue!

If I could envision a Canada that I would be proud of, it would be one in true unity, honouring all people; one wherein all people (including my First Nations brothers and sisters) would have good, affordable housing, healthy affordable food, clean/free water, access to affordable health care and to a good education.

These are basic human rights and a country as rich and prosperous as Canada, one blessed with so many natural resources and an amazingly diverse population, should not allow anything less.

I hold hope for my dream for Canada. I give thanks to Creator that you will receive and read my poem, and I hope; this letter. I pray and hope in the deepest roots of my heart, that if there is anything you can do to help the plight facing Fist Nations in Canada and our sacred mother earth, that you will do whatever you can.

I thank Your Excellency for your time and consideration.

Yours Sincerely,
Clear Wind Blows Over the Moon

<<Revised to remove the many ‘Your Excellencies’ and a few other minor tweaks>>

Stolen Sisters – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Enough is enough – No more stolen sisters! #IdleNoMore #SistersinSpirit #opthunderbird #MMIW #VAW #1billionrising

On February 13, 2013, Human Rights Watch released an 89 page report entitled “Those Who Take Us Away: Abusive Policing and Failures in Protection of Indigenous Women and Girls in Northern British Columbia, Canada” documenting ongoing police failures, abuse and violence of police and RCMP towards Indigenous women and girls in British Columbia. The investigative report is the result of a request from Justice For Girls, after hearing countless accounts of abuse and violence from young girls and women at the hands of the police. Indigenous Waves spoke with Human Rights Watch researcher from the report Samer Muscati, followed by Advocate and Director of Justice For Girls, Asia Chopska.

Samer Muscati is the emergencies researcher in the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch. A lawyer, documentary photographer, and former journalist, Samer has worked in Rwanda, Iraq, and East Timor. He specializes in the fields of human rights and…

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#IdleNoMore Poem and Letter Presented to the Governor General’s Wife and the Governor General

I felt greatly honoured and thankful to be given the opportunity to speak about Idle No More (INM) on Frequency Feminisms – Radio Activism this past Saturday, Feb. 16th.

On the show I share a poem and letter I wrote about INM that were presented to the Governor General’s wife, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston, C.C. at the end of January which she in turn, shared with her husband, His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.

The opportunity to have my poem and letter presented in person to them, came about quite by chance in that I was reading my INM poem in class and some people came through on a tour and the Art Director heard my poem and amazingly, announced she would be at Rideau Hall the very next day and that if I gave her a copy, she would put it under glass and present it to the Governor General’s wife, explaining she knows these issues are close to her heart.

I was stunned. My classmates had to repeat to me later, what she had said as I was in disbelief about it all. Needless to say, I was nervous to send a poem encouraging civil disobedience and blockades to cripple the economy, to the government!

I was severely sleep deprived at the time, but I had no time to think about it as she needed the copy to take with her the very next day. So in my delirious state, I wrote a two page letter to accompany the poem to ensure they understood where I was coming from.

Much to my surprise, I heard back about a week later upon the Art Director’s return, that they had both read my poem and my letter and were very impressed and inspired by them! I felt greatly relieved as I had not been able to sleep well since sending it.

Here are the links to the radio show (in two parts) where you can hear the interview, the letter and the poem:

Part 1 (you can fast forward 27 minutes in):

http://frequencyfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/frequency-feminisms-february-16-2013-pt-4.mp3

Part 2 (you can fast forward 22:11 mins in if you want to only hear me read the poem):

http://frequencyfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/frequency-feminisms-february-16-2013-pt-5.mp3

Idle No More – Where Do We Go From Here..?

I feel it is very important that we have better communication and more teach-ins, town hall discussions and meetings for Idle No More (INM).

I feel that with more organizing of this nature, we can focus on education and building more consensus and unification. Creating a plan codifying and addressing issues encompassing our main goals; more of an organizational structure to help us decide on a more unified voice and direction.

One that we will want to share outwards with the general public and media to help counteract the racist, biased reporting in mainstream media, currently dominating the news and skewing what INM is really about.

We can then use that plan/structure to reach out to the larger grassroots, that this is the way forward that we are proposing for us to embrace to accomplish our mutual goals in INM and from there we can plan and organize future events to implement them.

I understand it can be a fine line between getting bogged down in structure and control, like the old out-dated patriarchal/colonial structures and that this is not something we want INM to get caught up in.

Yet I feel strongly about us having enough in place to help unify and direct us for the common good of all involved at the grassroots level… and for all people, so we can make the best progress, effectively and efficiently and reach the widest audience possible with where we want INM to go, in better hopes of achieving our mutual goals.

I believe with the gatherings giving voice to all people, sharing our energy and passion, and especially with sacred ceremony at the start, a clear way forward can and certainly will be achieved.

What defines a sad song…

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How do you define a sad song – What is it that makes a song sad for you?

Is it because it moves you to tears… is it because it reminds you of a life event that was happening when you first heard the song… is it because the song is part of the soundtrack for a sad movie you saw… does it remind you of a special person or place… is it the lyrics… the tune… the instruments… that it is relatable?

Is it the story of the musician who took his life after writing it… the history of the song that you hear in an interview that makes it sad to you..? Does it remind you of some loss you‘ve experienced – a loved one, a relationship, a time of life, etc? Is it strictly a feeling? Is it indescribable?

Is it sad because it reminds you that life is fleeting and how insignificant we all are on the radar of the universe? What about the sad songs that are great songs and although they contain sad lyrics, the music makes you want to dance or sing out loud…

Or do you know it is a sad song because it affects you so deeply, that when you hear it come on the radio while driving, you have to turn it up and pull your car over… so you can close your eyes and really listen to it… really feel it…

Maybe it is some, none or all of these elements… thus why music is so personal and intimate. It can be the song itself that makes it a sad song… but more likely it is a person’s experience of that song, that really is the determining factor… and that imho (in my humble opinion), is more interesting than reading a list of music. I don’t know what your definition is, but here are my top ten saddest songs…

1) Hallelujah sung by Jeff Buckley (written by Leonard Cohen)

2) Hurt sung by Johnny Cash (written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails)

3) Man of the Hour by Pearl Jam

4) Creep by Radiohead

5) Crying sung by KD Lang (written by Roy Orbison)

6) Crazy sung by Patsy Cline (written by Willie Nelson)

7) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

8) The Great Escape sung by Azure Ray (written by Moby, Maria Taylor, Orinda Fink)

9) Turn Out the Lights by Stephen Fearing

10) Spring (2nd movement, Largo) – Antonio Vivaldi

Some other sad songs that may not sound as sad imho, yet are good songs with sad lyrics and/or that feel sad are…

Almost any Joy Division song

How Soon Is Now by the Smiths

Joey by Concrete Blonde

Blue Monday by New Order

Luka by Suzanne Vega

Dead Can Dance – The Host of Seraphim

About to Leap by Burnt Project 1

Sleep Alone and Everloving by Moby

We All Need Water to Breathe

Many do not realize that without the global ocean there would be no life on Earth.

A staggering 80% of all the life on Earth is to be found hidden beneath the waves and this vast global ocean pulses around our world driving the natural forces which maintain life on our planet. The ocean covers 70% of Earth’s surface. The average depth of the ocean is 2 or 3 miles. In some places, the ocean is deeper than the tallest mountains are high! The ocean contains about 97% of all the water on Earth.

The oceans provide vital sources of protein, energy, minerals and other products of use the world over and the rolling of the sea across the planet creates over half our oxygen, drives weather systems and natural flows of energy and nutrients around the world, transports water masses many times greater than all the rivers on land combined and keeps the Earth habitable. It is gravely worrying then, that we are damaging the oceans on a scale that is unimaginable to most people.

Water on our planet is a constant source of renewal (water vapour, rivers, lakes, clouds, rain, seas, oceans, glaciers, waterfalls). The cycle is never broken; there is always the same amount of water on earth. All the successive species on earth have drunk the same water. The astonishing matter that is water is one of the most unstable of all. It takes a liquid form as running water, gaseous as vapour or solid as ice.

Everything is linked. Nothing is self-sufficient. Water and air are inseparable, united in life and for our life on Earth. Thus, clouds form over the oceans and bring rain to the landmasses, whose rivers carry water back to the oceans. Sharing is everything. 70% of oxygen, the gas which without we would all die, comes from the algae that live in our oceans. Our earth relies on a fine inter-dependant balance in which every being exists through the existence of another being.

The ocean depends on a subtle fragile harmony that is easily shattered. Thus corals are born from the marriage of algae and shells. Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but they provide a habitat and support thousands of species of fish and sea life. The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia stretches over 350,000 square kilometres and is home to 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 species of molluscs and 400 species of coral. The equilibrium of the ocean depends on these corals.

In reference to oil spills – Crude oil and dispersants can bleach and kill coral. Oil alone is toxic to corals. Effects range from heavy mucous production by the coral causing stress, disruption of reproductive tissues, bleaching, and mortality. Water dilutes the oil’s toxicity, but when chemical dispersants are used the oil is concentrated in highly toxic droplets. Dispersed oils are much more harmful to corals than oil only. This can have increased detrimental effects on corals because the oil can become more available to coming in contact with the coral tissue.

The ocean plays a starring role in whatever happens with the environment. One big part is in the renewal of water, of its role is to soak up energy (heat) and distribute it more evenly around the Earth. The health of the ocean impacts our climate.

Another critical part the ocean places in the balance on earth is to soak up CO2 (created when we burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas) helping prevent global warming. Too much CO2 also affects the PH balance in water creating too much acid which negatively impacts healthy functioning in humans. Too much acid in the ocean also kills the precious coral that keeps our oceans alive.
“We could trigger a mass extinction on a scale not seen for 100 million years,” warns Richard Norris, Professor of Paleobiology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “Ocean acidification is a bigger problem than global warming.”

Please always remember, every second breath you take comes from the ocean (algae). We must protect our sacred Mother Earth and Oceans.