Blog Two Cents

Hill Times January 25, 2021 My family watched the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. We shared with millions of people the awe and relief that grace and leadership has returned to the White House. Tears were shed to witness so many BIPOC on podiums that day and evening. And then my daughter asked me, […]

Hill Times January 11, 2021 The first five days of 2021 seemed promising, until the American insurgency went down on Jan. 6. The world stood wide-eyed in shock, Twitter lost its collective mind, and there went all hopes of a dry January. In 2020, the moments of calm were even more notable when surrounded by

Hill Times December 14, 2020 The original intent of First Nations reserves was noted by Lt.-Gen. Sir Francis Bond Head in a report to Upper Canada in 1836: places for Indians to go die in peace away from the horrified eyes of the settlers, because obviously Indians “should still continue to wither, droop, and vanish

Hill Times November 30, 2020 There was a day and age when the federal government hired public health policy experts for the Public Health Agency of Canada, adult educators for the Canada School of Public Service, financial experts for Finance Canada, and well-being and benefits experts for Veterans Affairs Canada. Then something happened about three

Hill Times November 16, 2020 Did you know that infrastructure gaps for Inuit are critical? As a southerner, I have been honoured to travel to Nunavut numerous times to support Inuit capacity and leadership development. Just like every other southerner, I was wide-eyed and awestruck the first time. The Arctic has that effect on all

Hill Times November 2, 2020 Canada has a value of finding the middle ground and saying nice things, but it tends to backfire when applied to cases of ineffective leadership. The prime minister said he stands by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki despite her defence of RCMP officers who allowed white mobs to attack First Nations.

Hill Times October 19, 2020 If 200 First Nations had committed the actions seen on video by white Canadians in Middle West Pubnico, N.S., we can all be sure that the RCMP would have broken out full tactical gear and called in military reinforcements. Instead, we hear about “mischief” and property damage by white Canadian

Hill Times October 3, 2020 On Monday, Sept. 28, Joyce Echaquan from Atikamekw died in the Joliette Hospital while nurses taunted her with racism. Joyce was expecting to experience racism; that is why she took the video. Systemic racism across provincial ministries has already been documented in thePublic Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples