Time out
My father does not speak much about his time at La Tuque Residential School. Like many other survivors, he tells short stories and anecdotes. One thing he does recall is how hockey helped him through 10 years of political imprisonment.
Voices
ᐋ ᐄᔮᔨᐧᒫᓂᐧᐃᒡ
Living offline
I looked towards the moon, watching mankind trek around the surface for the first time back in 1969, semi-live and broadcast around the world. We didn’t have television yet in our tiny town of Fort George, so looking as hard as we could, we saw the bright moon clearly in the middle of the day against a jet blue sky. It was windy here on earth and we wondered how bad the weather was on the moon, but we went on with our lives, unaware that the world was living on a precipice and entering a new era of technology.
A tale that hits home
As Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” It’s getting harder to know what the best consists of these days. One could bet it has nothing to do with the obscene profits being raked in by grocery, petroleum, pharmaceutical and electricity corporations, among others. In the past, businesses that profited from wars would be denounced. Why are these guys being spared the shaming?
The gods of gambling
The voice on the radio drones on with another bingo number. I’m not sure how many numbers have been called or how many are left to call out, when we hear the voice declaring someone had won on the previous number.
UFOs
I cannot believe I am writing this, but today I tuned into WhiteHouse.org to get an update on the unidentified flying objects shot down by fighter jets in the United States and Canada. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, to my great relief, revealed that “There is no indication of aliens or extra-terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.”
All in a day
I got up this morning, a little dry and kind of hot, the furnace gradually heating up the house. After knocking over a few things in the kitchen, I discovered the light wasn’t on and the room was lit up by the sun. Wow, the sun is getting up before me I think aloud, tossing a few more things around. Where’s the coffee when you need it most? Finally, I find the last cache of coffee pods and now the aroma of morning opens my eyelids, and my senses slowly start working again.
Paying what you owe
Promises forgotten, treaties not honoured and fiduciary obligations unfulfilled underly the relationship First Nations have lived with both federal and provincial governments. In most cases it means going to courts for justice, to make our partners live up to their signatures. It’s an uneven battle, as many First Nations have limited funds to pay for lawyers and court costs compared to unlimited government resources.
The cold of old
It’s 40 below as I try to start my car early in the morning. The cold, cold crisp air burns my lungs as I enter my vehicle to sit on a rock-hard frozen seat. The engine churns slowly before it sputters alive and spews out white vapour.
The brave new world
What is the first thing you look at in the morning? What is the last thing you see before you go to sleep at night? Many of us would hesitate in answering and probably not want to admit that the answer is the smartphone
Human rights
In a scathing report, the US-based group Human Rights Watch is denouncing Canada’s failures to meet its fiduciary responsibility toward First Nations and Inuit peoples.