"APTN National News
OTTAWA-The "long silent war drums" of First Nations people will pound again if Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence dies from her hunger strike, says the head of Manitoba's largest chiefs organization.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak issued the statement Sunday, the same day Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo released an open letter calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston to agree to Spence's demand and meet with First Nations leaders to discuss the treaties.

Spence is into her sixth day of a hunger strike and she's spending her days and nights in a teepee on Victoria Island which sits in the Ottawa River and in the shadow of the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament Hill. Temperatures in Ottawa hovered between -6C and -10C over the weekend."

Idle No More.

Let me go find a better link than the Huffingtonpost. I wish Raven was here...

From the linked article.

"Navigable Waters Protection Act that would see just 97 of Canada�s approximately 32,000 major lakes protected by the stripped-down act. Major pipelines would also be exempted under the new law, meaning that the scope of impacts considered during environmental reviews will be narrower."

The bill is being rammed through by a majority Conservative government and clearly has the interests of the oil industry in mind!

The First Nations people are upset because they weren't consulted...new flash.... no one was!!! Hopefully their action will bring this out into the open but truth is Harper will just ram it through.

Unfortunately, I don't believe these folks have a lot of credibility to boot.

First Session, Forty-first Parliament,

AMENDMENTS TO THE INCOME TAX ACT AND RELATED REGULATIONS
Income Tax Act
Pooled Registered Pension Plans
TAX ON EXCESS EPSP AMOUNTS
Income Tax Regulations
Pooled Registered Pension Plans
Canada Disability Savings Regulations
MEASURES IN RESPECT OF SALES TAX
Excise Tax Act
Jobs and Economic Growth Act
Input Tax Credit Allocation Methods (GST/HST) Regulations
FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS ACT
TRANSFER PAYMENTS - TAX IN RESPECT OF SIFT TRUSTS OR SIFT PARTNERSHIPS
TRANSFER PAYMENTS - TAX ON EXCESS EPSP AMOUNTS UNDER PART XI.4 OF THE INCOME TAX ACT
TRANSFER PAYMENTS WITH RESPECT TO FEDERAL TAXES - NECESSARY INFORMATION
VARIOUS MEASURES
Financial Institutions
Trust And Loan Companies Act
Bank Act
Insurance Companies Act
Jobs and Economic Growth Act
Coordinating Amendments
Shipping
Canada Shipping Act, 2001
Services Provided by Classification Societies
Coming into Force
Preserving the Stability and Strength of Canada's Financial Sector
Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act
Payment Clearing and Settlement Act
REGULATIONS
Fisheries
Fisheries Act
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act
Transitional Provisions
Coming into Force
Bridge To Strengthen Trade Act
Enactment of Act
SHORT TITLE
INTERPRETATION
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE, PARKWAY AND RELATED WORKS
OPERATION OF THE BRIDGE AND RELATED WORKS
GENERAL PROVISIONS
INFORMATION GATHERING
OFFENCES
REGULATORY POWERS
Related Amendments to the International Bridges and Tunnels Act
Coordinating Amendments
Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS WITH RESPECT TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Canada Pension Plan
Amendments to the Act
Related Amendment to the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act
Coming into Force
Indian Act
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Coming into Force
Judges Act
Chief Justice or Senior Judge Continuing as Judge
Canada Labour Code
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Complaints
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Coming into Force
Merchant Seamen Compensation Act
Amendments to the Act
INSURANCE
RULES AND ORDERS
DELEGATION AND COSTS OF ADMINISTRATION
Transitional Provisions
Consequential Amendments
Access to Information Act
Privacy Act
Coming into Force
Customs Act
Amendments to the Act
Coming into Force
Hazardous Materials Information Review Act
Amendments to the Act
COUNCIL
SUPERANNUATION
POWERS OF THE MINISTER
Transfer of Employees and Positions
Transitional Provisions
Consequential Amendments
Access to Information Act
Financial Administration Act
Privacy Act
Public Sector Compensation Act
Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act Deputy Heads of the Public Service of Canada Order
Repeal
Coming into Force
Agreement on Internal Trade Implementation Act
Amendments to the Act
Orders Made Under Chapter 17 of Agreement
Orders of Governor in Council
RELATED AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
Related Amendment to the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act
Coming into Force
Employment Insurance Act
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Amendments to the Act
Coordinating Amendments
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act
Navigable Waters Protection Act
Amendments to the Act
WORKS
OBSTRUCTIONS
DEPOSIT AND DEWATERING
AGREEMENTS AND ARRANGEMENTS
REGULATIONS, ORDERS, INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE AND INTERIM ORDERS
Regulations and Orders
Incorporation by Reference
ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT
Designation
Administrative Monetary Penalties
Violations
Proceedings
Penalties
Review by Tribunal
Recovery of Debts
Rules of Law About Violations
Other Provisions
Transitional Provisions
Repeal
Consequential Amendments
Harbour Commissions Act
National Energy Board Act
Railway Safety Act
RELATIONSHIP TO NAVIGATION PROTECTION ACT
Canada Marine Act
Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada Act
Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act
Highway 30 Completion Bridges Act
Related Amendment to the Public Safety Act, 2002
Coordinating Amendments
Coming into Force
Canada Grain Act
Amendments to the Act
Terminal Elevators
Related Amendments
An Act to amend the Canada Grain Act and the Agriculture and Agri-food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act and to repeal the Grain Futures Act
Federal Law-Civil Law Harmonization Act, No. 1
Federal Law-Civil Law Harmonization Act, No. 2
Transitional Provisions
Coming into Force
International Interests in Mobile Equipment (aircraft equipment) Act
Amendments to the Act
TRANSITIONAL PROVISION
Consequential Amendments
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act
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Winding-up and Restructuring Act
Coming into Force
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board
Employment Insurance Act
Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act
Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board Act
Amendments to the Act
CLOSING OUT OF AFFAIRS
Suspension
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Coming into Force
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Coordinating Amendments
Public Service Superannuation Act
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Group 1 Contributors with Less than Two Years of Pensionable Service
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Group 1 and Group 2 Contributors with Two or More Years of Pensionable Service
Transitional Provision
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Coming into Force
Canada Revenue Agency Act

NAVIGABLE WATERS
PART 1
OCEANS AND LAKES

The environmental issues are only a small part. This is an 800 page monster bill, and I'm betting the farm there are time bombs hidden in there.

Water, land, sacred sites, coal, uranium, tar sands...you name it. Different century, same thieves, plundering.

"OTTAWA - A visibly weak Chief Theresa Spence made a brief appearance on Sunday - in Day 20 of her fast - as a parade of politicians and protesters turned up the volume to demand action from the Harper government on treaty issues."

Concern is strong enough that some have urged her to give up and let Opposition politicians take up the fight - something Craig said he tried to convey to her.

"I spoke directly to her and said, 'You know, you've done more anybody could expect one person to do, and there's no reason you and you alone should have to carry this burden.' And she said, 'It's my burden to carry.'"

While I understand that this hunger strike has garnered a lot of media attention and media is key to raising awareness, there is one aspect that the media has not been talking about for the most part.

In many native communities, the biggest problems and the biggest crooks can be the band leadership itself. Canadian bands sometimes recieve huge dollars from both the Canadian government and from private companies (oil rights, mining rights, etc) but the members never see most of that money... improvements never happen. Yet some band leaders give themselves salaries that put Canadian politicians to shame. And their family and friends.

I'm not saying that ALL of them are crooks, some are very good. But it is a widespread problem in native communities all over Canada and it frustrates me that the Canadian government tends to be "hands off" when it comes to oversight of these funds.

I think the Idle No More founders may be thinking along the same lines I do. Band leaders seem to want to cash in on the movement... for either fame, money, or "street cred".

I applaud Chief Spence for what she may be trying to do... but the leadership of Attawapiskat is far from clean or transparent. So of course it brings up a lot of questions in my mind about her actual motives.

OTTAWA - In a matter of weeks, a series of teach-ins on a small Saskatchewan reserve took on a life of their own - becoming a nationwide aboriginal protest movement.

But now it appears the rapidly growing Idle No More movement is experiencing its first real growing pains. On Monday, the founders of Idle No More issued a statement distancing themselves from Native chiefs who claim to be acting on behalf of the campaign.

"The Chiefs have called for action and anyone who chooses can join with them, however this is not part of the Idle No More movement as the vision of this grassroots movement does not coincide with the visions of the Leadership," said the statement, released on Idle No More's official website.

"While we appreciate the individual support we have received from chiefs and councilors, we have been given a clear mandate. to work outside of the systems of government and that is what we will continue to do."

The statement also says the Idle No More founders received word that aboriginal "leadership" had been "calling for action" in the name of the campaign, and that they claimed to have met with the representatives of the group who support this call. "We would like to state that this is FALSE," the statement reads.

I applaud Chief Spence for what she may be trying to do... but the leadership of Attawapiskat is far from clean or transparent. So of course it brings up a lot of questions in my mind about her actual motives.

To the contrary, actually. The audited Financial Statements are freely available online, for as far back as 2005, and the leadership of Attawapiskat has been cleared of all wrongdoing. Of course that begs the question why this, unlike Harper's lies, doesn't make the national news.

Well, what IS making national news today is the details on that audit. The findings are that the financial records are neither clean nor transparent.

Have you ever participated in a year end audit? Audited financial statements do not mean they are correct. In this case, it looks like far from correct.

In addition to the records, there is also an issue of payrolls. It is perfectly acceptable for your financial statements to reflect all the payroll... but that doesn't mean that many of those people SHOULD have been receiving a cheque. Plenty of businesses have brothers, sisters, wives, parents, nephews, friends on the payroll that have never done a lick of work for the company. That's fine if you are a privately owned business, not so good if you are supposed to be running a reserve and giving jobs to friends. Not saying that's what happens on this reserve... I am not privy to those facts... but it happens on many, many others. Some people are upset that Chief Spence's boyfriend is collecting a paycheque, but I am ignorant as to whether he was qualified for his job.

Another issue is the matter of other band revenues. This audit covers the funds given from the Canadian government to the band. From what I understand, it does not cover some other revenue sources like certain royalties. In my personal opinion, those revenues are the business of the band and so it is right not to count them in the transfers from the federal govt. That's fine. It's the accountability to the band which is at issue there. Again, I have no firsthand knowledge of the exact amount or accountability of funds. Let's hope the band members do.

Either way, the Federal Court rules that there is no evidence that they spent their money incorrectly and orders the manager pulled, while the accounting firm declares that they cannot sign off on the audit because they don't know where the money went.

That tells me that:

a) They DO need an outside money management. Nothing wrong with that... most people are bad at the financial stuff. That's why controllers exist. If you want to keep it within the first nations population, there are plenty of native controllers who are not a member of a band or at least a member of a different band (helps keep the checks and balances in place, nepotism and fraud at a minimum)

b) They are covering something up. Hopefully, it is just a matter of covering up incompetence. At least incompetence is not a sinister motive... unlike outright fraud. And that is not only a possibility. On some reserves, it's the norm.

An audit looking into the finances of Attawapiskat First Nation has cast a critical eye on the northern Ontario reserve’s recordkeeping, finding little documentation to account for millions spent by the band.
The audit intended to investigate whether approximately $104 million the reserve received from Ottawa between April 2005 and November 2011 was spent as it should have been.
After wading into Attawapiskat’s books, Deloitte and Touche LLP found that out of 505 transactions, more than 400 were not properly documented. On average, 81 per cent of the reserve’s files did not have supporting documents, while 60 per cent had no documentation or reason for payment recorded.

In an attached letter dated Aug. 28, 2012 and addressed to Chief Theresa Spence, Deloitte and Touche said it was unable to conclude whether Attawapiskat’s funds had been spent correctly.

“Attawapiskat First Nation cannot demonstrate that it has implemented appropriate financial processes and controls to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the funding agreements,” the firm stated in the letter.
The independent audit’s release comes ahead of an already sensitive Jan. 11 meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and First Nations leaders, including Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence.
It’s unclear if or how the findings will affect the tone of the meeting, which stakeholders hope will help strengthen Ottawa’s relationship with Canada’s First Nations communities.
Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency in November 2011 as many families in the community, located near James Bay, headed into winter with crowded, un-insulated, and mould-infested homes.
Shortly after, Ottawa appointed a third-party manager to handle Attawapiskat’s finances, a move that the community of roughly 2,000 staunchly resisted. The manager was pulled from the Attawapiskat in April 2012, with Aboriginal Affairs indicating there had been progress made in reserve management.
Federal Court would later rule that the appointment of a third-party management was “unreasonable in all circumstances.” The court said it found no evidence that Attawapiskat spent its money incorrectly.
Before assigning a third-party manager to the reserve, it was Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan who had suggested that “there are a lot of things that don’t add up” in Attawapiskat’s books.
In 2010, an audit of the local council’s finances unearthed some discrepancies which included an un-compiled budget and undocumented salaries.

Now, back to the subject, Bill C45 & Treaties.

Wet'suwet'en evict pipeline surveyors and setup road block.

On November 20th, Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief Toghestiy intercepted and issued an eagle feather to surveyors from the Can-Am Geomatics company who were working for Apache's proposed natural gas Pacific Trails Pipeline (PTP). In Wet'suwet'en law, an eagle feather is used as a first and only notice of trespass.

The surveyors were ordered to leave the territory and the road leading into the territory has been closed to all industry activities until further notice. The materials that were left behind by the work crew are being held until Apache and PTP agree to open up appropriate lines of communication with the Unist'ot'en and grassroots Wet'suwet'en according to the Free Prior and Informed Consent protocol and laws of their unceded territories. The Unist'ot'en are against all pipelines slated to cross through their territories, which include Enbridge Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgans northern proposal, Pembina, and Spectra.

That's exactly what my post was about.

The founders of the IdleNoMore movement made a statement distancing themselves from the various band leaders around the country who are trying to claim their stake to the IdleNoMore movement. That includes Chief Spence's hunger strike... which seems to be quickly becoming an exercise in how create bad publicity and embarrass yourself.

Her latest antics of writing a letter to the Queen asking her to force the GG to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister, refusing to attend the meeting, and then wanting the other native leaders to refuse to attend have turned her into a laughing stock.

Actually... the subject in the OP was Theresa Spence's hunger strike.

So your rude attempt at dismissal when a subject becomes uncomfortable for you is quite... kindergarten.

Now, back to the subject:

Energy industry letter suggested environmental law changes

A letter obtained by Greenpeace through access to information laws and passed on to the CBC reveals the oil and gas industry was granted its request that the federal government change a series of environmental laws to advance "both economic growth and environmental performance."

Within 10 months of the request, the industry had almost everything it wanted.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says he meets regularly with energy industry stakeholders.Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says he meets regularly with energy industry stakeholders. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

The letter, dated Dec. 12, 2011, was addressed to Environment Minister Peter Kent and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. It came from a group called the Energy Framework Initiative (EFI), which is made up of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute (now the Canadian Fuels Association) and the Canadian Gas Association.

[...]

The letter specifically mentions six laws that relate to the oil and gas industry's ability to do its work:

-- National Energy Board Act.
-- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
-- Fisheries Act.
-- Navigable Waters Protection Act.
-- Species at Risk Act.
-- Migratory Birds Convention Act.

On Jan. 9, 2012 (less than one month after the letter was written), Oliver wrote an open letter accusing environmentalists and other "radical groups" of undermining the Canadian economy.

On April 26, 2012, the government introduced the first of its omnibus budget implementation acts which completely re-wrote the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and made major changes to the Fisheries Act and the National Energy Board Act.

On Oct. 18, 2012, the government tabled its second omnibus budget implementation act, which replaced the Navigable Waters Protection Act (one of the oldest pieces of Canadian legislation) with the Navigation Protection Act.