During the leadership race, way back in 2006, Dion was interviewed by Satya Das from Policy Channel in Edmonton, Alberta. Being at least two years old, the interview is a bit out-of-date and some policies have of course evolved in that time. But I thought it was worth re-posting because it provides an in-depth discussion of several policy areas.
In this bilingual interview, Das and Dion discuss Alberta, the environment, energy, the economy, the north, social justice, especially for Aboriginal people, the Kelowna Accord, international peace and security, and water management.
This interview was one of the major factors in my conversion to big-L Liberalism. I had a good impression of Dion previously, especially as environment minister, and was very glad when he won the leadership. This interview showed that he understands the complex interrelationship between the environment, social justice and the economy - his "three pillars." And also the impact of the environment on international issues, e.g. water security has a huge impact on the potential for violent conflict. I was also pleased with his emphasis on Aboriginal issues, especially education.
Taped in Edmonton during the 2006 Liberal leadership race. The interview is in three parts - parts 1 & 2 in English; partie 3 - en français. (Mouseover the video to select another video from the series.)
PART 1
In this 2006 interview, Dion discusses his experience in government, his vision for the future, "reconciling the people and the planet," Alberta, energy and the environment. "I'm ready right away to be a very good leader and partner for Albertans. Alberta is my country. I fought to keep Alberta as part of my country." Also discusses international issues - democracy, health, avoiding war and violent conflict, human rights. Emphasizes importance of water management around the world.
PART 2
Dion discusses the north, Aboriginal people, education for Aboriginal youth, the Kelowna Accord, the economy, his three-pillar approach, the sponsorship scandal.
PARTIE 3
Stéphane Dion discute la course au leadership libéral (2006); l'Alberta, l'environnement, l'économie; l'approche à trois piliers - prospérité économique, justice sociale et environnement durable; le cercle virtueux; sa vision pour l'avenir.
Showing posts with label first nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first nations. Show all posts
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Free the KI6 and Robert Lovelace
Text of letter to Premier McGuinty
Dear Premier McGuinty,
Non-Aboriginal people owe a huge debt to the original peoples of this country for welcoming us to what is now Canada, teaching us how to survive here and agreeing to share their land and resources with us.
In return we've abused them and robbed and defrauded them of the same gifts they generously agreed to share. We put them in jail for daring to defend their traditional lands in a peaceful and respectful manner.
This abuse has to stop, it has to stop now.
And as the Premier of Ontario, you are one of the people who has to stop it.
As a Canadian and Ontarian I demand that you rescind Platinex's exploration licence in traditional Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug territory and free Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack McKay, Head Councillor Cecilia Begg, Councillors Samuel McKay and Darryl Sainnawap and band employee Bruce Sakakeep.
Likewise you must act now to stop Frontenac Ventures' activities on traditional Ardoch Algonquin First Nation territory and free Robert Lovelace.
It is not the people incarcerated, but Platinex, Frontenac Ventures, and the Governments of Ontario and Canada who have brought the province and country into contempt for their treatment of these matters from the beginning, by ignoring their legal and moral duty to consult the First Nations peoples concerned.
Ontarians and other Canadians are no longer prepared to look the other way while the governments elected to represent us perpetuate the abuse of Aboriginal people.
Private, for-profit interests cannot be allowed to trump First Nations interests and environmental interests any longer. The greed of mining companies is not more important than First Nations rights and environmental protection. The treatment of Aboriginal people in Canada makes me and many others ashamed of the country we love deeply.
First Nations people have been patient with us for many generations. It's time we got it right. Free the KI6 and Robert Lovelace and let's not let it happen again.
I do not want to hear excuses from you as to why you cannot do this. You're the Premier - it's your job - end of story.
Thank you.
AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine on the jailing of the KI6 and Robert Lovelace:
(See the entire speech here)
Links to more information:
Dear Premier McGuinty,
Non-Aboriginal people owe a huge debt to the original peoples of this country for welcoming us to what is now Canada, teaching us how to survive here and agreeing to share their land and resources with us.
In return we've abused them and robbed and defrauded them of the same gifts they generously agreed to share. We put them in jail for daring to defend their traditional lands in a peaceful and respectful manner.
This abuse has to stop, it has to stop now.
And as the Premier of Ontario, you are one of the people who has to stop it.
As a Canadian and Ontarian I demand that you rescind Platinex's exploration licence in traditional Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug territory and free Chief Donny Morris, Deputy Chief Jack McKay, Head Councillor Cecilia Begg, Councillors Samuel McKay and Darryl Sainnawap and band employee Bruce Sakakeep.
Likewise you must act now to stop Frontenac Ventures' activities on traditional Ardoch Algonquin First Nation territory and free Robert Lovelace.
It is not the people incarcerated, but Platinex, Frontenac Ventures, and the Governments of Ontario and Canada who have brought the province and country into contempt for their treatment of these matters from the beginning, by ignoring their legal and moral duty to consult the First Nations peoples concerned.
Ontarians and other Canadians are no longer prepared to look the other way while the governments elected to represent us perpetuate the abuse of Aboriginal people.
Private, for-profit interests cannot be allowed to trump First Nations interests and environmental interests any longer. The greed of mining companies is not more important than First Nations rights and environmental protection. The treatment of Aboriginal people in Canada makes me and many others ashamed of the country we love deeply.
First Nations people have been patient with us for many generations. It's time we got it right. Free the KI6 and Robert Lovelace and let's not let it happen again.
I do not want to hear excuses from you as to why you cannot do this. You're the Premier - it's your job - end of story.
Thank you.
AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine on the jailing of the KI6 and Robert Lovelace:
(See the entire speech here)
Links to more information:
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Attawapiskat
Or - When is a negotiation not a negotiation?
When is a deal not a deal?
When it's the federal government screwing First Nations again, this time over funding for a school at the Attawapiskat First Nation near James Bay.
In an interview with the Timmins Daily Press, Susan Bertrand, a spokesperson
for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada emphasized that talks planned with the Attawapiskat council are not negotiations and that a school for Attawapiskat is still "not on our five-year plan."
It's important to note that treaties with First Nations specifically included education. The Government of Canada is reneging on a legal contract by not providing educational facilities to the Attawapiskat First Nation and other communities like it. Schools are not optional extras, they're legal obligations that the Government of Canada or the British Crown committed to in exchange for land. That's exactly the same as a store taking your money and then not giving you the goods that you paid for - but on an enormous scale. So why do we tolerate it?
High school graduation rates for First Nations students are dropping, while First Nations are experiencing rapid population growth. As AFN National Chief Fontaine observes in the video below, these children are Canada's future. They deserve a decent education as a matter of justice and fairness. But we also need to provide First Nations children with good educational opportunities now, so that they are prepared to take a significant role in Canada's future development.
Learn more about the fight for a school in Attawapiskat here.
Hear AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine talk about the Attawapiskat situation and First Nations poverty in general:
From a speech to the Ontario Energy Association, January 24, 2008 - see the full speech at - Part 1 and Part 2.
Sign the "First Nations Children of Attawapiskat Fight for a School" petition to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl at http://www.petitiononline.com/FNCA08/petition-sign.html.
For more on this issue, visit the Fighting for a School for Attawapiskat website.
When is a deal not a deal?
When it's the federal government screwing First Nations again, this time over funding for a school at the Attawapiskat First Nation near James Bay.
In an interview with the Timmins Daily Press, Susan Bertrand, a spokesperson
for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada emphasized that talks planned with the Attawapiskat council are not negotiations and that a school for Attawapiskat is still "not on our five-year plan."It's important to note that treaties with First Nations specifically included education. The Government of Canada is reneging on a legal contract by not providing educational facilities to the Attawapiskat First Nation and other communities like it. Schools are not optional extras, they're legal obligations that the Government of Canada or the British Crown committed to in exchange for land. That's exactly the same as a store taking your money and then not giving you the goods that you paid for - but on an enormous scale. So why do we tolerate it?
High school graduation rates for First Nations students are dropping, while First Nations are experiencing rapid population growth. As AFN National Chief Fontaine observes in the video below, these children are Canada's future. They deserve a decent education as a matter of justice and fairness. But we also need to provide First Nations children with good educational opportunities now, so that they are prepared to take a significant role in Canada's future development.
Learn more about the fight for a school in Attawapiskat here.
Hear AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine talk about the Attawapiskat situation and First Nations poverty in general:
From a speech to the Ontario Energy Association, January 24, 2008 - see the full speech at - Part 1 and Part 2.
Sign the "First Nations Children of Attawapiskat Fight for a School" petition to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl at http://www.petitiononline.com/FNCA08/petition-sign.html.
For more on this issue, visit the Fighting for a School for Attawapiskat website.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Stéphane Dion - A Strong, Cool Leader
What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?Glad you asked. Strong on the environment, on social justice, on human rights, on the economy and good quality jobs. And cool too! Who needs a rose and an opera cloak when you've got a leather backpack and a husky? Top it all off with a great brain and a great accent - what's not to love!?
To celebrate the start of a new year that will surely bring us the coolest prime minister ever, I've put together a series of 6 short ads on the theme "What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?"
These videos showcase a few of the many issues Dion has taken a strong stand on to defend Canadians and Canadian interests. (Click the "menu" button to choose another vid from the series.)1. Too cool
Stéphane Dion - a cool leader. Stéphane Dion discusses Facebook, Avril Lavigne and forking in an interview with This Hour Has 22 Minutes' teen correspondent Mark Jackson (Gavin Crawford). [00:46]
2. Workers & industry
Stéphane Dion shows strong leadership for workers & industry. Dion consults with manufacturers, unions, workers, environmentalists and the provinces on a plan to protect Canadian manufacturing and Canadian jobs. [01:51]
3. Environment
Stéphane Dion protects Canada's environment. Dion discusses how to "reconcile the people and the planet" and make Canada a world leader in technologies to protect the environment and reduce climate change. [01:07]
4. Aboriginal People
Stéphane Dion supports Aboriginal people. Speaking at a powwow in Saskatchewan, Dion calls on the Conservative government to honour the Kelowna Accord to provide First Nations, Inuit and Métis people with better housing, health care, education and clean water. Dion also calls on the government to sign the International Declaration of Indigenous People and for Canada to be a world leader on human rights issues. [01:11]
5. Children - Stéphane Dion's leadership to reduce poverty
Stéphane Dion stands up for Canadian children. Dion discusses his 30/50 plan for reducing poverty in Canada. He commits a new Liberal government to reduce the number of Canadians living in poverty by at least 30% and to reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50% in 5 years. [01:09]
6. Human rights
Stéphane Dion shows leadership on human rights, writing to the governor of Montana to request clemency for a Canadian sentenced to die. Stéphane Dion speaks in the House of Commons to ask Harper to do the same, continuing the Canadian tradition of requesting that sentences be commuted for Canadians facing the death penalty in the USA and other countries. [00:47]
And let's not forget Dion's legendary sense of humour! In case you missed it, here are a couple of clips from his memorable performance at the parliamentary press gallery dinner this fall:
Lots more Dion videos available on my YouTube channel at http://ca.youtube.com/bruyerey.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Our lunch with Stéphane, part 2 - social issues
Abdul-Rahim said...
F**k the tax cuts, let's tackle some of these social issues he talks to care about!
My response to Abdul-Rahim's comment was so long, I decided to make it a separate post.
Dion did talk quite a bit about tackling social programs, and I may not have addressed that very well in my summary. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to fix that, Abdul-Rahim.
Dion talked about addressing child poverty, early childhood education, seniors' poverty, the working poor, accessibility of postsecondary education. (Sorry I don't have all the details, but there'll be more info in the full text of the speech / discours.)
It was instructive that, even though this was a business crowd, the biggest round of applause came when he said, "A plan to fight poverty is urgent. It will be at the heart of a Liberal agenda."
In response to a question from the floor, Dion talked about reinstating the Kelowna Accord which the Harper govt trashed after years of ultimately successful negotiations between the federal (Liberal) govt, the provinces, the territories, First Nations, Métis and Inuit representatives.
He wants to top up Kelowna with "education, education, education" - enabling aboriginal youth to access postsecondary education (universities or trade colleges) immediately after graduating from high school. He said this is the best way to help them end the cycle of poverty.
A lot of the point of the tax cuts he's advocating is that they would help the lowest income people directly (the Tories actually raised the income tax rate for the lowest income group). And corporate tax cuts would be designed to increase job opportunities and innovation.
I expect that the emphasis was on the economy partly because of today's fall economic forecast coming from the govt. He has done some major speeches on social justice - here's one http://www.liberal.ca/story_12308_e.aspx (EN) and http://www.liberal.ca/story_12308_f.aspx (FR).
Also on the liberal.ca video page http://www.liberal.ca/video_e.aspx, scroll down to Halifax Town Hall (Aug 21), there are videos on a few related topics. I know he's said on other occasions that he would use the $5.5 billion that Harper is wasting on a GST cut to address child poverty instead - see this video http://www.liberal.ca/players/player_e.aspx?id=101 from March 2, 2007.
I wasn't able to get down all his responses to questions from the public and the media (I was taking pictures too), so I may still be missing some stuff. But the overall impression was of a very good integration of economic and social policy (and environmental policy of course) - the "liberal virtuous circle."
The next stop on his London tour was UWO where he was touring the biotron which "will allow scientists to study the effects of climate change and pollution on core samples of actual soil taken from various environments."
More on social issues . . . http://femmeverte.blogspot.com/2007/10/our-lunch-with-stphane-part-2-social.html
F**k the tax cuts, let's tackle some of these social issues he talks to care about!
My response to Abdul-Rahim's comment was so long, I decided to make it a separate post.
Dion did talk quite a bit about tackling social programs, and I may not have addressed that very well in my summary. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to fix that, Abdul-Rahim.
Dion talked about addressing child poverty, early childhood education, seniors' poverty, the working poor, accessibility of postsecondary education. (Sorry I don't have all the details, but there'll be more info in the full text of the speech / discours.)
It was instructive that, even though this was a business crowd, the biggest round of applause came when he said, "A plan to fight poverty is urgent. It will be at the heart of a Liberal agenda."
In response to a question from the floor, Dion talked about reinstating the Kelowna Accord which the Harper govt trashed after years of ultimately successful negotiations between the federal (Liberal) govt, the provinces, the territories, First Nations, Métis and Inuit representatives.
He wants to top up Kelowna with "education, education, education" - enabling aboriginal youth to access postsecondary education (universities or trade colleges) immediately after graduating from high school. He said this is the best way to help them end the cycle of poverty.
A lot of the point of the tax cuts he's advocating is that they would help the lowest income people directly (the Tories actually raised the income tax rate for the lowest income group). And corporate tax cuts would be designed to increase job opportunities and innovation.
I expect that the emphasis was on the economy partly because of today's fall economic forecast coming from the govt. He has done some major speeches on social justice - here's one http://www.liberal.ca/story_12308_e.aspx (EN) and http://www.liberal.ca/story_12308_f.aspx (FR).
Also on the liberal.ca video page http://www.liberal.ca/video_e.aspx, scroll down to Halifax Town Hall (Aug 21), there are videos on a few related topics. I know he's said on other occasions that he would use the $5.5 billion that Harper is wasting on a GST cut to address child poverty instead - see this video http://www.liberal.ca/players/player_e.aspx?id=101 from March 2, 2007.
I wasn't able to get down all his responses to questions from the public and the media (I was taking pictures too), so I may still be missing some stuff. But the overall impression was of a very good integration of economic and social policy (and environmental policy of course) - the "liberal virtuous circle."
The next stop on his London tour was UWO where he was touring the biotron which "will allow scientists to study the effects of climate change and pollution on core samples of actual soil taken from various environments."
More on social issues . . . http://femmeverte.blogspot.com/2007/10/our-lunch-with-stphane-part-2-social.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
