Indigenous Rights
Joint Review Panel report on proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline Project downplays Indigenous and ecological concerns
December 24, 2013
Despite overwhelming opposition from First Nations and their allies, the Joint Review Panel has given the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project conditional approval.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
Reconciliation in the Watershed
December 18, 2013
In this homily given at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity on December 15, KAIROS Member Relations and Campaigns Coordinator Sara Stratton reflects on the connections between the Truth and Reconciliation commission and the pursuit of Watershed Discipleship. What will…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Spirited Reflections
Dusty Shoes or Golden Slippers
December 11, 2013
by Ellen Wood Ellen Wood is a grain, cattle and apple orchard farmer as well as an ordained United Church minister, now semi-retired. She has worked on many social justice causes, most recently the tar sands and the nuclear…
Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights, Latin America
West Hill United Church Goes To Ottawa
December 4, 2013
On November 28, a delegation from West Hill United Church in Scarborough, Ontario delivered a petition to the House of Commons calling on the federal government to end the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Steve Watson’s article,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
You Are Not Alone
December 1, 2013
Barbara Fullerton, a United Church minister from Paris, Ontario recounts her experience with members of the El Estor human rights defender work team, and reminds us that we are all in this together.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
A Beauty that Hurts
November 25, 2013
During a “day off” in Antigua, Wilf Bean, former director of the Tatamagouche Centre, wrestles with the contradictions and questions he faces as a Canadian on this tour studying the impact of Canadian mining companies.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Where is Your Brother?
November 24, 2013
Georgina Baisley from Miramichi Presbytery of the United Church relates stories of resistance to mining’s impacts on water and human rights in Guatemala.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Voices Amplified
November 23, 2013
The struggle of Indigenous people in Guatemala to defend the land and a way of life resonates with Helen Knott, a Dane’zaa and Cree woman from Treaty 8 territory in northeastern British Columbia.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Day 3 – Circle of Life
November 22, 2013
On Day 3 of the Guatemala Study Tour, United Church diaconal minister Elaine Kellogg describes a meeting with the Committee in Defense of Mother Earth in San Miguel Ixtahuacan.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Not Lost in Translation … Facing Up to Canadian Mining
November 4, 2013
In this report from the World Council of Churches 10th Assembly in Busan, KAIROS ED Jennifer Henry meets those affected by Canadian mining overseas, and reflects on our response as justice-seeking communities of faith.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS Joins in Letter to NB Premier re: Elsipogtog
November 1, 2013
he Canadian Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International, and KAIROS have sent a letter to New Brunswick Premier David Alward about the province’s response to anti-fracking protests at Elsipogtog. We urge the province to act “in a manner consistent with its…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
We Are Beginning To See the Light
October 31, 2013
KAIROS ED Jennifer Henry comments on WCC General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit’s report to the Assembly, and its mention of the collaborative work between the churches and Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
In Fracturing, Unity: Reflection on the Situation in Elsipogtog
October 18, 2013
The recent events at an anti-fracking blockade on Elsipogtog territory in New Brunswick point to the need for us to continue to seek right relationship with Indigenous peoples and to work for an ecological economy that honours all of creation.
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
Heart Listening…A Requirement for Settler Christians – by Jennifer Henry
October 7, 2013
Taiaiake Alfred asserts that: “The convenient way to deal with the founding injustice of Canada is to allow colonialism to continue by ignoring the truth, to erase it from our memory, ban it from the schools, and suppress it in…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Spirited Reflections
West Hill United Church Petition Calls for Increased Funding for Aboriginal Communities
October 1, 2013
A petition (pdf) has been initiated by the First Nations Study Group at West Hill United Church in Toronto to draw attention to the underfunding of core services for Aboriginal communities. It calls for the funding gap to be closed.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Walking for Reconciliation as the TRC closes
September 23, 2013
Today, we walked for reconciliation with 70,000 people through the streets of downtown Vancouver.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Sixth Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
September 13, 2013
September 12 marked the sixth anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. KAIROS has endorsed a Joint Statement that marks this anniversary – Indigenous Peoples have the right to make…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
Truth and Reconciliation Commission readies for BC National Event
September 11, 2013
The national Truth and Reconciliation Commission resumes its work with the BC National Event in Vancouver September 19-21. Read on to find out how you can participate.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
First Nations Challenge Foreign Investment Protection Agreements: Policy Briefing Paper #36
September 5, 2013
In August 2013, KAIROS welcomed Brenda Sayers, a band councillor from the Hupacasath First Nation on Vancouver Island. Brenda explained eloquently why the Hupacasath had filed a request in a federal court seeking a judicial review of the federal government’s…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, UNDRIP Blog Updates
The Nation to Nation Bike Tour: Relationships
August 28, 2013
As we ride along the St. Lawrence River, a guiding force of nature flowing beside us, it is a reminder of what we are all doing here, of our inherent rights and inherent responsibilities as human beings. It comes up…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
The Nation to Nation Bike Tour: Understanding through the Blanket Exercise
August 28, 2013
Back at our starting destination on Thompson Island in Akwesasne, we experienced the KAIROS Blanket Exercise for ourselves. The impact this exercise had on us was overwhelming. It became clear to us what we had to do — the public…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
The Nation to Nation Bike Tour: The Roots of Governance
August 22, 2013
Nation to Nation tour members were given a thorough introduction to the history and current situation of governance in Akwesasne, while looking at the importance of the struggle to maintain their sovereignty. Hear from Shara Francis-Hearne of the Mohawk Council…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
The Nation to Nation Bike Tour: Public Perspectives
August 13, 2013
The latest from the Nation to Nation Bike Tour comes from participant Michelane Gliddy of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, who reflects on community engagement and the Blanket Exercise workshops that the group has been presenting as public events along the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Brenda Sayers visits KAIROS National Office to discuss Canada China FIPA
August 12, 2013
You are cordially invited to join KAIROS, the Council of Canadians and Brenda Sayers at the KAIROS office in Toronto as she makes her cross country FIPA community sharing tour. Brenda holds the portfolio for Hupacasath First Nation’s court case challenging the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Nation to Nation Bike Tour: the Movie
August 8, 2013
A video has been produced capturing the beginning of the Nation to Nation Bike Tour, the team’s formative stay in Akwesasne. It allows us to see some of the cultural experiences and speakers who prepared the team for their indigenous…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Akwesasne Photo Journal
August 8, 2013
We’ve dug up some photos to give a clearer picture of the Nation to Nation Team’s four and a half days in Akwesasne, getting to know each other and being hosted and enlightened by the community members who came forward…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Summary remarks by Commissioner Marie Wilson at the Hobbema AB community hearing, July 24 2013
July 31, 2013
(Note from KAIROS: Many thanks to Theresa Wynn of Edmonton for passing these notes on to us. We’re posting them here because many people ask us what it’s like to be at a hearing, and these will give you a…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
The Nation to Nation Bike Tour: A Decolonization Journey
July 29, 2013
Katy Quinn, KAIROS’ Indigenous Rights Program Coordinator, is riding on (and co-facilitating) the Nation to Nation Bike Tour, a joint project between KAIROS and the Otesha Project, in collaboration with the Mohawk community of Akwesasne. From July 27th to August…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights