Year in Review: the Craziest Bitches of 2009!

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This year Wideye and I decided to honour some outstanding women who have touched the lives of other men, women and children by being truly crazy bitches (as per the definition of this blog): by standing up for themselves for others and the people they love. Here is our list of 2009's Craziest Bitches.

March 11, Update has new info on McIvor and status. Check it out: Click here to read, get links to INAC and a call in number.

In the #1 Spot: Sharon McIvor. First Nations governments do not have the power to give Indian status to their members, this important power to determine who is legally Indian has rested with the federal government since the 1870s. Having Indian Status is important because it means being able to live on reserve, vote in band elections, qualify for health benefits and post-secondary education. To many, it also means a connection to a community and identity as a First Nations person.

The federal government has always discriminated against women in the way it awards status and First Nations women have fought the federal government in courts and before the UN for decades.
The latest battle started in 1985, when a British Columbia law student Sharon McIvor applied for status for her children. The federal government denied the children status because Sharon's mother was Indian. If Sharon's father had been Indian, the government would have recognized her children. Sharon spent the next 25 years fighting in court. During that time the federal government decided to recognize Sharon's children hoping she'd drop the case. Sharon did not. She kept fighting on behalf of all the other First Nation women and children in the same predicament, even after the federal government cancelled the Court Challenges program and Sharon had to fundraise hundreds of thousands of dollars on her own. Sharon has also had to face criticism from a small number of chiefs who nitpicked over the nitty gritty of her legal argument. Easy to criticize boys, while you sit on your duffs and do nothing to help the women in your community. Fortunately the majority of chiefs threw their support behind Sharon, at least verbally. They were a little tighter with support when it came to their pocket books.

Sharon scored a minor victory in BC court last year which will give legal status to a generation of children. Unfortunately the decision is not a complete victory as it does not end discrimination, it will only delay discrimination for one generation. The Supreme Court of Canada had a chance to hear the case but decided not to. As per usual the court gave no reason for it's decision.

You may not have gotten all you hoped for but you fought the good fight and or standing up for yourself and others you are are the Craziest Bitch of 2009.

Other Posts on this topic include :

• April 24, 2010 More on McIvor, Bill C-3
• Wednesday, April 7, 2010 More on McIvor- Canada Given 3-Month Extension to Implement McIvor decision
• Thursday, March 11, 2010 McIvor update!!!! How Do the New Legislative Changes to the Indian Act Affect Me?
• Saturday, March 6, 2010 Update on McIvor/Indian Status.
  

Here are the other picks and names we consider to be 2009 Top Crazy Bitches. (In no particular order.)


Olive Patricia Dickason a Métis woman born in Winnipeg MB won a life time achievement award, because of the remarkable body of historical research and writings. He work continues to influence and changed the way historian, academics, and Canadians regard First Nation and Inuit nations in Canada.

I nominate her because of her tenacity and for the never ending lessons she gives all women everywhere. She fought for the right to study Aboriginal history as a graduate student because in 1970 the University of Ottawa did not believe that Indians had a history. She earned her doctorate as a historian at the age of 57 years after having raised her family in Montreal. And she fought mandatory retirement at 65 and won in the lower courts but in 1992 at the age of 72 she lost the appeal to the higher courts and was forced into retirement form professorship at University of Alberta. And 1997 she was the recipient of the National Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award for bringing a truer historical perspective to the history of Canada and Aboriginal people.

She came to grad studies in the early 1970s, after a 20-year career as a journalist with the Regina Leader-Post, the Winnipeg Free Press, the Montreal Gazette and the Toronto Globe & Mail. She won numerous awards during her newspaper years. She took a media job after graduating with her BA from the University of Ottawa, based on work done at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Sask.

"After my family was grown up, I was able to return to university," she said. "I applied, and was accepted at the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto. But by then, I had to work while I was going to study, so the logistics of the big city were too much. I went to Ottawa, which was a small city.

Her book Canada's First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times has become a standard and accepted text in history classes across the country. It includes the first consistently accurate portrayals, in a sound academic work, of Indigenous people in history.

Her time as a professor, and her significant contributions to the literature of history in Canada, have influenced a whole generation of scholars, and will continue to be the basis for much historical work done in the future. She was honoured last February with the order of Canada, and this year received the National Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award. She was selected over 24 other nominees for the honour.

Last Spring Governor General Michaëlle Jean sliced off and ate a raw piece of a seal’s heart commenting that it tasted just like sushi. It was a token action designed to show solidarity with sealers who were being devastated by a European ban on seal product imports. Criticized by European animal rights groups, but praised by the Inuit, Michaëlle Jean also exposed the ban on seal for what it is, cultural prejudice. And that gesture earned Michaëlle Jean a spot on our top ten Craziest Bitches of 2009.







Once you have a child you are a parent for life and it is inconceivable that any parent would short change their child, especially when the parent can afford to live in luxury. It must have been a difficult choice for Dena Buckshot to step into the spotlight and publicly call out her wealthy and powerful ex-partner Patrick Brazeau for being a deadbeat dad. As the National Chief of CAP Brazeau earned a tax-exempt 3 figure salary, drove a porshe and after moving into the senate, he earned $130,000 . However, during this time his child support for his son amounted to a pitiful $46.90 bi-weekly. Plus he missed payments 3 times since 2004. For standing up for her child, for taking on a powerful public figure, and finally, for making an example of dead beat parents, we congratulate Dena Buckshot and have added her to our list of Craziest Bitches.



The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) was a very important organization in the 1980s when it championed women's rights issues in relation to Indian Status. Then it stopped being relevant or even noticeable for two decades. Some of the provincial chapters delivered government programs and services, but it was hard to understand what exactly NWAC was doing (if anything) at the national level. That is until 2004 when Beverley Jacobs was elected president and breathed new life into the organization, raising awareness about the number of missing and murdered women through the Sister's In Spirit Campaign. NWAC has been working with communities, families, government and police in trying to address gaps in justice that have led First Nations Women to be targets of violence and victims of poorly executed police investigations. Beverly Jacobs decided not to run for election last year, and has left some big shoes to fill. For drawing national attention and advocating on an important issue that had been ignored for too long, and for restoring relevancy to NWAC, Beverley Jacobs makes our list of Craziest Bitches.

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NWAC Elections coming up

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Beverley Jacaobs, the current president of the Native Women's Association of Canada will not be seeking re-election this year. Elections will be held at the AGA, to be held at the Crowne Plaza in Ottawa, September 26th to 27th, 2009. As far as I can tell (correct me if I am wrong) President Jacobs is the only president to ever serve 2 terms. She has done excellent work on raising awareness on the issue of violence against women, and NWAC has done excellent outreach under her leadership in terms of providing toolkits to families nd communities to make them aware of their rights when a family member is missing.

So who will replace Ms. Jacobs? Well according to their election rules, to be a nominee for the position of President of Native Women’s Association of Canada, you MUST be: An Aboriginal woman; A delegate of the PTMA in which you reside; Nominated by a delegate of the PTMA in which you reside Seconded by a delegate of a different PTMA In attendance at the AGA. They are encouraging nominations to come in before the AGA, but according to their by-laws nominations can still come in pretty much last minute on the floor.

There are two interesting rumours about who will rune. The first is that the President of the ONtario branch, Dawn Harvard will choose to run, and if she does she will be a favourite for many. Perhaps more interesting is the rumor that a former president, Marilyn Buffalo is seeking a nomination. If you have runours gossip of speculation, feel free to post away.

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Patrick Brazeau has become the most unaccountable aboriginal leader in Canada today.

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Patrick Brazeau claims he is standing up for the rights of elders, single moms (yes I note the irony) and children in a letter to National Post. In reality Patrick Brazeau is the most unaccountable aboriginal leader in Canada today. He is standing up for a Bill that has practically no support in Indian Country. At least when he led the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, a small lobby group, he had to face criticism from those who elected him and worked with him. Now that he has an appointed position, he's accountable to no one. Or so he thinks. He's sure as hell going to be held accountable to First Nations his people here at Crazy Bitches R Us.

In blue, quotes from Patrick Brazeau's letter, (which I have also reprinted in full, if you scroll down below) in black my comments.

#1 Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is denying the government the right to make systematic reform. No Patrick. The AFN is standing up for the right of legitimately elected FN governments to make reform. Women like me, have a right to tell our democratically elected chiefs how we want to be governed. I don't get a vote for the Minister of Indian Affairs. The Minister did at least deign to consult us, but then he completely ignored every word we said and decided to force this Bill on us instead. By supporting this breach of process Patrick, you are as unaccountable as the Minister is. Shame on you.

#2 "the AFN receives substantial funding from the government. It is unfortunate that it chooses to use these investments to fund continued criticism of government efforts." The AFN has to take direction from the people, or we won't support them. That is why they exist. And yes, sometimes that means dishing out some well-deserved criticism. At least they don't spend their funding on kissing-ass for a senate seat.

#3 The government's apology for residential schools ...."may be considered by some as having provided First Nations leadership a right to veto the government's legislative endeavours." Wrong again Brazman. The fact that we live in a democracy (well not you, you're appointed not elected, but the rest of us) and not a totalitarian society gives us that right.

#4 The repeal of section 67 that gave "...same degree of human rights protection that all other Canadians enjoy through the Canadian Human Rights Act were met with resistance from the chiefs" A) FN already had human rights protections under the Constitution. This only opened the Human Rights Commission as an alternative venue to the courts.(But I'm sure I don't have to explain the Human Rights Commission to you Patrick.)Finally the chiefs' didn't oppose it, they just wanted it amended to include an impact analysis, an assessment of the existing capacity to deal with complaints and a 2 year adjustment period.(Much like the provinces had when the concept was first introduced.)Once those amendments were made they supported the change.

#5 "when our government introduced the Federal Accountability Act....The AFN sought to exempt itself from the bill's measures" What the AFN did, in fact, was ask for an independent First Nations Auditor General and Ombudsman which would have created a two-way accountability. The conservatives weren't interested in two way accountability. Reading the recent Parliamentary Budget Office Report on First Nations Schools may provide a hint why.

#6 The so-called Kelowna Accord promised plenty of resources and was essentially a "get out of jail free" card ... I seem to remember CAP being very involved in Kelowna negotiations, in fact CAP lobbied parties to commit to Kelowna during the 2006 election (All the links showing CAP's previous stance were removed from the CAP website, but you can still get at it with google.) CAP began to oppose Kelowna only after the conservatives got elected, and CAP became their mouth piece. Patrick, do you really believe your own people are so foolish that we wouldn't notice that you have been reading conservative speaking notes instead of representing our interests? You should be listening to your people, not letting the government use you against us to advance an agenda that could hurt us. Again, shame on you.

#7 "Our government pays attention to are those of the families, the elders, the single mothers..." Actually they don't. I haven't heard any one in Indian Country - except you - support this Bill, Patrick. And just to be clear, it does not have the support of FN women.

Here is Patrick's full letter.

Aboriginals deserve better
Re: Tories Make Conservative Progress, John Ivison, May 28.

Mr. Ivison cuts to the heart of the matter when he suggests that in its opposition to progressive measures such as matrimonial property rights legislation, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is denying the government the right to make systematic reform in areas where measures for improvement are long overdue.

As the representative organization that speaks for the chiefs of the 633 First Nations reserves, the AFN receives substantial funding from the government. It is unfortunate that it chooses to use these investments to fund continued criticism of government efforts rather than to apply itself to act as a catalyst for change in its communities.

Mr. Ivison makes a very insightful observation when he suggests that our government's rendering of its sincere apology to the aboriginal community for the tragedy of Indian residential schools may be considered by some as having provided First Nations leadership a right to veto the government's legislative endeavours.

Sadly, an overtly negative posture by the AFN in the face of progressive change is a familiar occurrence. Legislative efforts last year to bring to First Nations the same degree of human rights protection that all other Canadians enjoy through the Canadian Human Rights Act were met with resistance from the chiefs.

Similarly, in 2006, when our government introduced the Federal Accountability Act, we sought to have First Nations subject to its provisions. This would have been another incremental step toward improving transparency at the community level. The AFN sought to exempt itself from the bill's measures. It mobilized opposition parties and the measures were removed from the bill.

Yet, such resistance seems to evaporate when money is discussed without encumbering conditions of accountability. The so-called Kelowna Accord promised plenty of resources and was essentially a "get out of jail free" card that lifted any need for regular periodic indications of measurable change-- to the obvious delight of the AFN.

When it comes to aboriginal affairs, the only special interests our government pays attention to are those of the families, the elders, the single mothers and the children who must face the myriad changes before them daily.

Incremental change is indeed occurring. Canada's aboriginal community deserves it, and we will stay the course for the sake of First Nations, Metis and Inuit families everywhere.

Senator Patrick Brazeau, Ottawa.

Now here is an article that speaks to our elected leaders.
Proposed legislation is flawed: critics

By Kerry Benjoe, The Leader-PostMay 28, 2009

The federal government is moving forward with the Family Homes On Reserve and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act despite opposition from First Nations groups and leaders.

The legislation, also known as Bill C-8, consists of federal rules governing matrimonial real property combined with a mechanism for First Nations to develop their own real property laws. Presently, those living on reserve are governed by the Indian Act and when a marriage breaks down provincial or territorial laws relating to matrimonial property rights do not apply on reserves.

On Monday an attempt to quash the bill failed.

"It will continue to be debated at second reading and once the motion for a second reading is adopted the bill will be referred to the standing committee on aboriginal affairs and northern development," said Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) spokeswoman Patricia Valladao.

Beverley Jacobs, president of the Native Woman's Association of Canada (NWAC), said her organization believes Bill C-8 is flawed.

"It's a piece of legislation that has been unilaterally drafted by (INAC). It doesn't take into account a lot of things," said Jacobs. "They're touting that it's benefiting aboriginal women and children but it's not."

She believes the new legislation is lacking in many ways. Jacobs said before such a bill can be introduced other on-reserve issues need to be addressed such as housing, justice and violence.

She added that NWAC has always supported the need to introduce legislation for on-reserve matrimonial property rights.

"But we've always said aboriginal women's voices have to be included in the creation of that legislation," said Jacobs. "We thought that this was occurring in this process, however that didn't happen."

Perry Bellegarde, candidate for the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), agrees with AFN and NWAC in regards to Bill C-8. According to an AFN news release on the Bill C-8, the new legislation will do nothing to solve the problems associated with matrimonial real property.

"As First Nations people, as First Nations governments, we have to start occupying the field and exert our own laws and jurisdictions on our territories and communities and we have to start developing our own legislation," said Bellegarde. "We're concerned as First Nations people about First Nations women's issues and the plight of marital breakup and the plight of our youth and everyone else in our communities."

Bellegarde believes First Nations need to become more proactive because if they don't then the federal government will continue to make unilateral decisions that will affect all First Nations.

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

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Is it real? Is it a new relationship? Or just the old game of minority politics?

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Bill C-8 a.k.a the Matrimonial Real Property Bill may get killed on Monday.

This post is NOT about merits of the Bill; it is NOT about the issue of Matrimonial Real Property either. Finally, this post is also NOT about whether Bill C-8 should live or die. (For background on the MRP issue and Bill C-8, see CBC, National Post, The Regina Leader Post, )

Instead this post is about last Thursday's House of Commons debate surrounding C-8.

To make a very complex issue as simplistic as possible, the Assembly of First Nations(AFN), the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and other First Nations groups say:

1. Sure, First Nations were consulted (insofar as they were asked their opinions on how to solve the MRP problem) but their recommendations were promptly ignored.
   
2. The government drafted legislation First Nations don't like and, worse, Bill C-8 won't even solve the problem.
   
3. Bill C-8 should not go to committee where it can be debated and amended. It can't be fixed. It should be scrapped. First Nations want a do-over.

So on Thursday the Liberals proposed a hoist motion that would effectively kill the Bill. The conservatives want it to go ahead. The NDP and the BQ don't like Bill C-8, but said it should go to committee. A vote is coming up on Monday.

What I found spell-binding were the arguments surrounding the hoist motion. There was an interesting debate that touched on last year's apology to residential school survivors, reconciliation, democracy and self government vs colonialism.

The full debate is online, but I posted a few highlights below.

What do we make of this? If the Liberals win the next election, will they still be the champions of a new relationship and self-government? Or will the roles curiously reverse (as they have in the past) with the Liberals in power forgetting their words and the Conservatives our champions once in opposition?

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Mr. Todd Russell (Labrador, Lib.):
The government's approach is one size fits all. It has not worked in the past and it will not work in the present or in the future. Canada learned that lesson the hard way through the residential schools experience.To first nations people, this hearkens back to the days of the Indian agent, when they had an overseer, someone who would say what was right or what was wrong, what was appropriate or inappropriate in first nations communities. It flies in the face of the inherent right to self-government and the nation to nation relationship. It is a colonialist approach, an assimilationist approach, a paternalistic approach, and believe me, I use those words deliberately......

Madam Speaker, we can only look at what the consequences have been of a colonialist, paternalistic, assimilationist approach: poverty and health outcomes. There is not one outcome where aboriginal people are ahead of the rest of the Canadian population. They have substandard housing, high unemployment, high suicide rates and a massive number of children in care. Some estimate it to be 27,000 people in care with first nations and non-first nations agencies......

This is what the imposed approach, the colonialist, assimilationist approach has done. On June 11 of last year, there was an apology. The apology was supposed to mean something: a way of doing business differently and a way of approaching our relationship with aboriginal people differently.

A better approach would be to work productively and transparently with first nations; work with first nations governments to develop their own laws and the administrative support for their operation; work with first nations governments and citizens on the full spectrum of approaches, legislative and non-legislative, to family law. Where federal legislation is required, first nations should be brought to the table to help in the drafting of a bill that can obtain a much broader consensus. The government should engage in that intensive consultation that is required.
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Mr. John Duncan (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, CPC):

As we know, there are 630 bands in Canada. So we need to be concerned about that. Somebody has to take leadership, and the government is taking that leadership....

We keep hearing that there was no meaningful consultation. There was $1.7 million provided to the Assembly of First Nations regarding consultation on this issue. There was $1.7 million provided to the Native Women's Association of Canada for further consultation on this issue. There were moneys provided to other aboriginal organizations for consultations on this issue. There were consultations in more than 100 jurisdictions across Canada on the need for this type of legislation.


...There is no area where the federal government has a bigger responsibility than to take leadership in these areas. If we do not take that leadership, it would be an abdication of our responsibility. I really do not know who else can provide a nationally organized effort in this regard. It is our constitutional responsibility.....
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Hon. Bob Rae (Toronto Centre, Lib.):
...The whole question that is being discussed is not one that can be subject to an easy formula. When he says, for example, that this is as a result of the government's determination to do something on behalf of the most vulnerable, it is the phrase “on behalf of” about which we have to think through its implications....

Everyone in the House has to understand that if we are to take government-to-government relationships seriously, and I feel this very strongly as a member of Parliament, it means that I do not have a right to pass legislation that applies to first nations people and to first nations reserves unless that legislation has the full support of the people on whose behalf it is being proposed.

We have to abandon the kind of paternalism that unfortunately underlies this legislation. It simply is not possible at this time in our history for us to take this kind of approach. I know it is difficult. I know it is frustrating. I know it is costly. The parliamentary secretary has spent some time focusing on how much money was involved in consulting with the first nations people.

....However well meaning the bill may be and however much the government may believe that it has found the answer to a problem, the simple fact of the matter is that this legislation does not meet the fundamental test, that it has the active support and approval of the people who are being affected by this legislation....

Be that as it may, it seems to me that we do have a responsibility as members of the House. We do have a responsibility to take self-government seriously. If we are to apologize for past errors, it is not enough to apologize for the mistakes that have been made in the past and then to say that despite that, we will still go ahead and pass legislation because we know better.

I sincerely believe that if we are to take self-government seriously, that means not simply that we consult and say, “Thanks very much for your point of view, but we will go ahead and do this anyway”, but it means that we have to respond in a different way. We believe on this side of the House, in the Liberal Party, very strongly that measures such as these can only be taken if they have the full support and approval of those who are responsible, in leadership positions, in the first nations and aboriginal communities.
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