Toronto has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. This forum attempts to bridge the gap between two deeply intertwined histories of Indigenous people and labour. Watch video »

Statement on Recognition and Implementation of the Inherent and Treaty Rights of Indigenous Peoples Framework Legislation Engagement Document This Fall, the Trudeau government is planning on unilaterally introducing into Parliament their “Federal Recognition and Implementation of the Inherent and Treaty Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada” legislation. The “Framework” is a collection of federally imposed law … Keep reading »

Chief Poundmaker and Chief Big Bear It is impossible to disentangle the making of the Canadian state from the history of European – and particularly French and British – imperialism and colonialism. In acts of incredible hubris and chauvinism, the territories of the Americas were claimed by Europeans – mediated by the great European churches – … Watch video »

Ontarians for a Just Accountable Mineral Strategy (OJAMS) condemns the Wynne government’s recent decision to begin road construction to the Ring of Fire mineral deposit in 2019 without obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of the Matawa First Nations. This decision is not only in violation of the constitutionally-recognized rights of Aboriginal peoples, but … Keep reading »

Studies in Political Economy Book Prize Toronto – 31 May 2017 Glen Coulthard spoke on issues arising from his celebrated recent work and from subsequent developments in academe, activism and the links between the two. Glen Coulthard is Yellowknives Dene and an associate professor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and Political Science at the University … Watch video »

Idle No More & Defenders of the Land call to action: In the spirit of Arthur Manuel, we want to make July 1st a National Day of Action. This day of action is to celebrate our Indigenous and human rights to self-determination, our lands, territories, and resources. It is also to educate Canadians about how … Watch video »

In February, the government of Alberta signed a ten-year framework agreement with the Métis Nation of Alberta, emphasizing a relationship based on recognition, respect, and cooperation. In March, Alberta and the Blackfoot Confederacy signed a protocol agreement on how they will work together on economic development and other areas of concern to both parties. These … Keep reading »

Toronto – 15 March 2017. The keynote event of Israeli Apartheid Week 2017 focused on articulating connections between ongoing struggles against settler colonial violence and dispossession across Turtle Island (North America) and in historic Palestine. The panelists reflected on the history and current state of these anti-colonial struggles. Erica Violet Lee is a Nēhiyaw (Cree) … Watch video »

Arthur Manuel (1951 – January 11, 2017) was a First Nations political leader in Canada. He was four times elected chief (1995–2003) and three times elected chair of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council (1997–2003). Since 2003, he served as spokesperson for the Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade (INET), a network of indigenous nations working on the international level to achieve recognition of Aboriginal title and rights. Watch video »

Are the Trades Putting Labour’s Head in the Gas Oven? If anyone were looking for further evidence that the AFL-CIO remains unprepared to accept the science of climate change, and unwilling to join with the effort being made by all of the major labour federations of the world to address the crisis, the fight over the … Keep reading »

“What white man can say I never stole his land or a penny of his money? Yet they say that I am a thief.” — Sitting Bull, Lakota Holy Man, Grand River. For the past few months, an encampment has sprung up on the banks of the Cannonball River in North Dakota in opposition to … Watch video »

Some 1,000 Native American activists from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and across the country faced off against police and security forces protecting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline project. Dozens of people have been arrested and assaulted by police while attempting to stop the project, and many more continue to risk arrest to … Keep reading »