Members of the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (TTR) in Manitoba recently voted to ratify the Treaty 4 Agricultural Benefits Settlement Agreement. This cows-and-plows settlement is a step toward rectifying historical wrongs. The process has also highlighted several ongoing governing challenges. This includes exposing a flawed Crown/Indigenous consultation process as well as the need for trust-building with Indigenous leadership.
Tag Archives Truth and Reconciliation
Role for farming seen in economic reconciliation
Communication, listening and taking that first daunting step are called key to moving toward economic reconciliation
Glacier FarmMedia – The dictionary definition of reconciliation is “restoration of friendly relations” and “the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.” When it comes to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada, it goes beyond a few days of recognition, advocates say. It’s about leaving space for economic reconciliation too, […] Read more
Responsibility seen as key component of reconciliation
A First Nations leader says all Canadians, including farmers, must focus on taking action to correct past wrongs
Glacier FarmMedia – Cadmus Delorme, chief executive officer and partner of OneHoop Consulting, says society has inherited this moment in history, and it includes responsibility for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities. Responsibility is not to be confused with blame or creation of harm, he said, while speaking at the Protein Industries Canada […] Read more
Expedited ag claims compensate First Nations
Canada’s treaties promised First Nations a way to participate in agriculture, but those commitments were rarely met
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will take place Sept. 30. REGINA — Agriculture is very much an ongoing part of Canada’s truth and reconciliation process. The announcements that First Nations are signing what are colloquially known as “cows and plows” agreements represent that effort. Related story: Responsibility seen as key component of reconciliation […] Read more
Reconciliation can happen,one relationship at a time
Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a day for sombre reflection on a painful chapter in Canada’s history, that of residential schools and their lasting impact on Indigenous peoples. While these reflections cannot change the past, they can inform how we build our shared future. For rural Canada, some of the […] Read more
Potential Indigenous labour force should not be ignored
This story is part of a series looking into the pools of human talent within Canada’s population that could help fill the growing labour shortage that is crippling many farms. Farms are desperately short of workers. There are pools of workers right near many of these farms, but farmers don’t often look to them. They […] Read more
First Nations producers hope for farm comeback
Indigenous communities have few ties to farming, but those in the business say it’s important to try to turn that around
This is part of an occasional series looking into the pools of human talent within Canada’s population that could help fill the growing labour shortage that is crippling many farms. LANGHAM, Sask. — Like a lot of young men in rural communities, Kobe Wolf Child is proud to be a ranch hand. It’s the perfect […] Read more
Reconciling painful past may create hope
The Western Producer recognizes this year’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with a package of stories and opinion pieces about past injustices and steps that are being taken for a brighter future. The other stories in this package are linked below. More than a century after its creation, no visible sign remains of the […] Read more
First Nations farm focuses on health
Stephanie Cook planned on a career in family services. She never imagined that would lead to operation of a vertical farm that helps feed her northern Manitoba community. As a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) near The Pas, 600 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Cook grew up surrounded by the impacts of colonization and the […] Read more
Indigenous farm growth bucks national trend
The 2016 Census of Agriculture found a higher proportion of women producing food than in non-Aboriginal populations
Aboriginal agricultural is becoming a growing trend, according to Statistics Canada in its analysis of the 2016 Census of Agriculture. By cross-referencing farm-level data from that census to numbers in the Census of Population, the federal agency produced its first portrait of Aboriginal peoples and agriculture. It found they represented one of the few agricultural […] Read more
