Have I mentioned that Harper makes me feel kindof sick to my stomach. Here then we have a hooray! for human rights trumping the invested corporate interests of big business in Canada, which Harper so devotedly represents.
THE DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WAS OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED TODAY BY THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Yeah! Here is a report by the CBC. Notice that there were 4 countries who voted against the declaration: Canada (I am so embarrassed), Australia, the United States and New Zealand. Hmmm... I wonder what could have happened to make them vote 'No!'
You may or may not know (but now you will) that I am taking a Seminar on Indigenous Peoples in IR this semester. Here is my favourite quote so far from the textbook: "Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question, and no Indian department." This was said by Deputy Superintendent-General Duncan Campbell Scott in 1920 (Leslie and Haguire 1978:115 in Niezen "The Origins of Indigenism" 2003:31).
No, I guess we don't have anything to apologize for. Nothing at all.
Excuse me while I go curl up in a ball and weep.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Yeah for Indigenous Rights, Boo for Canada
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2 comments:
your blog?
fully named correctly ...
Dear Val, Yr. absolutely right on this and as an old curmudgeon+newby trolling thru the Cdn. blogisphere with ever increasing dismay at the abysmal level of discussion Yr. concern is over the general drift of the nature of things is refreshing.
Sometime later 'Stahl's Stall' will get the full treatment at ' boreal moonlight canoeing' another site you might enjoy,
Keep smiling, Cheers,boreal
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