Re-set your clocks: We're only 10 years behind...
I confess to being quite pleased with the Government of Nova Scotia this morning. I awoke to find that our next Lieutenant Governor is a well-known and well -respected Black woman, Mayann Francis. Her brief bio in the Chronicle Herald describes an incredibly intelligent, well-rounded individual, and, combined with the fact that she's from my old hometown, I'm very pleased.
On another front, it's National Aboriginal Day, when we celebrate the culture and history of the Inuit, Metis and First Nations peoples. It's a real opportunity to get to know the lives and culture of our Aboriginal neighbors, and it's a shame that it isn't publicized more - most of the conflict between Aboriginal peoples and the rest of Canada could be eased if we just listened, and tried to understand the way they look at the world, rather than trying to impose a dominant, yet different, value system. If you want to see a truly inspiring success story, check out Membertou (again, near Sydney), and the leaders who helped that community achieve success on their own terms.
Sadly, it's not all happy news - Canada is still trying to retain its paternalistic power structure by opposing the United Nations Aboriginal Declaration. The government states that agreeing to the declaration as it is currently worded would 'interfere' with the settling of land claims. Such a shame the nice, quiet Indigenous peoples of the world are discovering their rights to self-determination, isn't it? It's just so darned inconvenient, and might keep Mr. Harper from working on his hockey book uninterrupted.
In the grand scheme of things however, we may have to agree that in the case of Nova Scotia, any progress is better than none at all.
On another front, it's National Aboriginal Day, when we celebrate the culture and history of the Inuit, Metis and First Nations peoples. It's a real opportunity to get to know the lives and culture of our Aboriginal neighbors, and it's a shame that it isn't publicized more - most of the conflict between Aboriginal peoples and the rest of Canada could be eased if we just listened, and tried to understand the way they look at the world, rather than trying to impose a dominant, yet different, value system. If you want to see a truly inspiring success story, check out Membertou (again, near Sydney), and the leaders who helped that community achieve success on their own terms.
Sadly, it's not all happy news - Canada is still trying to retain its paternalistic power structure by opposing the United Nations Aboriginal Declaration. The government states that agreeing to the declaration as it is currently worded would 'interfere' with the settling of land claims. Such a shame the nice, quiet Indigenous peoples of the world are discovering their rights to self-determination, isn't it? It's just so darned inconvenient, and might keep Mr. Harper from working on his hockey book uninterrupted.
In the grand scheme of things however, we may have to agree that in the case of Nova Scotia, any progress is better than none at all.
