Mi'kmaq Matters

This week, Peggy White—the second candidate to announce their candidacy for the top elected position of Qalipu First Nation—calls for a change in focus so that the band can more effectively serve members in all communities. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Innu entered into Impact Benefit Agreement with Canada and province of Newfoundland and Labrador regarding Muskrat Falls hydro development, but economic promise to Innu have been undermined by a pending rate mitigation deal—a double cross that has alarmed First Nations across the country, who wonder if the same thing could happen to them.This week, we speak with John Olthuis, a lawyer for the Innu Nation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we speak with vice-Chief candidate Jenny Brake, who says Qalipu has to be more Indigenous- and less business-focused; more welcoming to Mi'kmaq who visit the band office; and more willing to heal the wounds caused by the enrolment disaster. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a lacklustre and lame duck band council ends its term, we look at what we need from the next chief and council as Qalipu enters its second decade. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Caribou were the giver of life and warmth for many nations of Indigenous people, and the Innu honoured this precious creature through intricately made caribou skin coats won by hunters. There are only a few of these coats left; most of them were taken away by colonizers. But after an unexpected discovery earlier this month, we know about at least one more. This week, we hear from Jodie Ashini, cultural and heritage guardian for the Innu Nation, about the unlikely finding. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we speak with Evan Butler of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance about new funding the organization has received to do outreach in the province, and its plans for a conference in the fall. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The proposed Bay du Nord offshore oil field would overlap with vulnerable marine ecosystems that are closed to fishing under international law in order to protect the corals and sponges on the ocean floor. This week, we speak with Sigrid Kuehnemund of the World Wildlife Fund-Canada on how the profitability of the project is exaggerated, while the environmental risk is minimized. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A lack of environmental oversight is part of the business model for the troubled oil and gas sector. This week, we speak with lawyer James Gunvaldsen Klassen of the NGO Ecojustice about the plan to allow 100 exploratory oil wells off the coast of Newfoundland without a proper environmental assessment, and the court challenge against it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A warning to our listeners: this week's episode talks about residential schools, trauma, and violence against Indigenous peoples. Please listen with care. This week, we speak with Mary Ann Nui, Deputy Grand Chief of the Innu Nation, about the impact on her and her community after the discovery of a mass grave of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of what was once the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Later in the show, Karen Pictou of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association tells us about the fight to stop the proposed Goldboro LNG plant on Nova Scotia's eastern shore, which would include a 5,000-person camp largely made up of men, and the dangers it could pose to Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. RESOURCES If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, you can contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society for counselling support available at 1-800-721-0066, or a national 24/7 Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.Read the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and M

One of the biggest political issues in Maine these days is a bid by Hydro Quebec to push a corridor through pristine wilderness to carry power across the state to Massachusetts. Land defenders say Hydro Quebec's billing of the corridor as "clean power" is a green lie, evidenced by the impact on Indigenous people in Labrador in Quebec. This week, we speak with John Banks of the Penobscot Nation and Becky Bartovics of Sierra Club Maine about the impact of this corridor on the land, and the ways in which land defenders based in the U.S. are supporting Innu in their bid for Churchill Falls hydro compensation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cathy Martin, a band councillor of Listuguj First Nation, offers a new vision for the Indigenous advocacy organization while recognizing her long political odds. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, more on the decline of wild salmon on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland and the possible role of salmon escapees from fish farms, whose hybridization or inter-breeding create mutant fish unsuited to the marine environment. Our guest is Department of Fisheries and Oceans research scientist Ian Bradbury. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In theory, everyone living in what is now Canada should be able to file access to information and privacy (ATIP) or freedom of information (FOI) requests with their governing bodies. In practice, it isn't always that simple—especially when it comes to First Nation bands. This week, our intern-in-residence, Ellen Riopelle, tries to find out why it's so difficult—and, at times, impossible—to access information about First Nations governments. We hear from former Elsipogtog chief Susan Levi-Peters and reporters Wawmeesh Hamilton and Paul Barnsley about how a lack of access affects not only those filing the requests, but communities at large.A big thank you to Ellen, who has been with us since April working on this story, and to King's College for facilitating the internship. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After Qalipu First Nation chief and council boycotted a protest held in support of ousted band members, Greg Janes, Chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians, and Margaret Cranford, who was denied status because she lives on the east coast of Newfoundland, ponder where to from here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

According to Chief George Ginnish, that would be Blaine Higgs, who last week launched a financial war against New Brunswick First Nations that will starve them of the shared tax revenue they use for health, education, and Elder care. This week, we speak with Chief George Ginnish, spokesperson for Mi'kmaw chiefs in the province. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Geoff Sparkes, candidate for Chief, says seeing complete Qalipu enrolment file would help explain why talks with the band and feds collapsed. And we speak with Grand Chief Etienne Rich of the Innu Nation about what hydro development has taken from his people, and their continental campaign for compensation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Miawpukek-backed fish farms have been linked to the near-extinction of Conne River salmon.This week, Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologist Nick Kelly explains that it aquaculture-associated factors like sea lice and interbreeding are contributing to the alarming decline. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Capelin are a forage fish that are a major source of food for cod, but they're being scooped up offshore before they have a chance to spawn. This week, Robert Rangeley, director of science for Oceana Canada, explains why that has to stop. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Cathy LeBlanc and Dave Chapman of Mi'kmaw Moons speak about the Mi'kmaw moon of spring, named after the maple sap that our ancestors collected to make sweet water. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we discuss the latest Qalipu election news, the band's so-called "strategic" plan, and what it might mean for community bands. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.