Commentary On Nov. 8, about 500 Brazilian Indians of the Paresi tribe from the mid-western state of Mato Grosso, arrived in Brasília, Brazil’s federal capital. They were there to join the massive protests against the victory of the far-left candidate, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, in last month’s presidential elections. Irisnaide Silva is the female…

The Supreme Court of Canada is a “colonial institution” that should be revitalized to bring back certain practices from indigenous legal systems, says Attorney General David Lametti. Speaking before the House of Commons justice committee on Aug. 24, Lametti said that indigenous peoples should see their cultures represented in institutions such as the Supreme Court. “It is extremely…

The Supreme Court of Canada is a “colonial institution” that should be revitalized to bring back certain practices from indigenous legal systems, says Attorney General David Lametti. Speaking before the House of Commons justice committee on Aug. 24, Lametti said that indigenous peoples should see their cultures represented in institutions such as the Supreme Court. “It is extremely…

Commentary Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognized “the Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada,” explicitly including “Métis peoples.” At the time, however, the Constitution’s framers offered no clear idea of what they meant by “Métis. The word “Métis” refers to the descendants of a union between an aboriginal and…

Commentary For nearly 70 years, visitors to Fort York in Toronto have been greeted by the trill of fifing, the beating of drums, the crash of muskets, and the boom of cannon. These authentic 19th-century sounds, along with the colourful sight of red-coated soldiers of the Fort York Guard, have brought Canadian history to life…

Party leaders criticized book burning by a francophone school board in Ontario during their French-language debate on Sept. 8. The project was done in 30 schools in the name of reconciliation with indigenous peoples. “It’s completely unacceptable to burn books,” said Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, when asked by debate moderator Patrice Roy if it’s his…

Commentary This is Part 5 of a multi-part series examining Macdonald’s legacy. Previous parts can be found in the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Up until the last several decades, Western historians took considerable satisfaction in recounting stories about people who strove to become better over time. Teachers were…