Mi'kmaq Matters

Chief PJ Prosper of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs hopes there will be a better process for choosing Morley Googoo's replacement. And later in the show, we check-in with Cheryl Maloney about going public with her harassment and bullying complaint against Googoo, and how she feels now that he has been removed from office. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who knew what, and when? This week, we speak to NDP Fisheries critic Jim Dinn who says that rather than personally attacking those raising questions about the salmon die-off, Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne should appoint a legitimate, independent inquiry into what is turning out to be an environmental and economic disaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Upon her death, Corner Brook resident Dee Dee Starling wants to be buried in a section of Mount Patricia cemetery reserved for Mi'kmaq people. In recent weeks, talks have started between Qalipu First Nation and the cemetery to make that a reality. This week, we hear from Starling and Lloyd Walters, chair of the Mount Patricia board of directors, about what it will take to honour Mi'kmaq wishes to...

Cheryl Maloney's allegations of harassment led to the suspension of the Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Morley Googoo. Now, the former President of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association says people are afraid to speak out against Googoo for fear of losing jobs, funding and services because the chiefs of the 13 First Nations in Nova Scotia dominate every Indigenous organization in the...

The hydro company recently sprayed a power line right of way with three kinds of herbicide, just as people from across southwestern Newfoundland headed to the area to pick blueberries, as they have for decades. Norm Strickland Sr. of Burgeo, one of the first to discover that the area had been sprayed, tells us about how it has been fairing since. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Funny man Greg Malone, a member of the legendary comedy troupe CODCO, is running as the Green Party candidate in Avalon. Formerly part of the NDP, he's now urging Newfoundlanders to make an economic U-turn that would make the province cleaner and happier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did he or didn't he? A lawyer says he received the go-ahead from his government client to argue that Mi'kmaq are conquered people. Columnist Jim Vibert says if documents prove that the lawyer is right, there will be major political fallout for Premier Stephen McNeil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Archeologist Barry Gaulton is looking to ancient rock carvings for insight into patterns of Indigenous movement across "Newfoundland." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawsuit challenges have permitted Stephenville's controversial Indian Head Hatchery to expand without environmental assessments of the risks of introducing farmed salmon into marine waters. In other news, we're happy to be adding Miawpukek First Nations Radio to our list of radio partners. You can now listen to new episodes of Mi'kmaq Matters every Thursday at 1 p.m. on MFN Radio. Hosted on Acast....

Some reflections after the Miawpukek Powwow in Conne River. While the climate is in crisis, band councils are cozying up to resource companies. Now, ordinary Mi'kmaq are left to protect the lands and water that connect us to our ancestors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 40 years, researcher Don Pelley has been uncovering evidence of Beothuk life along the shores of the Exploits River and Red Indian Lake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Participant funding for the Valentine Lake environmental assessment will be announced soon, and Jamie Kneen from MiningWatch Canada says groups planning to intervene on the gold mine development on traditional Mi'kmaq land need to start lining up experts and to back them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a splashy photo-op last fall with Liberal MPs, the Qalipu/Federation of Newfoundland Indians has not sealed a deal with the feds on getting back status for any of the 10,000 kicked out a year ago. Time to turn up the political heat, says Greg Janes, one of the organizers of ABLE: Anyone But Liberals Elected. But is it realistic to think anyone or anything can unseat MP Gudie Hutchings in a r...

Melanie Smith of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency says funding will be available for both the public and Indigenous groups who want to have a say in whether the Valentine gold mine project proceeds, and how it should be executed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While First Nations in New Brunswick threaten to protest over lack of consultation on resource issues, two Mi'kmaq bands in Newfoundland remain silent as plans unfold for a massive gold mine on traditional Mi'kmaq territory and caribou habitat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reflection on the past 100 episodes, and a discussion of our plan going forward. Over the past three years, our small, two-person team has been covering the issues of concern to Mi’kmaq people in so-called Newfoundland and beyond. Time after time, we’ve been the first—and, too often, the only—to report on Mi’kmaq-focused stories. Mi’kmaq Matters promises to be there for you in the future just as...

CEO Phil Walford and Director of Environment and Stakeholder Engagement Jamie Powell answer questions about timelines, risks posed by the mining process, and whether Marathon Gold Corps has any duty to consult Mi'kmaq people on whose traditional territory the development would take place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Without having consulted the Mi'kmaq people who have used the lands over centuries, a mammoth gold mine is being developed in the Valentine Lake area of central Newfoundland. Jamie Kneen, the Communications and Outreach Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, discusses the potential environmental risks the development could have on the surrounding ecosystems. Of particular concern is the potential imp...

We interview three of the four candidates for Humber-Bay of Islands about their campaigns, resource development and environmental protection. We hear from Liberal candidate Brian Dicks (Liberal), NDP candidate Shawn Hodder, and Progressive Conservative candidate Michael Holden. The independent candidate, Eddie Joyce, did not accept our interview invitation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

The vote to admit Qalipu into Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) passed by a vote of fourteen in favour and two opposed. As other chiefs in the region begin to regain confidence at end of the enrolment process, does joining the APC mean a chance for Qalipu to make peace with other Mi'kmaq communities? We hear about the vote and the next chapter in the Qalipu-Mi'kmaq relationship from the congress's ex...

Talks between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) and the federal government are bogged down, which means no results in sight for those who lost their status. Burgeo Band of Indians Chief Greg Janes (who is also a spokesperson for one of the veterans who lost their status while serving overseas) has been asking for updates on where veterans stand in the enrolment process. His requests see...

Everyone was at a mining announcement in Glenwood last month except Qalipu—the band didn't even know it was happening. Is this another example in a pattern of neglect by the provincial government? Later, we hear from Millertown mayor Fiona Humber on efforts to bring back the remains of two Beothuk people to the lands from which they were stolen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

This week, Robert Bertrand, national Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP), tells us about the search for the next Newfoundland affiliate. And later, Jerry Brake's lawyer, David Rosenfeld, gives us a debrief on the Brake case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jerry Brake's lawyer, David Rosenfeld, tells us about the latest move to launch a class action lawsuit against the enrolment process. And later, we hear from Greg Janes, chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians, on a new alliance between Mi'kmaq bands that's trying to reach deeper into communities than Qalipu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, a preview of a newly formed alliance of Newfoundland bands which have been mostly dormant since Qalipu's creation. And later, a debrief with Mi'kmaq First Nations Assembly of Newfoundland Chief Dave Wells on the Abbott case and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.