Building bridges between all communities
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/68073
JUNE 2012 • PAGE 19 Message from the Premier of Manitoba GREG SELINGER Canada's cultural scene is unimaginable without the contributions of Aboriginal people. Actors like Academy Award nominees Gra- ham Greene and Chief Dan George, whose great-granddaughter Columpa Bobb does such amazing work at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, musicians such as Buffy Sainte-Marie and Sierra Noble, and visual artists like Copper Thunderbird and Bill Reid have made contributions that all Canadians celebrate. This year, as Manitobans join together to celebrate National Aboriginal Day, we have three new people to honour. Vince O'Laney and brothers Dallas and Brandon Courch- ene, better known as Sagkeeng's Finest, have done nothing less than take Canada by storm. They brought their unique fusion of clogging, tap and hip-hop to Toronto to com- pete in and win the first season of CityTV's Canada's Got Talent. These three promising young men from Sagkeeng First Nation joined a number of tal- ented Canadians for the finals. There, Bran- don, Dallas and Vince danced to a mash-up to Raghav's "Fire" and Metro Station's "Shake It," and won the hearts of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. For their dedication and spirit and talent, they were awarded the grand prize of $100,000, a Nissan GT-R, an all-inclusive trip to Tobago, and opportunities to perform both Las Vegas and at CityTV's New Year's Eve party. Last month, I had the pleasure of joining the Honourable Eric Robinson, Minister of Ab- original and Northern Affairs and Deputy Pre- mier, at one of the best occasions ever held on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there to salute Sagkeeng's Finest and some of their friends from Sagkeeng First Nation. There were plenty of First Nations and Métis folks there, new Manitobans, and, no doubt, some descendants of the Selkirk Settlers and the early Franco-Manitobans. It was a gathering that looked like Manitoba, an image that nobody lucky enough to be there will forget. We began by marvelling at the energy and artistic flair of the Sagkeeng Elders of the Past Memorial Square Dancers, who are named in memory of all their grandparents. Then, I had the honour of inducting Vince, Dallas and Brandon into The Order of the Buffalo Hunt. The Order, the oldest award the Province of Manitoba gives, recognizes outstanding skills The topic no one wants to talk about... Experts state the average person makes approximately 200,000 – 500,000 decisions a day. Simplistic, ordinary choices we make without much thought -black or brown, red or white. Whether or not it's the day to leave your spouse, quit smoking, lose 20 pounds, quit your job, and eat that last slice of cheese cake. Our lives are dogged by the choices we make, some are informed and some are made by a flip of a coin. There are the decisions we make which seemed to have had no meaning at the time, but altered the course of a life. There are decisions we make that affect the lives sur- rounding us and the lives we create. A Conservative backbencher Stephen Woodworth was determined to reopen the abortion question under the guise of answer- ing the question when does a fetus become a human being? Currently under Canadian law it is defined as when the baby emerges from the birth canal. Pro-life or pro-choice, it is not an easy discussion; everyone has an opinion, and of- ten voicing your opinion leads to a full scale assault on morals or principles. Not every- one in the debate has a uterus as illustrated by the leading voices questioning Canada's abortion laws. Abortion is an intimate and singular deci- sion not made lightly by a woman. The in- ternet is filled with comments on someone knowing somebody who had numerous un- wanted pregnancies terminated because the woman was too lazy to get her pill prescrip- tion renewed. That somebody does not exist; abortion is intrusive, painful, and emotional, even the word abortion invokes deep soul searching. Men can argue they contribute, therefore they have stake in the debate. The law re- garding possession may factor in. Intent may be a fitting argument, but if the intent was de- liberate without consent we would have yet another interesting and heated discussion. Accidents happen; the only form of birth control with 100 percent success rate is ab- staining from sexual activity. However, absti- Proud of our role models in the areas of leadership, service and com- munity commitment. Sagkeeng's Finest are among the youngest-ever members to earn the honour. Other honourees include the late Mary Richard, who did so much for Mani- toba's Aboriginal people, and the late Chief Dan George. As Minister Robinson and I joined our friends and neighbours to enjoy the dancing, we saw a glimpse of the kind of Manitoba we all want to build. These proud and talented young men are rooted in their own traditions, drawing upon our province's diverse and vi- brant culture to create something genuinely new and unforgettable. That same spirit will be on display at The Forks on June 23rd, when thousands of people will gather to lis- ten to performances by artists like Christa Couture, Joey Stylez and a special reunion of the folk-rock duo Kashtin, (Florent Vollant and Claude MacKenzie). The concert will be broadcast live on APTN. Dallas, Brandon and Vince represent the dreams and aspirations of people from all backgrounds. They serve as outstanding role models for young and not-so-young people. We are fortunate that home. they call Manitoba nence only makes the heart grow fonder. Numerous pregnancies are unwanted, and unplanned, frightening realities for women who are in situations out of their control. Some are simply alone and desperately want someone to love them. Others feel they have no options, trapped in the cycle of poverty, with limited op- portunities or resources. Cultural or religious pressure to continue the pregnancy, or trapped in an abusive relationship. Who pays the ultimate price for unwant- ed pregnancies, debate that question Mr. Woodworth. In the Aboriginal community, we need to openly discuss personal responsibility, sexu- ality, safe sex, abortion, adoption and birth control. We need to talk to our youth about commitment and lifestyle choices and the consequences of their decisions. How comfortable is a youth who walks into a community organization to discuss reproductive choice and encounters walls covered with posters depicting, a smiling beautiful pregnant women with her arms folded gently over her swollen stomach with the messages of the potential damage to un- born babies. Where are the posters informing young women and men they have a choice to par- ent or not to parent? In our community we have babies having babies before they have the chance to know is proud to serve the Aboriginal Community of Manitoba Wishing all our members a Happy National Aboriginal Day! 303 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R2W 2L8 • 204-943-9111 Grand Rapids 204-639-2501 "The Only Aboriginal Credit Union in Manitoba" FULL & PARTIAL DENTURES • RELINES & REPAIRS WHILE YOU WAIT FAST DENTURES 702 Boyd Medical Centre (388 Portage Ave.) 947-1807 who they are and what they want out of life. Teenage girls barely out of puberty are be- coming mothers; before they are emotionally ready to be sexually active they are faced with a responsibility beyond their ability to cope. The chances of successfully parenting are challenging at the best of times. Without financial supports, life on Income Assistance is difficult, poverty is harsh and children have needs, they need to be sheltered, they need proper food and attention, and they need un- conditional love and patience and so do the parents of these children. Not all young parents fail; some are able to circumvent the pitfalls of poverty and are unwavering in their desire to provide a good and stable life for their children. We have a number of excellent role models in our com- munity who were resolute in their determina- tion to be successful, and raised their chil- dren in loving homes without from child welfare. We need to develop more programs to support the children and youth in our com- munity we need to encourage and educate them about their decisions and their choices. This is not about abortion, it's about educat- ed choices, and it's about bringing the facts of life into the debate. Next month: Traditional Adoption in the 21st Century: a Love story. ~ Rhonda Powers intervention Treating Aboriginal patients Your Downtown Denture Clinic Specializing in