Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

PUHALLO: With the voice they have re-gained we should listen this time


There is something I think Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Prime Ministers Office (PMO) have been missing during this whole controversy about SNC-Lavalin. That is, the re-emergence of the Indigenous "voice", and what we can learn from it.

Jody Wilson-Raybould describes herself as a "truth talker".

That is not just a marketing brand or product framing. It’s a belief in the power of truth. It is a tenant that lies at the root of the Indigenous Peoples' Renaissance we are witnessing in Canada today.

The telling of truth, and of accepting the truth; around residential schools, conditions on reserves, semi-autonomous self government, the Delgamuukw Decision, the snatchings, voting and access rights -- all of the Indigenous experience since first contact with European colonists.

With the voice they have re-gained we should listen this time

Justin Trudeau keeps on trying to deny, and re-direct, and spin, the pressure and bullying his office and staff were a part of.

It's been a failure every time.


He's spoken about 'reconciliation', but has sadly missed the most important part of reconciliation.

That is, speaking and accepting the truth, no matter what.


The first settlers who came to this land felt very deeply they had so much to teach The People they found here. It turns out The People had a very important lesson to teach them.

Now, with the voice they have re-gained, and the lesson on "truth talking" we are seeing from Ms. Wilson-Raybould, we should listen this time



Steven Puhallo’s beliefs can be can be summarized by this statement: “Hard work, smartly done, with the right tools given to the right people can move mountains.  I believe that we can all make a difference for ourselves, our families and our communities by working together”.

Living in Kamloops, he is the proud father of 2 amazing girls and a happy husband to an amazing wife.

Steven is currently the President & CEO of Cowboy Gaming (Canada) – prior to that he was the Executive Director of the North Shore Business Improvement Association for over 4 and a half years. (May 2013 – November 2017)



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Your government has a gambling problem (Troy Media)

Provinces call it “revenue,” but it looks a lot like exploitation of the marginalized The odds of winning Lotto Max are about 1 in 33 million. You’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than to win it. But your government is betting that statistics won’t hold you back; they’re counting on it. Across Canada, provincial governments not only regulate gambling, they also maintain a monopoly on lottery and gaming by owning and operating the entire legal market. That means every scratch card is government-issued, gambling odds are government-set, casino ads are government-funded and lottery billboards are government-paid. And these are not incidental government activities. They generate significant revenues that governments have powerful incentives to expand, not constrain. It would be one thing for our governments to encourage us to engage in healthy activities. We can quibble about whether the government should be trying to convince us to be more active or eat more vegetabl...
Post a Comment
Read more

US Tribes Using DRIPA to Expand Influence in British Columbia

The BC Conservatives are sounding the alarm after receiving multiple filings in the BC Supreme Court in which U.S.-based Indigenous tribes are relying on DRIPA, UNDRIP, and the Interpretation Act to assert greater recognition of Aboriginal rights and direct involvement in British Columbia affairs. “This is a clear and growing sovereignty crisis,” said Scott McInnis, Critic for Indigenous Relations. “The Premier himself has referred to the DRIPA situation as an existential threat to British Columbia, and has said amendments are non‑negotiable. We are now seeing exactly why.” Court cases reveal that American tribes are attempting to leverage DRIPA to gain standing and influence inside BC. “It is becoming increasingly clear that DRIPA is being weaponized in ways never transparently disclosed to British Columbians,” McInnis said. “Allowing U.S. tribes to expand their reach into BC governance is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable.” One notable case, brought by a group of Alaskan ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seniors Waiting Years for Care: New Data Exposes Growing Long-Term Care Crisis in BC

Image Credit: Seniors Advocate BC     “ Eight years. That is not a wait time. That is a system failur e” Seniors in British Columbia are now waiting years, not months, for access to long-term care, according to figures confirmed during Health Estimates this week. Brennan Day, MLA for Courtenay-Comox and Critic for Rural Health and Seniors’ Health, says the numbers paint a clear picture of a system falling behind the needs of a rapidly aging population. “Yesterday, after repeated questioning, the Minister finally confirmed that 7,829 seniors are currently waiting for long-term care in British Columbia,” said Day. “That’s an 11 percent increase in just one year.” The delays are not measured in weeks, they are measured in years. Across the province, average wait times now exceed a year in many regions. In Vancouver Coastal Health, the maximum wait time has reached 2,825 days, nearly eight years. “Eight years,” said Day. “That is not a wait time. That is a system failure.” At...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more