‘I’m actually repulsed that you’re here’ AFN votes to oust Buller from inquiry 

As Marion Buller was telling APTN that she would ask for a two-year extension, the AFN voted in favour of ousting her from the inquiry.

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12 thoughts on “‘I’m actually repulsed that you’re here’ AFN votes to oust Buller from inquiry 

  1. George Poitras says:

    …low, very low!!

  2. I get the criticism about the Injury and the way it’s going, and i get what went down at the Assembly and I get the Resolution for an extension of time but what I don’t get is why the heck are there only 63 Chiefs out of 250 present when the presentation and discussion took place? Really? Am I missing something? Ask your Chief “Where were you”, “What did you say?” We will never know if the majority of the Chiefs support the Commission or have issues with it! We need to get our shit together!

  3. There is NO attention or mechanisms to address families needs. I believe there is good thought to begin this process, implementation would be difficult, as each persons’ need is much different than another. So true difference, listen to the people and government and your members make it happen. Grass roots needs – on the ground response. When the $$ tallies everyone is lets go to an enquiry – and then what 🙁

  4. People are expecting something other than what a commission is about. I have been in the courthouse before Judge Buller and understand that she is fair and she gets it. When I tried raising a constitutional question about removal of Aboriginal children and how it impacts their Aboriginal Rights, Judge Buller said she understands very well what is going on. I trust that she will do justice in the end; we just have to give it time and let her do her job. She has a big job to do and we cannot allow the show to be toppled because there is dissatisfaction from people that expect something more. Rather than a travelling road-show as if its some kind of circuit court, perhaps, we could have approached the situation by hiring lawyers on the ground in the communities across Canada and to collectively build a report that is filled with recommendations that will bring meaningful change. Nothing can be done to return our stolen sisters; there is so much racism and even in the system that is supposed to be blind and neutral, we see Starlight Tours in Saskatchewan; kids ending up in the waters of Thunder Bay; police not taking action or doing things to protect the “brotherhood”. The only thing that we can do to change this situation is massive change and that means, we as Indigenous people must become stronger in self-determination efforts including our own policing, our own transportation systems, our own healing lodges, our own sobriety, and to accept the teachings like the medicine wheel and the seven sacred laws. We must become self-sufficient and to be able to protect one another. The time for tribal warfare ended centuries ago, the time for unity is now. There are no judges on the Supreme Court of Canada in the history of this country that are not caucasian. Its time we took our own systems and created what works for us. The old Russian Embassy in Ottawa should be the house of healing complete with Indigenous Senate and an Indigenous Film Commission. We can blame the police, we can blame the White Man, we can blame the politicians, we can blame the unknown, and we can make hurtful speeches in the Assembly of First Nations to our own Indigenous people like the honourable Judge Buller. This is the wrong approach. We need to look to solutions to prevent the tragedy that is occurring. We need to have massive change, we can invite China to build Shaolin temples on the Reserves and to train our women to be warriors to protect against violence. We can build healing forests with places to recover, with places to heal, with alternatives than that of prison. Our people can become trained in the arts, and trades, make movies, build houses, help us to become something better. When a judge gives an Aboriginal person a sentence they must consider alternative options but we haven’t built those options. We cannot afford to lose our Aboriginal children to the social workers that take away kids from their culture, we cannot afford to have our youth sit in prison leaning to be better criminals, we cannot afford to lose our relatives to the black road. The time for change is now. Let Marion Buller do what she was hired to do and stop making speeches that are nothing but hurtful words and will achieve nothing in the end. The AFN is not in the drivers seat of the #MMIW inquiry.

  5. We as native people should have been consulted at the start of this process , we should have cultural and natives perspective in each sharing circle . Culturally appropriate for the areas of the hearings . This hearing is southern based as a northern native woman. I feel we do not count . There should have been 4 areas mapped in each province and 2 teams of people hearing the victims. Do one province at. Time. For the millions that was given it was not thought out to address victims and families Each province at 3 days of hearing -2. Teams that’s 6 days a month and 10 months to do all provinces each team to have traditional grief counsellors 5 each team I sit hear and think there was no consideration in these areas. Correct me if I am wrong Elkosani standing mother bear

  6. I get the criticism about the Injury and the way it’s going, and i get what went down at the Assembly and I get the Resolution for an extension of time but what I don’t get is why the heck are there only 63 Chiefs out of 250 present when the presentation and discussion took place? Really? Am I missing something? Ask your Chief “Where were you”, “What did you say?” We will never know if the majority of the Chiefs support the Commission or have issues with it! We need to get our shit together!

  7. Hi, I just want to share with you my letter to the executive director for the National Inquiry.
    Debbie Reid, I’m pretty sure you remember me from Skownan, my name is Josephine Gabriel and I am one of the few First Nations people who were forcibly removed from our treaty two territory. I wanted to tell you that your position as executive director is a contradiction on our rights as Indigenous people. The reason being that your family & community is responsible for the mistreatment and abuse of the Waterhen people who have been living in exile in Portage la Prairie for the past 21 years. All atrocities that have taken place against the Waterhen people is a violation of the UN Declaration of Indigenous rights. Our children were apprehended, our homes taken away, language loss, our livelihoods and connection to our ancestral lands are no longer and you have the audacity to get up in front of Canada and claim to be in it for Indigenous people, especially women. You don’t represent me. If you really want to get to the bottom of why there is missing and murdered women, its because of unequal opportunity, abuse from our community members, corruption, nepotism, cultural genocide and lack of accountability. If you want to meet with me face to face, I’m available at your convenience, you can get a hold of me here. There is no honor in oppression!
    Two girls have gone missing and murdered from our displaced band. Jennifer Catcheway and Rocelyn Gabriel (cousin) because of disolacement, loss of identity and intergenerational trauma……

  8. There is NO attention or mechanisms to address families needs. I believe there is good thought to begin this process, implementation would be difficult, as each persons’ need is much different than another. So true difference, listen to the people and government and your members make it happen. Grass roots needs – on the ground response. When the $$ tallies everyone is lets go to an enquiry – and then what 🙁

  9. People are expecting something other than what a commission is about. I have been in the courthouse before Judge Buller and understand that she is fair and she gets it. When I tried raising a constitutional question about removal of Aboriginal children and how it impacts their Aboriginal Rights, Judge Buller said she understands very well what is going on. I trust that she will do justice in the end; we just have to give it time and let her do her job. She has a big job to do and we cannot allow the show to be toppled because there is dissatisfaction from people that expect something more. Rather than a travelling road-show as if its some kind of circuit court, perhaps, we could have approached the situation by hiring lawyers on the ground in the communities across Canada and to collectively build a report that is filled with recommendations that will bring meaningful change. Nothing can be done to return our stolen sisters; there is so much racism and even in the system that is supposed to be blind and neutral, we see Starlight Tours in Saskatchewan; kids ending up in the waters of Thunder Bay; police not taking action or doing things to protect the “brotherhood”. The only thing that we can do to change this situation is massive change and that means, we as Indigenous people must become stronger in self-determination efforts including our own policing, our own transportation systems, our own healing lodges, our own sobriety, and to accept the teachings like the medicine wheel and the seven sacred laws. We must become self-sufficient and to be able to protect one another. The time for tribal warfare ended centuries ago, the time for unity is now. There are no judges on the Supreme Court of Canada in the history of this country that are not caucasian. Its time we took our own systems and created what works for us. The old Russian Embassy in Ottawa should be the house of healing complete with Indigenous Senate and an Indigenous Film Commission. We can blame the police, we can blame the White Man, we can blame the politicians, we can blame the unknown, and we can make hurtful speeches in the Assembly of First Nations to our own Indigenous people like the honourable Judge Buller. This is the wrong approach. We need to look to solutions to prevent the tragedy that is occurring. We need to have massive change, we can invite China to build Shaolin temples on the Reserves and to train our women to be warriors to protect against violence. We can build healing forests with places to recover, with places to heal, with alternatives than that of prison. Our people can become trained in the arts, and trades, make movies, build houses, help us to become something better. When a judge gives an Aboriginal person a sentence they must consider alternative options but we haven’t built those options. We cannot afford to lose our Aboriginal children to the social workers that take away kids from their culture, we cannot afford to have our youth sit in prison leaning to be better criminals, we cannot afford to lose our relatives to the black road. The time for change is now. Let Marion Buller do what she was hired to do and stop making speeches that are nothing but hurtful words and will achieve nothing in the end. The AFN is not in the drivers seat of the #MMIW inquiry.

  10. We as native people should have been consulted at the start of this process , we should have cultural and natives perspective in each sharing circle . Culturally appropriate for the areas of the hearings . This hearing is southern based as a northern native woman. I feel we do not count . There should have been 4 areas mapped in each province and 2 teams of people hearing the victims. Do one province at. Time. For the millions that was given it was not thought out to address victims and families Each province at 3 days of hearing -2. Teams that’s 6 days a month and 10 months to do all provinces each team to have traditional grief counsellors 5 each team I sit hear and think there was no consideration in these areas. Correct me if I am wrong Elkosani standing mother bear

  11. Hi, I just want to share with you my letter to the executive director for the National Inquiry.
    Debbie Reid, I’m pretty sure you remember me from Skownan, my name is Josephine Gabriel and I am one of the few First Nations people who were forcibly removed from our treaty two territory. I wanted to tell you that your position as executive director is a contradiction on our rights as Indigenous people. The reason being that your family & community is responsible for the mistreatment and abuse of the Waterhen people who have been living in exile in Portage la Prairie for the past 21 years. All atrocities that have taken place against the Waterhen people is a violation of the UN Declaration of Indigenous rights. Our children were apprehended, our homes taken away, language loss, our livelihoods and connection to our ancestral lands are no longer and you have the audacity to get up in front of Canada and claim to be in it for Indigenous people, especially women. You don’t represent me. If you really want to get to the bottom of why there is missing and murdered women, its because of unequal opportunity, abuse from our community members, corruption, nepotism, cultural genocide and lack of accountability. If you want to meet with me face to face, I’m available at your convenience, you can get a hold of me here. There is no honor in oppression!
    Two girls have gone missing and murdered from our displaced band. Jennifer Catcheway and Rocelyn Gabriel (cousin) because of disolacement, loss of identity and intergenerational trauma……

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