Canadore set to host an Aboriginal issues panel discussion

Canadore College
News Release

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Canadore College is hosting a series of panel discussions about the issues faced by indigenous cultures beginning this Friday.



The Aboriginal community is the fastest-growing population in Canada which makes them susceptible to social, economic and political drivers. The Community Teach In event is intended to provide a safe and open forum for individuals to learn about some of the current issues.



The first of the series, The Impacts of Legislation on the Earth, Water, Economy and Canadians, will discuss the Omnibus bill, First Nations Elections Act, Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, First Nation Education Act and the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.



“With the grassroots movement ‘Idle No More’ being highly visible in the media, Canadians are left asking themselves a lot of questions,” said Shawn Chorney, Vice-President of Enrolment Management, Student Services and Recruitment. “There is no doubt that the issues are in plain sight, but understanding them is much more difficult. We wanted to bring the community together with experts to bring meaning and perspective into the picture.”



Guest panelists include Walter Manitowabi, Chief Operating Officer of the Union of Ontario Indians; Catherine Murton-Stoehr, Professor of Canadian and First Nations History at Nipissing University; Fred Bellefeuille, Director and Legal Counsel for the Union of Ontario Indians and Lisa Robinson, Professor of Cultural Safety at Canadore College.



Date: Friday, February 15, 2013

Time: Panel Discussion from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. followed by a community feast from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Location: Harris Learning Library (Thomson Room L210), Education Centre Campus, 100 College Drive, North Bay, Ont.



Nearly 20 percent of Canadore’s total student population is of Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Cree Algonquin, Mohawk, Inuit or Métis decent from Ontario, Québec and nation-wide, one of the highest representations in the provincial college system.



The next panel discussion will take place at Canadore College in March 2013.

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