PROFILES

Canadian Aboriginal Women
(Part VIII)

By Essam Farag

During my convocation ceremony at the University of Guelph in February 2004, a special person was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws. This woman was Dr. Roberta Jamieson, an Aboriginal lawyer and distinguished Canadian celebrity. Her powerful and moving lecture stuck in my memory and challenged me to write about the great achievements of Aboriginal woman in all aspects of Canadian society - a sector of the Canadian fabric that is seldom recognized. This article is a continuation of the articles presented in the last seven issues, which was dedicated to Dr. Jamieson and all women belonging to minority groups in appreciation for their contributions.

On the historic day of June 11, 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper publicly apologized to native Canadians in the House of Commons for a government policy of taking natives from their families and forcing them to attend state-funded Christian schools up until the 1970s, saying:

"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country. While some former students have spoken positively about their experiences at residential schools, these stories are far overshadowed by tragic accounts of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect of helpless children, and their separation from powerless families and communities. The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly. We are sorry."

This series about Canadian Aboriginal Women, seeks to make the world more knowledgeable about the Aboriginal population and challenge youth around the world to strive to achieve success regardless of the hurdles they might face, with the dream of creating a better society for future generations. Interestingly, the 2001 Canadian Census figure indicate that about 500 aboriginal people (Indians, Metis and Inuits) have doctoral degrees, about 1,500 have Masters' degrees and about 14,000 have undergraduate degrees.

These articles present the profiles of exemplar aboriginal women who are carving the way for the future of their communities. In part VIII, I present the interesting profiles of: Chantell Quill, Lisa Francis, Jennifer Podemski, Sharon McIver, and Susie McPherson.

Lisa Francis, from Craven, Saskatchewan, is among the bright young people who contributes to the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technologies' (SIAST) reputation for having the highest aboriginal enrolment of any Canadian nursing school. Lisa was awarded a $1000 scholarship to continue her nursing studies at SIAST from The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) in 2008, as one of the inaugural winners of the SIGA First Nation Scholarship Awards available to First Nations students in Saskatchewan, totalling $25,000.

Schools across Canada's western provinces are rising to address one of the nation's greatest challenges and one of its greatest opportunities - the education of Canadian Aboriginals. Aboriginal students are more successful in secondary education today than they have ever been before. About 18.5% of SIAST are aboriginal, and 92% of aboriginal students surveyed said they would recommend it to others aboriginal students as a key for a safe and welcoming learning environment for aboriginal learners.

Interestingly, 15% of the students who were surveyed mentioned that they spoke an aboriginal language as their first language, in post-secondary education settings. Today there are more programs available for training aboriginal students to become skilled nurses like Lisa Francis.

Jennifer Podemski:

Although acting has always been her passion, Jennifer Podemski, 34, began producing in 1998 and co-founded Big Soul Productions with Laura Milliken. with the support of the Aboriginal Business Canada (ABC) - a federal program that provides more than CAD$30 million annually to native entrepreneurs to help them launch small businesses and keep them growing. Since it’s inception, Big Soul Productions has produced award winning film and television programs including three seasons of the aboriginal youth role model series The Seventh Generation. In the summer of 2002, Jennifer and Laura developed the first dramatic series to be created, controlled and written by an all-aboriginal production team. Moccasin Flats aired for three seasons on two National Networks, The Aboriginal People's Television Network and Showcase to critical acclaim and received three Gemini nominations in 2006 including Best Series.

Jennifer is also an award winning, Gemini nominated actress. While she is half Jewish and her grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, she is of mixed ethnic heritage since her mother is First Nations. Since beginning her professional career at the age of 14, Jennifer has achieved great success as an actor in film, television and theatre. Best known for her roles in Bruce McDonald’s acclaimed feature film Dance Me Outside, CBC’s The Rez, and Riverdale, Jennifer’s more recent work includes: CBC's The Border; The award winning Showcase comedy series Moose TV where she starred along with Adam Beach, Degrassi TNG in her recurring role as Ms. Sauve; The Robber Bride starring Mary-Louise Parker and is currently working with author/screenwriter Paul Quarrington; who received the Governor General's Award for his novel Whale Music; in his short film adaptation of his novel The Ravine.

In 2004, Jennifer branched out on her own and opened Redcloud Studios, an independent production company that she runs from home. Jennifer recently wrapped the 2008 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards (Global, APTN, E!) and completed production of the second season of Rabbit Fall, a supernatural crime drama set on the edge of the boreal forest. Rabbit Fall airs on APTN, SCN and Vision TV. Despite a busy schedule, Jennifer dedicates a large part of her time to working with and mentoring youth. She has toured Canada and the U.S., speaking to Native youth and facilitating workshops in self-awareness, goal setting, performing, business, media and self-empowerment. She has facilitated over 500 workshops and continues to dedicate her time to strengthening the future by empowering youth to realize their potential.

Sharon McIver

Sharon McIver, born in 1948, is a British Columbian lawyer with aboriginal background, activist and professor of Aboriginal Law at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, who has been fighting Canada's definition of "Indian" since it was last revised in 1985. She is the author of many articles on Aboriginal women’s rights, and she has been a leader in the Native Women’s Association of Canada. She will seek leave to have her case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Indian Act contains a complex definition of status, that is largely based on bloodlines, but also includes exceptions for certain bands to define the term themselves. She hopes the Supreme Court will side with the original ruling in her case, which she says would have granted status to about 200,000 aboriginals left out under the Act's existing definition. Sharon is appealing in the hope of blocking Federal government plans to re-write the Indian Act.

Since her Indian lineage was through the women in her family – her grandmother and her mother - Sharon was not entitled to registration as an Indian at birth. Also as an adult, Sharon married a non-Indian man. In an historic court victory for Aboriginal women and their descendants, Sharon McIvor, a First Nations woman from Merritt, British Columbia, has successfully challenged the continuing sex discrimination in the sections of the 1985 Indian Act that determine Indian status in case ruled by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2007. Sharon McIvor’s case challenges the continuing preferential treatment given to males and those whose Indian status is traced from male ancestors, as a violation of section 15, the equality guarantee of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Finally, the 2007 ruling granted her Indian status, but it is still an inferior category of status, because Sharon McIvor can only transmit half status to her children. And Sharon’s grandchildren are not entitled to status at all - hence she is currently pursuing the case with the Supreme Court of Canada.

Sharon has fought for these rights through many mediums; TV interviews, newspaper articles, and also writing an article entitled, "Aboriginal Women's Rights as "Existing Rights"" in a York University Canadian Women Studies journal, Women's Rights are Human Rights (Fall 1995) and several aboriginal groups across the country have started fundraising campaigns to assist her in covering the costs of her legal case.

Susie McPherson

Susie McPherson has lived in Brandon, Manitoba since August 1987. She was born in Churchill, Manitoba and lived there till age 21, with her family which is of Cree ancestry. Her two oldest siblings, Brenda and Larry, are severely mentally and physically handicapped and have lived at the Manitoba Developmental Centre since they were very young, while her parents had moved from the York Factory area to Churchill in 1957. She is am a mother to four children; Leonard, 21, Nathan, 20, Truman, 14, and Segwun ,4. I strive to live a healthy lifestyle and believe that a spiritual foundation is essential to my well-being…and necessary when it comes to helping other women. I am enjoying childhood once again through the eyes of my daughter. My hobbies are many including walking, journaling, reading, dancing, and visiting with people. I also enjoy spending time alone in the early morning hours.

Susie attended school in Churchill until grade 10. In 1996 I received a Mature Student High School Diploma from Assiniboine Community College. I am currently working at Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services as a Foster Care Worker since December 2004. Throughout my life I have been employed in a variety of positions. I was employed by Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba for fourteen years as an In-Home Support Worker. I also worked at Project for the Education of Native Teachers at Brandon University for eleven years – eight years as an Administrative Clerk and three years as a Student Coordinator. Prior to my employment with DOCFS I held a position at the Brandon Friendship Centre as a Family Support Worker and was also employed for one year as an Administrative Assistant with World Visions Canada Aboriginal Programs.

Susie has been involved with Mother of Red Nations since she attended the first consultation held in Brandon in June 1999, and has been involved at the Council level since 2001. She has also served on the Westman Counselling and Education Centre and Brandon Aboriginal Community Council Boards and sat on various committees, serving in various capacities for the Brandon Aboriginal Wellness Centre for a few years until funding from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation was no longer available. Susie's passion in her work stems from her personal experiences on the issues that face Aboriginal women: violence, poverty, addictions and lack of support. She believes that women can be empowered by taking care of themselves and striving to make change for Aboriginal people.

Essam Farag, BA Honours (Dalhousie), MA (Guelph) is the Production Editor of the Ambassadors Magazine. Email: essamfarag@ambassadors.net 

 

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