Charlie Angus - Children of the Broken Treaty: Canada’s Lost Promise and One Girl’s Dream

Advance praise for

CHILDREN OF THE BROKEN TREATY

In reading this historic chronicle of the painful poverty among the Cree in James Bay, Ontario, Canada, I keep thinking how incredible it is that a member of parliament could care so much about his constituency and devote so much of his time to helping the beautiful people of the land of the Cree and Ojibway in sub-Arctic country. Alanis Obomsawin, filmmaker

Shannen Koostachin knew First Nations students were dropping out of her school in Attawapiskat because It is hard to think you will grow up someone important when you dont have resources like libraries and science labs we are not going to give up and we want our younger brothers and sisters to go to school thinking school is a time for hopes and dreams of the futureevery kid deserves this.

As a child inspired by Shannen said, Childhood does not wait around for politicians to do the right thing, and so thousands of children joined together to write letters to the government demanding a proper education for all First Nations students. The Prime Ministers mailbox began filling up with letters made with crayons and sparkles, and the largest child-led rights campaign in Canadian history was born.

In this must-read book, Charlie Angus shares Shannens inspiring journey from a child going to school in run down trailers next to a toxic waste dump to one of 45 children in the world nominated for the International Childrens Peace Prize. Shannen did everything in her power to ensure First Nations children would get the proper education they deserve, and after reading this book you will, too. Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada

Charlie Anguss The Children of the Broken Treaty is an incredibly important book. Gripping. Disturbing. Maddening. At its core, though, this call for justice doesnt only promise hope, it shines bright light toward a real road of redemption. The legacy of Shannen Koostachin will live on for many generations. And the resilience of not just her Cree people but of all First Nations in this country is beautifully and concisely documented. Heres a strong lesson that demands to be read. Joseph Boyden, author of Three Day Road, Through Black Spruce , and The Orenda

This book, along with Edmund Metatawabins Up Ghost River , tells the story of sustained evil done by our government to indigenous peoples, who have the right to the rights of Canadian cit i zens. This is discomforting reading, but essential. John Ralston Saul, author of The Comeback

If you think Canada provides equal treatment to all of its citizens and that our injustices to indigenous people were in the past, think again. Angus sheds light on one of the ugliest features of our nation, that we deny First Nations children the chance at a proper education, that we have written them off and that the legacy of unequal education that began with residential schools continues to the present. James Daschuk, author of Clearing the Plains

NEW EDITION

CHILDREN OF THE BROKEN

TREATY

CANADAS LOST PROMISE AND ONE GIRLS DREAM

CHARLIE ANGUS

2017 Charlie Angus

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording, taping or placement in information storage and retrieval systems of any sort shall be directed in writing to Access Copyright.

Printed and bound in Canada at Friesens.

Cover And Text Design: Duncan Campbell, University of Regina Press
Copy Editor: Dallas Harrison
Proofreaders: Courtney Bates-Hardy, Anne James
Cover Photo: Shannen Koostachin at her first high school powwow when she was in grade nine. Courtesy of the author.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Angus, Charlie, 1962-, author

Children of the broken treaty : Canadas lost promise and one girls dream / Charlie Angus. New edition. Includes bibliographical references. Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-88977-497-1 (softcover). ISBN 978-0-88977-498-8 ( PDF ).ISBN 978-0-88977-499-5 ( HTML )

1. Native childrenEducationOntarioAttawapiskat Indian Reserve No. 91A. 2. Childrens rightsOntarioAttawapiskat Indian Reserve No. 91A. 3. Native studentsOntarioAttawapiskat Indian Reserve No. 91A. 4. Native childrenGovernment policyCanada. 5. Koostachin, Shannen, 1994-2010. 6. Youth protest movementsCanada. 7. Attawapiskat Indian Reserve No. 91A (Ont.). I. Title.

E96.65.O58A54 2017 371.829970713 C2017-905154-7 C2017-905155-5

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

University of Regina Press, University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, S4S 0A2
Tel: (306) 585-4758 Fax: (306) 585-4699
Web: www.uofrpress.ca

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. / Nous reconnaissons lappui financier du gouvernement du Canada. This publication was made possible through support from Creative Saskatchewans Creative Industries Production Grant Program.

To my dear friend Grand Chief Stan Louttit,
who worked for the betterment
of the Mushkegowuk Cree
with such determination and vision.
It was an honour to work alongside you.
Go to the angels, Stan.
Shannen will be there to greet you.

Perhaps you have heard the story of how Rosa Parks helped start the civil rights movement. Well, we are the children who have been sitting at the back of the school bus our whole lives. And we dont want to stay there anymore.

Fourteen-year-old Chelsea Edwards,
Attawapiskat First Nation

CONTENTS

PART I:

PART II:

PART III:

PART IV:

PART V:

PART VI:

T hanks to Andrew Koostachin, Jenny Nakogee, Serena Koostachin, and their family for their faithfulness to an incredible young woman. Thanks to the Hunter family, Chelsea Edwards, Rose Koostachin, John B. Nakogee, Bill Blake, Alvin Fiddler, Leo Friday, and all those from Treaty 9 territory who have taught me lessons in life.

Thanks to Edmund Metatawabin, James Daschuk, Catherine Morten-Stoehr, Cindy Blackstock, Karihwakeron (Tim Thompson) for their careful reading of the manuscript and wise suggestions.

Thanks to the Timmins-James Bay team that have always been there for me: Gilles Bisson, my great friend; David Schecter, Sue Cardinal, Lise Beaulne, Felicia Scott, Dale Tonelli, and especially Janet Doherty for her work in helping coordinate and do c ument the Shannens Dream campaign. Thanks to my colleagues Jack Layton, Thomas Mulcair, Pat Martin, Jean Crowder, Romeo Saganash, and Nikki Ashton.

Thanks to Christine Guyotte, Jeremy Huws, and Emilie Grenier for assistance with Access to Information and government files. Thanks to Fay Brunning and Katherine Hensel for the legal documents.

Thanks to Bruce Walsh and the team at University of Regina Press. This whole thing got started because Bruce mailed me a copy of James Daschuks Clearing the Plains . The book hit me like a thunderbolt and launched me on the path of this work.

Thanks most of all to Brit, my best friend in life, and our daughtersMariah, Siobhan, Lola. They not only put up with the chaos of political life but serve as an extraordinarily creative editorial department. The family team did yeoman duty in pulling narrative out of a jumble of data. Mariah was relentless in her attempt to clean up her old mans source notes. Thank you. Love you more than you know.