Warrior Life: Indigenous Resistance and Resurgence

by Pamela Palmater

Overview

In a moment where unlawful pipelines are built on Indigenous territories, the RCMP make illegal arrests of land defenders on unceded lands, and anti-Indigenous racism permeates social media, the renowned lawyer, author, speaker and activist Pamela Palmater returns to wade through media misinformation and government propaganda and get to the heart of key issues lost in the noise.

Warrior Life is the second collection of writings by Palmater. In keeping with her previous works, numerous op-eds, media commentaries, YouTube channel videos, and podcasts, Palmater is fiercely anticolonial, antiracist, and more crucial than ever before. Palmater addresses a range of Indigenous issues—empty political promises, ongoing racism, sexualized genocide, government lawlessness and the lie that is reconciliation—making complex political and legal implications accessible to all of us.

From one of the most important, inspiring, and fearless voices on Indigenous rights, decolonization, Canadian politics, social justice, earth justice, and beyond, Warrior Life is an unflinching critique of the colonial project that is Canada and a rallying cry for Indigenous Peoples and allies alike to forge a path toward a decolonial future through resistance and resurgence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773632902
Publisher:	Fernwood Publishing
Publication date:	12/08/2020
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,024,422
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Pamela Palmater is a Mi’kmaw lawyer, professor and Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University. She is the author of Indigenous Nationhood and Beyond Blood.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Foreword Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair ix

Introduction New Governors, Same Colonialism 1

Section 1 Politics and Promises 7

1 Harper's Gone so Now It's Time to Look Within 8

2 The Worst Thing that Could Happen Is a First Nation Minister of Indian Affairs 17

3 Will We See Real Nation-to-Nation Respect with Trudeau? 21

4 Evidence of Good Faith Lacking in Trudeau's Indigenous Agenda 26

5 Why Is Trudeau's Government Opposing Charter Equality for indigenous Women? 30

6 Trudeau's Nation-to-Nation Relationship Disappeared with Empty Budget Promises 35

7 Trudeau's Dance of Deception on Indigenous Rights 41

8 Trudeau's Forked-Tongue Reconciliation at UN 45

9 Indigenous Issues Disappear Slowly from Election 2019 48

Section 2 Racism Kills 53

10 Canada Called to Account by UN for Ongoing Racial Discrimination Against Indigenous Women and Children 54

11 Lethal Impact of Racism on Indigenous Health 60

12 Overincarceration of Indigenous Peoples Nothing Short of Genocide 64

13 First Nations Water Problems: A Crisis of Canada's Own Making 69

14 Saskatchewan: The Land of the Living Skies and Lethal Racism 75

15 Justice for Our Stolen Children Camp 80

16 How Canada Turned a Blind Eye to the Suicide Crises in First Nations 86

17 Don't Forget the Racist Canadians Behind the Racist Systems 91

18 The Ongoing Legacies of Canadian Genocide 95

Section 3 Sexualized Genocide 103

19 Sexualized Genocide 104

20 Corporate Conquistadors Rape Indigenous Lands and Bodies 108

21 Bill S-3 Amendments to the Indian Act and the Never-Ending Battle Tor Equality for Indigenous Women 113

22 What You Need to Know about Sharon McIvor's UN Victory on Indian Status 120

23 The People Left Behind by Trudeau's Promised Nation-to-Nation Relationship 124

24 Federal Budget 2019: Indigenous Women and Children Left Behind Again 129

25 Public Inquiry Needed to Address Sexualized Violence in Policing and Corrections 134

26 Why Canada Should Stand Trial for Tina Fontaine's Murder 139

27 Justice System Still Not Protecting Indigenous Women and Girls 143

28 Missing and Murdered: Canada's Genocide Cover-up 147

29 Transitional Justice Plan Needed to End Genocide in Canada 151

Section 4 Canada is an Outlaw 157

30 Indigenous Child Welfare Act: More Pan-Indigenous Legislation Risks Continuing the Status Quo 158

31 Respecting Indigenous Languages: More Hollow Reconciliation 165

32 Canada's Criminalization of the Indigenous Tobacco Trade 170

33 Cannabis Legalization Ignores First Nations 174

34 NAFTA 2.0: Time to Get it Right or Kill It 179

35 Anti-Terrorism Act: Testimony at the Senate Committee on Public Safety and National Security 183

36 RCMP Invasion of Wet'suwet'en Nation Territory Breaches Canada's Rule of Law 189

37 Killer Whales. Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Public Interest 195

38 It's Up to Indigenous and Environmental Groups to Protect the Public Interest 199

39 Clearing the Lands Has Always Been at the Heart of Canada's Indian Policy 202

40 The Blockages No One Talks about Devastate Indigenous Communities 205

Section 5 Reconciliation is a Lie, Resistance is Hope 209

41 The Liberals' Plans for Indigenous Reconciliation Are Just Beads and Trinkets 210

42 Abolishing the Indian Act Means Eliminating First Nations' Rights 214

43 The Source of Our Power Has Always Been in Our Peoples, Not in Voting in Federal Elections 220

44 Indigenous Rights Are Not Conditional on Public Opinion 226

45 Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Universities and Colleges 230

46 True Test of Reconciliation: Respect the Indigenous Right to Say No 241

47 The Indigenous Right to Say No 245

48 A Modern Treaty to Save Our Peoples and the Planet 249

49 Social Conflict Is Inevitable in the Decolonization Battle 253

50 Indigenous Women Warriors Are the Heart of Indigenous Resistance 256

51 Wet'suwet'en: A Wake-up Call for Canada 264

Conclusion: Power of the People 268

Editorial Reviews

In this moment of multiple existential crises from climate change to species extinction, ocean degradation, toxic pollution and so on, the Indigenous struggle to regain authority over land provides an opportunity to see our place in the world differently. To me, that is what Palmater’s fiery rhetoric is calling for, a chance to see the world through the lenses of different values.

David Suzuki

Palmater’s book, Warrior Life: Indigenous Resistance and Resurgence, is itself a valiant effort at making the complex political, social and economic history of Indigenous people accessible.

Atlantic Books - Jeremy Hull

This tour de force is a must-read for people of all ages looking to understand Indigenous people’s struggle for survival and recognition in modern-day Canada

The British Journal of Canadian Studies, Volume 34, Number 1, 2022 - Chris Martin