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Legislation and policy

Indigenous food sovereignty: A model for social learning

Indigenous Food Sovereignty from the Ground Up

At a grassroots level,the Indigenous food sovereignty approach seeks to reconcile Indigenous
environmental ethics and cultural protocols with the re-establishment
of community-based economies. Indigenous food sovereignty provides
a framework for a speci!c policy approach to addressing the underlying
issues impacting long-term food security in Indigenous communities: it
serves to support Indigenous peoples and our efforts to uphold our sacred
responsibilities to nurture relationships with our land, culture, spirituality

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The following file is a 195 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.

Citation / Reference: 
Morrison, D, (2011). Indigenous food sovereignty: A model for social learning. In Wittman, H. et al (eds). Food Sovereignty in Canada: Towards a just and sustainable food system. Chapter6. Fernwood Publishing.

Solidarity Statement - Herditary Chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en

Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Solidarity Statement – Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en

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The following file is a 155 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.

Resetting the Table - A Peoples Food Policy in Canada

Written by the Peoples Food Policy Project - Indigenous Circle of activists and scholars from across Canada.

Identifies main challenges and ways forward - outlining key recommendations for forming federal policies as it relates to reconciling Indigenous land, food and cultural values within the food sovereignty movement in Canada.

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The following file is a 1623 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.

First Nations Water Security and Climate Change

This document summarizes the concerns of First Nations people present at two workshops (Vancouver and Toronto) towards the development of a policy report on First Nations water security and climate change, and ACT (Adaptation to Climate Change project) policy report on water and climate change in Canada. The ACT project is a joint initiative created by Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), Simon Fraser University, and Bob Sandford, Chair of the Canadian Partnership Initiative of the United Nations International “Water for Life” Decade.

Citation / Reference: 
Available online

Indigenous Peoples' Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative

The United Nations Permanent Forum at its Seventh Session of the Permanent Forum held from 21 April to 2 May 2008 recommended that "...the United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies, university research centres and relevant United Nations agencies conduct further studies on the impacts of climate change and climate change responses on indigenous peoples who are living in highly fragile ecosystems".

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The following file is a 101 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.

Citation / Reference: 
United Nations University - Informing International Policy on Traditional Knowledge

Indigenous Food and Cultural Values vs. Large Scale Ski Resort Development in the Highest Alpine Mountains of Secwepemcul'ecw (Land of the Shuswap)

For the purpose of promoting social learning and a deeper cross cultural understanding of the current situations, issues and concerns in one of the last remaining sensitive alpine mountain ecosystems in the Southern Interior Plateau of B.C., this presentation will discuss the negative impacts of the Sun Peaks Ski Resort development on culturally important food harvesting sites in an area known to the Secwepemc (Shuswap First Peoples) as Skwelkwekwelt (highest alpine mountains).

Files: 

The following file is a 261 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.

Citation / Reference: 
Morrison, D. (n.d.). Indigenous food and cultural values vs. Large scale ski resort development in the highest alpine mountains of Secwepemcul'ecw. Presentation paper prepared for the Amenity Led Migration Conference.

Towards Fishers Participation in the development of a new policy for the South African Small Scale Fishery

With a process of developing a new fishing policy for the small-scale sector ahead of us, we feel that it is the right time to discuss how and at what level fishers are going to participate in the process. Fisheries management science and empirical evidence from participatory management programmes in South Africa and abroad clearly indicate that shared responsibility and participation is a precondition for successful small-scale fisheries management.

Be a diabetes advocate! Help make the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative a 2010 Federal Budget priority.

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions among Canada’s Aboriginal People. Because of unique genetic, social and lifestyle circumstances, they are 3 to 5 times more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with the disease. Along with this diagnosis comes an increased risk of serious complications—for children, adolescents and adults alike. Diabetes complications include heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, blindness, and amputations.

Subsistence Fishing in Canada A Position Paper

Subsistence harvesting is the hunting, fishing, and gathering of natural resources to meet the
food, fuel, clothing, and livelihood needs of individuals, households, and communities. The
exchange of subsistence products is embedded within the social relations existing with communities
and can take various forms such as gift, reciprocal exchange, barter, and sale. This position paper focuses on subsistence fisheries in Canada.

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The following file is a 70 KB pdf document you many need to download Adobe Reader to open the file.