You are on page 1of 3

Kim P.

Weaver
PO Box 723 Gold River, BC V0P 1G0 250-283-9269:
E-Mail: kim@kimpatrickweaver.com


May 30, 2014

Melinda Gates
c/o Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
500 Fifth Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109


Re: Saving Every, Woman Every Child: Within Arms Reach summit

She:kon Melinda (Hello in my language)

I want to preface this message by saying I look for nothing from you or your Foundation. I
ask for nothing. I have all that I need. I have a roof over my head. I have food for today and
tomorrow. I have clean water to drink. I am nobody. I am also a human being living on
Turtle Island. My purpose in writing is to establish some truths about the host and host
country, Canada, for the conference where you recently spoke.

Canada and before that, England, have a long history of oppression and genocidal policies
directed at the Indigenous population. Based on Prime Minister Stephen Harpers
statements at the conference and his pledge of more than 3 billion dollars, one would
believe there are no issues impacting women and children living in what is known as
Canada. This is not the case.

Indigenous women are being murdered and are going missing at alarming rates across
Canada and this has been the case for decades. Indigenous women are 4 times more likely to
be murdered than non- Indigenous women are. The Prime Minister has ignored calls for a
National Inquiry from opposition parties, First Nations, the UN Rapporteur on the UN
Declaration on Indigenous Rights and all the provincial premiers. His response is to
produce tough on crime laws to mete out harsher punishment after the fact of the crime. He
is ignoring the chronic under funding of programs for women and children plus the abject
poverty in many First Nations that are roots causes of violence against women and children.
He is also ignoring the impacts of institutional racism that tacitly approves of non-
Indigenous male violence against Indigenous women. All of this is in spite of a
Constitutional and fiduciary obligation that Canada bears towards First Nations in return
for access to land and resources. The RCMP report 1189 women murdered or missing in
the reporting period.



2
It is also noteworthy that the day before your address to the conference, the Government of
Canada withdrew their Bill C-33 The First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act.
This action was a direct consequence of a motion by the lobby group, the Assembly of First
Nations rejecting the Bill because it did not meet the 5 considerations the Assembly had
said Canada must meet before they could support the legislation.

In addition to withdrawing the legislation, Canada also withdrew funding of 1.9 Billion
dollars to close a chronic funding gap between Indigenous children and non-Indigenous
children for schooling. In 1996 Canada imposed a 2.5% cap on funding of these schools on
reserve while the Indigenous population is the fastest growing demographic within what is
called Canada. The government of Canada is taking punitive action against the Indigenous
People by cutting funding to successful education programs currently in place. Education is
a Treaty issue and these actions are all violations of the Treaty relationship between Canada
and First Nations.

An examination of government legislation since 2006 will reveal a deliberate and focused
plan through both overt legislative means and covert actions to remove Indians from the
landscape of Turtle Island where we have lived for thousands of years. This we call the
Harper Termination Plan. Bill C-33 was part of this plan and inaction on murdered and
missing women is part of this plan. Women and children are who will sustain our people,
language and cultures.

I know you cannot interfere in the operations of a sovereign entity like Canada. I am not
asking for that. As stated, I ask for nothing. I am simply offering these Truths with the hope
that you will reflect on them and consider the context and even the money source for the
magnanimity of Mr. Harpers pledge.

Below are useful links that validate my Truths.


Nya:wen Kwa
:nen ki' whi


Kim Weaver
Turtle Clan
Kanyenkeh:ka



3
UN Report 2014
http://unsr.jamesanaya.org/country-reports/the-situation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-
canada

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf

Bill C-33
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=
6532106

Analysis of Bill C-33
http://www.scribd.com/doc/220693998/An-Analysis-of-the-AFN-s-Analysis-of-the-
Education-Act

Thesis of Maryanne Pearce on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls
http://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/en/handle/10393/26299

RCMP Report
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/mmaw-faapd-eng.htm

You might also like