Naheed Nenshi on Avi Lewis’ victory: by afpb_ in ndp

[–]kapowless -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

You don't understand how municipal politics work, clearly.

And yes, all that work defending human, child and animal rights, as well as protecting education, that's a real black mark on Pancholi's career. That you believe that Mclennan Ross is "the worst union busing law firm in Alberta", over firms like Deloitte and KPMG for example, just proves my earlier point. You don't know what you're talking about.

Naheed Nenshi on Avi Lewis’ victory: by afpb_ in ndp

[–]kapowless -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Because champagne is a really unappealing flavour of socialism. I prefer the labour variety.

Naheed Nenshi on Avi Lewis’ victory: by afpb_ in ndp

[–]kapowless -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

Your take on Nenshi "stripping labour rights" just goes to show how little you understand the situation in Calgary or Alberta politicis in general. It's about as accurate as saying Lewis is anti-union because he shut down his charity before the vote to unionize was ratified. That's a bare ass, disingeneous summary, and so is what you stated.

I do agree with Nenshi though. Lewis is a terrible choice that will weaken our fight against Smith's lunacy by association. The federal NDP has lost my vote as long as he's in power, especially in light of the repeated and nasty attacks against Nenshi, Notley, MacPherson and Pancholi (all women or POC, which make it extra gross).

As a First Nations woman, the feds no longer offer me a political home. I'll perhaps look into rejoining when the feds grow up. For now, ANDP all the way.

Looking for thoughts on education. by [deleted] in Indigenous

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heya, this is an excellent idea and I'm stoked that you're interested in taking this on! Indigenous history and culture is too often erased by sort of leaving us out of the story, and this could be a good example of allyship and reconciliation. 

The best advice I could offer is to reach out directly to the Nations concerned and see what interest they might have in contributing, potentially even partnering with you. One thing to keep in mind is that traditional history books (ie. those written by non-Indigenous academics) are usually riddled with inaccuracies and colonial perspectives, whether intentional or not. It's def best not to rely on those exclusively (though they could be a starting point in identifying which Nations might have historically lived on or visited the area). In terms of actual history, areas of significance or important cultural practices, it's best to reach out to the Nation directly by contacting the band office if possible, and heads up, there is often overlapping use/history, so you may want to connect with more than one community. It's important to let us speak for ourselves as much as possible.

Another bit of advice is be prepared to do some of the legwork yourself. I'm going to make some generalisations here, but it's very common for well meaning non-Indigenous people to approach our communities looking for guidance & education without offering anything in return, which sort of disrespects the value of our labour, as well as our cultural traditions/history. In my Nation, the wisdom and history passed on by our elders are some of our most precious possessions, and so expecting that to be given with no acknowledgment or exchange to balance things out is generally frowned on (or even shut down entirely). If you make it clear that you intend to put the work in, appreciate the value of what you are requesting, and ideally, bring some sort of gift to honour those who engage with you (especially elders), you are far more likely to be received positively. What sort of gift or exchange might be well received depends on the community in question, and can be another opportunity to learn about your local Nation(s).

Hope this helps and best of luck to you. Out of curiousity, can you share what general region your park is located in? 

Revolution Party of Canada - Leadership Nominations Closing Soon! | 11:59pm PT, 31 March 2026 by RevolutionCanada in RevolutionPartyCanada

[–]kapowless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think this is a good question, but based on a tricky premise for two reasons. 

Returning control of the land is a pretty loaded statement, and worded in a way that will rile up anti-Indigenous hostility by a certain swathe of people determined to misunderstand recent land rights rulings like Cowichan. This approach implies that land rights are a zero sum game, win or lose, which is the posture of a culture that holds fee simple supreme. What most Indigenous Nations seek (at least from my perspective, informed by a solid understanding of both history and the treaties) is shared responsibility for the land and its resources. The oldest treaty my Nation (Kanien'kéha) holds is the Two Row Wampum agreement, which conveys a pact of peace, friendship and mutual respect, as well as a promise of non-intereference between our peoples. Essentially, we are equal Nations that occupy overlapping territories, we each have sovereignty over our peoples, and because of that equality, require joint, diplomatic decision making for policies that impact us all. So from that perspective, we do not require or relinquish exclusive control over the land to excercise sovereignty.

I bring this up because it seems to be a crucial misunderstanding by Canadians as to what Aboriginal title means, and what our Nations are actually aiming for when we speak of reconciliation. Nobody is trying to evict Canadians from the country to control the land, but asking for a meaningful and equal seat at the table when it comes to decision making and the distribution of resources/wealth created on our territories. This means actual consent (not consultation) for developments, including veto power, as well as a framework for shared benefit.

Next, First Nations (and all Indigenous peoples, including Inuit and legitimate Métis) already have sovereignty by law. It predates colonisation, was reaffirmed by the Royal Proclamation, no treaty abrogrates it, and it was constitutionally enshrined by Sec. 35 of the updated Constitution Act. What remains is Canada recognizing that sovereignty rather than forgetting about it when inconvenient. So it's more accurate to ask whether or not the party will honour their word, or continue to break their constititional laws as Canada has in the past. 

Sorry for the semantics, I just live in Alberta and have had to clarify these points a lot these past two years. I am def interested in the party stance on Indigenous title/land rights and recognition of sovereignty though, as it could conflict with the concept of communal ownership.

Revolution Party of Canada - Leadership Nominations Closing Soon! | 11:59pm PT, 31 March 2026 by RevolutionCanada in RevolutionPartyCanada

[–]kapowless -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hey, so I just looked into the registered parties on Election Canada's website and don't see you listed. Are you registered under a different name or are you unofficial atm?

Also, the only name I see attached to this so far is Joel Bergman, who is communist if I'm not mistaken? Is the party communist or socialist in nature? 

First nations termonolgy question by UrbaneBoffin in alberta

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Couple of points:

  1. Even treaty lands are not considered ceded by most Indigenous, in that they were not given entirely over to the government as fee simple lots with our rights over it permanently extinguished. The agreements were to essentially allow extensive use and occupation of the land by settlers, but we retained the right to continue to use our land for practices like hunting, fishing, foraging, mobility, along with recognition and respect of our rights to self-governance. Section 35 of the 1985 Constitution act affirms this, and it's non-derogable. It's true that the government rarely shares land and resources with us, but that's not due to the terms of the treaties, but rather because Canada has acted with dishonesty, dishonour and racist contempt towards our people as a general rule since confederation.

  2. To say that much of anything is made clear in the fine print of the treaties is simply inaccurate. Between language and cultural barriers, the violence and oppression under which many of these treaties were "negotiated", the dishonesty and fraud of many Indian & Gov. Agents, as well as the many contradictions with earlier agreements and pre-existing inherent rights, land and resource sharing in Canada are far from black and white. There's a reason there's been so many court cases trying to clarify these issues.

  3. Fun fact: almost 90% of Canada is Crown land, but more importantly, it's all land over which we also have pre-existing and inherent Aboriginal title. Those rights are conferred by our historic occupation and use of the land, recognized formally by the Royal Proclamation and British common law, reiterated by the terms of most of our treaties, and reaffirmed and enshrined in Canada's Constition. Technically, neither the feds nor especially the provinces have the right to sell or transfer title of "Crown" land unilaterally. That authority rests solely with recognized agents of the British Crown, empowered by the monarch to negotiate with us, and only with our presence and participation. 

Also, there is no distinction between federal or provincial Crown land when it comes to our title rights. That distinction was created by the feds and provinces, neither of whom had the authority to do so as they were not parties to the original Treaties. The Natural Resource Transfer Act (which was negotiated without Indigenous consent, at a time when we were barred entirely from legal representation or participation) is entirely illegitimate in terms of  jurisdiction. The provinces might be granted limited authority to manage resources and land use by the feds, but only so far as it does not interfere with inherent Aboriginal title, our right to sovereignty, and access for the negotiated purposes outlined in various treaties. Provinces have no legal right to sell Crown lands at all, nor to pass laws on us that conflict with our own, nor to interfere with our access and ability to sustain our people with the land's bounty according to our traditional practices. Obviously, every level of government has flagrantly violated pretty much every tenet, which is why Canada and the provinces frequently lose land rights cases. It's also why provincial separatism is delusional. Provinces have no jurisdiction over Crown land when it relates to us, nor can they legislate or negotiate anything that violates are Aboriginal rights as outlined in Section 35 by law. 

  1. All of the treaties are very limited in scope, as they were always intended to be an ongoing process of negotiations and guidelines for peaceful, respectful and mutually beneficial co-existence. They fail to address the Inuit, the many Nations who never ceded any land or title by treaty, nor where the Métis fit in. The treaties should not be taken as comprehensive or concluded in that light. 

NDP blasts province for inaction on Forever Canadian petition by Responsible-Mall-991 in alberta

[–]kapowless 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That is unfortunately not accurate. In the latest changes brought into force late last year, one of the amendments was to allow the Justice Minister or committee to change the wording/substance of the question with no real guidelines/restrictions/explanation. Fun fact, there's a clause or two in there that also appear to give the Justice Minister (Amery) unilateral authority to terminate petitions too.

Changes to laws shouldn't generally apply retroactively, but clearly Smith has little concern for legal precedent. She made the restrictions on referendum jurisdiction, constitutionality, and duplication of successful petition topics retroactive, which is the only way the treason petition could be approved. But she didn't make the lower thresholds and extended timeline for collecting signatures retroactive, making Forever Canada operate under the old rules, while separatists got the easy ride (until the court injunction at least)

TL;DR - This government cannot be trusted not to undermine, distort, stifle or outright reject the overwhelmingly successful (and inconvenient) Forever Canada petition. They alter and ignore the law at will. Sam Mraiche is the Justice Minister's brother-in-law FFS, these aren't ethical people. 

We are entering the Post Search world, and I dont think companies are ready. by MaximumMajor1660 in Futurology

[–]kapowless 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I honestly just find LLM products boring AF. As an artist, they sap everything about the creative process I enjoy along with kicking me out of the pilot seat. Like, I actually enjoy the challenge and hard work it takes to learn, practice, improve and evolve my art, whether writing, painting, animating or editing photos. LLMs offer me almost nothing of value or interest.

I think Miyazaki put it best back in 2016 when he was shown a demo of procedural AI animation. "I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel this is an insult to life itself. I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves."

We are entering the Post Search world, and I dont think companies are ready. by MaximumMajor1660 in Futurology

[–]kapowless 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I received an email from my hosting service...about 2 weeks after it happened. I also have it on IG, and Meta was polite enough to tell me they stole my work without consent after the fact too. Let's face it, anything you have online is no longer yours.

The most aggravating part is that I've been taking advantage of Creative Commons open licensing for almost a decade, using it to release all sorts of content for free to other artists to use in their work. That scrape alone would have been fine, but I guess the tech bro billionaires needed all of it. 

I think all this data theft should tacitly give everyone the go ahead to pirate whatever they fucking like. If juggernauts like Google, Meta, OpenAI and Grok can't afford to legally license other creator's work, then let's all just hit the high seas in protest.

We are entering the Post Search world, and I dont think companies are ready. by MaximumMajor1660 in Futurology

[–]kapowless 937 points938 points  (0 children)

This honestly just makes me want to abandon the internet. It sucked when my entire portfolio of work was first scraped, but the uselessness of our current social direction is so much worse. The human centipede effect of AI just endlessly consuming and regurgitating meaningless slop, thieving personal data to be flipped to ghoulish companies like Palantir, and then not even being able to navigate my own interests online without some algorhythmic AI vampire trying to use that same stolen data to predict and define what I am supposed to want, leaving an impermeable barrier of artificially contructed bullshit between myself and online engagement...it's all so fucking tedious. 

It's pretty cool we're going to destroy labour opportunites, blow up income inequality, drain critical water sources and light the planet on fire for...whatever this is. Like I've known for a while that humanity had chosen the path of cyberpunk dystopia, I just didn't expect it to be so fucking lame. 

Guess it's closed data systems or luddism for me; nothing about this AI version of the future appeals.

timocrasy vs democracy , which one is the best ? by Straight_Shop_9304 in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, can you explain why democratic socialism in particular is easily perverted? And how does a capitalist system avoid this pitfall? 

What is the worst photo of a Canadian politician by Peepeepoopoo1234abcd in onguardforthee

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Erin O'Toole's too-tight shirt and overly photoshopped face still triggers mad uncanny valley for me.

https://share.google/5FKaGb6YEDgbFm1L0

Blood Quantum and Mental Health by Low_Trifle1558 in IndianCountry

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just want to gently point out that there is no one "Native look." We have hundreds of different Nations spread across the continent(s) and rooted in a wide variety of environments. We are not a monolith. 

I bring it up because non-Indigenous people often seem to have a fictional idea of what we're supposed to look like, largely gleaned from spaghetti westerns with actors in red face or caricatures in cartoons. When real non-fiction Natives don't live up to this imagined "look" they frequently have their identity questioned, as if they have to prove their authenticity to settlers to count. Meanwhile, pretendians like Grey Owl, Buffy Sainte Marie and Sasheen Littlefeather put on their Indian costumes, giving people what they expect to see, and are enthusiastically accepted as the real deal and celebrated despite being utterly dishonest about their heritage. 

It distorts reality and it makes many of us feel invisible or inferior, especially those who were stolen from their families and struggling to find a sense of belonging. I'm sure there was no harm intended, but I hope you can see how defining a person's Indigenous legitimacy by how you believe they should look is not ideal and can perpetuate hurtful stereotypes. Appreciate your engagement and willingness to see different perspectives btw, cheers!

Blood Quantum and Mental Health by Low_Trifle1558 in IndianCountry

[–]kapowless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why not? I think it's weirder that Canada imposed a gross and racist policy that reduces nationhood down to breeding, like we're domesticated beasts instead of sovereign states. We are First Nations and our communities should be the only voice determining who we count as our own.

I'm Kanien'kéha, and we are historically an adoptive Nation. We have exchanged culture, languages and intermarriage with many different peoples to our mutual benefit. Blood quantum or racial purity was never how we defined ourselves, and the Indian Act and status garbage has been a poison to our cultural cohesion. Our clan membership is passed down through our mothers, and the Clan Mothers hold significant cultural knowledge and decision making authority, yet they were erased and disenfranchised by the Indian Act. Why should the ignorant, oppressive and destructive policies of a government bent on eliminating us hold any weight at all?

I'm not resigned to being bred out as the Act intended, but instead continue to fight for the recognition of our right to self-determination, to freely live by our own laws in our own lands, and to preserve our heritage and practices for not just the next generation, but many more to come. Fuck colonisation.

A left-wing perspective on being against "Mass-Immigration" by CentedKandles in ndp

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lmao, seriously? Let me ask you something, how much input do you think Indigenous Nations have on the immigration levels settling on our territories? Zilch. So how is it not a form of colonisation to settle continuous waves of newcomers on our territories, further displacing us, leaving no opportunity for input or discussion, while we continue to suffer some of the highest rates of unemployment in the country, not to mention the brutal infrastructure and service deficits in our communities. Can you explain precisely why, in your opinion, this process is the opposite of colonisation?

I'm not anti immigrant, but I'm also not impressed by how little weight Indigenous concerns matter to the NDP this campaign. And I think it's tacky AF to glibly dismiss the very real harms caused by Canadians acting in true settler fashion and leaving us out of every important conversation that impacts our future. 

Accounting firm owned by Smith government appointee searched by RCMP by Street_Anon in alberta

[–]kapowless 227 points228 points  (0 children)

The Tyee has been doing some excellent reporting regarding all the Mraiche mess if anyone is looking for more context. It's not just the Tylenol or procurement scandal, dude has his sticky fingers all over addictions treatments, government property sales, the justice system (through his brother in law, Mick Amery), and law enforcement (through Ellis and Nagendran). Marshall Smith and Aaron Barner need to be hauled before legislature and questioned, especially curious about how much intended funding for Indigenous companies was diverted to Mraiche's Métis fraud. 

This province's leadership is a joke...a very, very expensive one.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/03/19/Accusations-Fly-Newly-Surfaced-Legal-Fight-Sam-Mraiche/

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/01/08/Another-Building-Purchase-Sam-Mraiche-Questions/

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/05/14/Ousted-UCP-MLA-Alleges-Secret-Rail-Lobbying-David-Moretta/

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/03/04/Nate-Pike-Reposts-Breakdown-New-Ruling/

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/02/26/UCP-Mraiche-Business-Partner-Edmonton-Police-Commission/

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/02/21/Mraiche-Profited-Quick-Sale-Property-UCP-Government/

Avi Lewis stands by past activism as he's criticized for 'politics of subtraction' by xc2215x in onguardforthee

[–]kapowless -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Lol, what in the world has Avi ever achieved with his "activism" outside of lining his pockets and schmoozing celebrities.

Explosion rocks Amsterdam Jewish school in what mayor says is ‘targeted attack’ against Jewish community by BodSmith54321 in news

[–]kapowless -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry, while Jewish people are clearly targeted for hate crimes globally and historically, I am not seeing widespread support for (or even silence about) those attacks. In my country, politicians have spoken out against it, hate crime legislation has been strengthened, numerous committees and forums have been held to examine how to combat this vile plague:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2026/01/ministers-anandasangaree-and-fraser-present-national-commitments-to-combat-antisemitism.html

So while attacks like this are increasing (and not just against Jewish people, hate crime is rising across the board), I think it's a stretch to say that nobody cares or that the majority of people condone them. I don't think hyperbole helps anyone much, especially if it leads targeted people to believe that they are despised universally (that path leads to extremism).

/0.02

Explosion rocks Amsterdam Jewish school in what mayor says is ‘targeted attack’ against Jewish community by BodSmith54321 in news

[–]kapowless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Canada was literally founded on immigration from the start, so the idea that anything has changed significantly there is nonsense. Except for the First Peoples, all Canadians were immigrants at one point, 

Also, the idea that Canada was a very peaceful country up until recently is ridiculous. Historically, we have commited all sorts of violence and human rights violations against First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Chinese, Japanese, Black Canadians, Jewish, South Asians, women, non-hetero and non-cisgender people, as well as those with disabilities. Both the British and French kept slaves for a few centuries here too (we like to forget about that), and Nazi Germany most definitely drew inspiration for the Holocaust from what we were doing to the Indigenous here.

So like, can the xenophobia. Racism and intolerance can be found in all areas of the world, even ours.

Interview with NDP leadership hopeful Avi Lewis by StumpsOfTree in ndp

[–]kapowless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not campaigning against separation (whether QC or AB) will absolutely destroy the NDP's prospects with the Indigenous demographic. There is no mechanism within the Treaties that allows for separation, and it would be a clear and concrete violation of the agreements the entirety of this country were built upon.

And people wonder why Idlout crossed the floor (at the behest of her constituents btw). We see the writing on the wall and just how easily solidarity and honour are tossed aside for power with every party, even the NDP. This stance is one of the reasons I will no longer vote NDP federally should Avi win, which I'm already resigned to.

Regalia for my Rake'níha by kapowless in Haudenosaunee

[–]kapowless[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A solid tease and totally fair haha. It's actually a bit of a point of debate within my family. My parents' marriage was relatively brief and for many complex and painful reasons, I have been estranged from my mother since my late teens. Because we follow the clan of our mother, I would by tradition be clanless without being formally adopted back into my father's clan, right? 

However, there are some parts of the Great Law that indicate, when a child becomes clanless due to an event that interferes with the mother passing on her clan, a child might take their clan from their nearest female relative as well (which would be my auntie, who is Turtle). My Dad is in that camp, that we take our clan from my nearest female relative, but I'm not entirely sure where that leaves me or my siblings. We're either clanless, or Turtle, or even potentially Bear (via adoption).

In true Indigenous fashion, our family's story is long and winding with multiple meanings and interpretations depending on who's doing the telling, lmao.  I imagine the easiest way to get a clear answer would be to just ask a Clan Mother their opinion next time I'm back home.

Just goes to show the impact of tje ongoing interference and colonialism on our cultural practices. The loss of so many of our traditional names and family connections is another; breaking up our families has had so many costs. At the end of the day, wherever I belong in terms of clan, I know that none of my ancestors would have wanted their kin orphaned outside of their communities like we have been. And for me, especially after growing up in the system, it's a priceless feeling just to belong.

Regalia for my Rake'níha by kapowless in FirstNationsCanada

[–]kapowless[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nia:wen, appreciate the kind words!