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US cancels oil exploration permits on sacred indigenous lands
US officials are cancelling 15 oil and gas leases on sacred Blackfoot territory in Montana.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the area should not have been leased to begin with — and says the lease cancellations set the right tone for how business should be done in the future.
Officials said the leases were issued to Devon Energy over 30 years ago without consultations with tribal leaders.
Devon Energy said it cooperated with the lease cancellation, saying it was the right thing to do.

Indigenous communities health issues multi-faceted
Canada’s Health Minister says the health issues facing indigenous communities are not only because of a lack of funding.
Minister Jane Philpott says colonialism, racism and intergenerational trauma are all connected to the health issues facing First Nations people in Canada.
Phlpott said while recent investment the Liberals are providing for improving facilities — it is just a drop in the bucket.

Indigenous must help fight climate change
A Manitoba chief says indigenous voices are crucial to fight climate change.
Kevin Hart of the Assembly of First Nations was speaking at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Morrocco and says the phenomenon disproportionately affects indigenous people, even though they contribute to it the least.
Hart said governments need to consult with First Nations and work together as allies to battle climate change.

Calls for inquiry into Val d’Or sex assault case
The Quebec government must launch a public inquiry into allegations of police assault against indigenous women in northern Quebec.
Although no official word has been given about the charges, media across the country are reporting none will be laid against the SQ in the alleged sexual assault  cases of indigenous women near Val d’Or.
The head of Quebecs indigenous friendship centres says if Premiere Phillipe Couillard doesn’t call an inquiry he will be an accomplice in the alleged crimes.