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The Supreme Court of Canada is to begin hearings Monday in an appeal that could force lawmakers across the country to give First Nations a role in drafting legislation that affects treaty rights.
The Mikisew Cree First Nation in northern Alberta is seeking judicial review of changes made under the previous Harper government to the Fisheries Act, the Species At Risk Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The First Nation argues that because the changes were likely to affect its treaty rights, the government had a constitutional duty to consult before making them.
Ottawa says allowing the appeal would be a far-reaching intrusion by one branch of government into the work of another and that it is “not the courts’ role to impose restrictions or fetters on the law-making process of Parliament.

Health officials say five more dogs have tested positive for a strain of canine influenza in southwestern Ontario, bringing the total number of infected up to seven.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says the two dogs that initially tested positive for H3N2 canine flu were brought to Canada from South Korea through the United States late last month.
It says the five dogs that most recently tested positive for the virus were in “close contact” with the first two.
They say there is no known human risk from the virus, but say it could mix with this year’s human seasonal influenza viruses.

The few remaining Sears Canada stores closed their doors for good on Sunday.
The longtime staple of Canada’s retail landscape declared bankruptcy last year and announced in the fall that it would liquidate its remaining stores, leaving 15,000 people out of work.
Sales began in October, and only a fraction of the retailer’s locations across Canada remained open.
Sears Canada’s closure follows in the footsteps of other big-box retailers in Canada, including Target and Zellers.

A federal initiative to attract more Indigenous health researchers to the field is up and running in Ontario.
Western University says the Indigenous Mentorship Network Program of Ontario officially launched on Thursday.
Western will serve as the hub for the network, which is made up of 13 of the province’s post-secondary institutions and about 70 researchers, more than half of whom are Indigenous.
The program is one of eight such initiatives being launched across Canada after the Canadian Institutes of Health Research committed to spend $8 million on a nation-wide network last year.

A Cape Breton mayor wants the island’s traditional Mi’kmaq name added to the iconic sign welcoming visitors to the island.
Mayor Brenda Chisholm Beaton of Port Hawkesbury has drafted a letter to Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil asking for the change.
The traditional name loosely translates to “Land of Fog.”
Chisholm Beaton says the small token would show that First Nations are respected _ the island has five Mi’kmaq communities with about 7,500 people.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada says it was “shocked” and “outraged” to learn that the national inquiry lost its executive director just a few months after she stepped into the role.
The federally funded commission confirmed Thursday that Debbie Reid quit her post as executive director, but declined to comment further on a personnel matter.
In a statement, the commission thanked Reid for her contributions and insisted its work would not be disrupted by the ensuing transition, which will see director of operations Calvin Wong step in as interim executive director.
Reid, a former special adviser to the Assembly of First Nations, took over from Michele Moreau in the role of executive director last October.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett says she’s worried ongoing turnover at the commission will “distract from the work at hand” but insists its independence is crucial and that the government won’t interfere.