Alberta Metis to defy provincial hunting restrictions this fall

On September 27th, the Globe and Mail published an article entitled, "Alberta Metis to defy provincial hunting restrictions this fall".
The article addresses Metis right to hunt in Alberta. In 2003, a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that states Metis have the right to hunt and fish for food. However, earlier this year, the government implemented new rules which restrict Metis hunting and fishing to certain areas in the province. Prior to this, Metis could hunt and fish throughout the province without a licence; now they can only hunt near eight Metis settlements and 17 communities in northern Alberta. These restricted areas exclude Metis in southern and central Alberta from having legal hunting and fishing grounds.
The Metis have been trying to persuade Premier Ed Stelmach's government to change the new rules in regards to Metis hunting and fishing. However, they have been unsuccessful and are therefore going to have a traditional Metis hunt this fall on non-government designated areas. They hope this will draw attention to the issue and the government will make changes to the rules.

“Our people are going to go out and do what is traditional — hunt for their families for the winter and for the elders in the communities."

The Supreme Court of Canada in 2003 ruled that Metis have the right to hunt and fish for food. This has been a traditional practice of Metis and has been a way of survival for the people. How can the Alberta restrict this inherent right to certain areas in the province which all Metis do not have access to? If they have the right to hunt and fish for food, it should be in areas where they can access, and on traditional hunting grounds.
When First Nations and Europeans signed treaties, one of the many agreements was to allow for hunting and fishing for First Nation survival. The Metis claim the same constitutional rights as First Nations status Indians. Therefore, my understanding is that Metis should not be restricted to certain areas to hunt.

Free Knowledge Day

On Thursday, September 20, a Free Knowledge Day was held at the university. There were workshops throughout the day where anyone could stop by and listen to individuals speak on a variety of issues/organizations, etc. There were also booths set up around the room where you could get information and speak to the presenters.
I attended the workshop "Indy Media" which was presented by Patricia Elliott and the editor of the magazine, The Briarpatch, Dave Oswald Mitchell. The two spoke about the definition of indy media and the presence of it in Saskatchewan. They showed the website: Act up in Sask, which is a website that any individual can submit articles. The website is a place to provide the public with news that is not the typical right/pro business perspective of the province's daily newspapers.
It was interesting to hear that there is an outlet for indy media in Saskatchewan and that anyone is able to contribute to the website. It is great that individuals are able to get news and information that is not only from one perspective. The Free Knowledge Day was an effective way to spread the word of indy media to more individuals, in particular the Act up in Sask website & the Briarpatch magazine.
I will definitely be passing on the word about the website and the magazine to my friends and all of you! Check out the Act up in Sask website, and the Briarpatch magazine website.

"Ontario leaders spar over religious education"

The Globe and Mail article, "Ontario leaders spar over religious eduction" discusses each of the Liberal, Conservative, and NDP leaders of Ontario views on public funding for faith-based schools. As I tried to wrap my head around what stand point each politician had in regards to this issue, I found myself getting rather confused. (In comes my statement made in the "about me" section... I know little current events, and even less about Canadian politics.)
This is what I got from the article:
The Liberal leader, Dalton McGuinty, believes that the public should only have to fund the public schools, and this should be the focus of the provincial government. "I want to make publicly-funded education so excellent, so irresistible, that all those kids that find themselves in our private schools today will say, 'I want to go to a public school,"' he said. "My Catholicism, my private faith, does not determine my position."
The Conservative leader, John Tory, has a plan to increase funding for the school systems, which would include both public and faith-based schools.
The NDP leader, Howard Hampton, believes that both the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives don't want to address underfunding of the schooling system and have therefore focused on the issue of faith-based schools. Hampton states that giving all children "the education they deserve" is the fourth plank of the NDP platform.

Later in the article, a statement is made about bringing the 53,000 children who are taught at faith-based schools into the public system, and how this will ensure all Ontario children receive the same standard of education. I believe the person making this comment is John Tory; however this is what confuses me, my understanding from his previous statements in the article is that the increase in funding for public schools would be separate from any funding of faith-based schools. So are the Conservatives planning on combining the two school systems, or are they just giving more funding to both?

My opinion:
Politicians should be less worried about arguing over who is right or wrong, but about educating all children and giving everyone an equal opportunity to an education. Funding for schools should be a high priority for politicians as schools socialize our Canadian youth.
In regards to public funding to public and faith-based schools; I believe that a good education should be for all children regardless of any sort of religious differences they may have. I am not personally religious; therefore, I tend to lean to having a school system that is only public with no faith-based schools. However, if parents want their children to go to a certain school, they should have that right.

So in conclusion, someone should help me out with this article... what exactly is each political leaders standpoint in regards to funding for public and faith-based schools?
Maybe once I understand the issues and viewpoints better, I can form a stronger opinion on my own...