Last Updated on April 11, 2025
This summer the Supreme Court of Canada made a historic ruling that the Tsilhqot’in Indigenous nation in British Columbia holds Aboriginal title to its traditional territory and ensures that First Nations with title have decision-making power. If this court decision can be implemented on the ground, it offers a chance to create a radically more just country. But the Harper government is denying this new reality: in order to push through their tar sands pipelines and resource extraction projects, they are trying instead to accelerate the elimination of Aboriginal rights. In response to the Tsilhqot’in decision, Harper has quietly introduced a newly revised policy to undermine and negate the Indigenous land rights that stand in the way of his agenda.
We can’t let this happen. Honouring Indigenous jurisdiction would not just pay off Canada’s enormous legal and moral debt to First Nations: it is also our best chance to save entire territories from endless extraction and environmental destruction. Canada can seize the opportunity at this historic crossroad, but only if we build massive pressure on the Canadian government to finally recognize and affirm Aboriginal title.
Join Defenders of the Land and Idle No More in putting forward 4 demands to challenge the current land claims reform process:
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief