International Human Rights Day

The author of Midnight Sweatlodge, Waubgeshig Rice, spoke about Canadian First Nations, the Media and Human Rights at Lisgar Collegiate Institute to help mark International Human Rights Day. In highlighting the role of "digital smoke signals" he pointed to increasing frustration with unresponsiveness of the Federal Government especially with regard to complaints about Bill C-45 and how talking about how social media is helping to mobilize opposition. He made specific reference to #IdleNoMore on Twitter.

Interestingly, many of issues mentioned in his IHRD discussion are also mentioned in his short novel, Midnight Sweatlodge where stories touching upon every issue from substance abuse and traditional healing to land rights and political corruption emerge from the sweatlodge.