Who is Charlene Desrochers?

Good Evening Everyone

I thought I would introduce myself so that you know who I am as you read my blogs.  I am a Cree/French woman and member of Constance Lake First Nation in northern Ontario.  I am also a single mom of three wonderful children, ages 13, 14 and 20.  I grew up in Longlac in northern Ontario.

I am a Status Indian under section 6(2) of the Indian Act and my children are non-status Indians.  However, these are terms that the Department of Indian Affairs (Indian Affairs) uses to define who I am as well as my children.  I do not define myself according to the Indian Act and find it insulting that, in 2010, Indian Affairs is still adamant about telling me who I am.  I know who I am! 

The Indian Act was created as an Apartheid regime that South Africa emulated.  The people of South Africa fought for 40 years to bring down Apartheid and the Indian Act Apartheid regime in Canada has been in existence for over 150 years.  First Nations people should seriously consider bringing down Apartheid in Canada.   It is a repulsive and discriminatory piece of legislation that oppresses the people and perpetuates the cycle of poverty in our communities.

I am a Registered Nurse and Lawyer. I received my law degree from the University of Ottawa and a Masters of Law in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona.  I am also a Fulbright Scholar. 

Most of my nursing career was spent in 14 First Nations communities in northern Ontario.  I did work for a period at Anishnawbe Health Toronto and saw firsthand the experiences of life in the city for urban Aboriginal people, including the homeless.  While nursing in these communities, I witnessed the intergenerational impacts of residential school, such as alcohol and drug addictions, child apprehensions by CAS, domestic violence, and crime, etc.  I also experienced the joy of feasts and community celebrations.  Despite hard lives and poverty, First Nations people managed to retain a sense of humour and that humour is often expressed during those community celebrations.  There is no humour like that of Aboriginal peoples.    

After law school and graduate school, I focussed my career on Aboriginal law and policy. I have my own law practice where I provide legal services to First Nations and their citizens on a variety of issues.  I have previously worked for National Aboriginal Organizations, like the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP,) and I did a short stint at the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada.  Life in these three organizations was not what I expected so I started my own law practice.  I am enjoying it. 

Life inside the AFN, CAP, and Health Canada has made me rethink my loyalty to the Aboriginal elite leaders who claim to represent our interests.  I saw loads of self-interest and the outright ignorance of the interests and basic human rights of First Nations people.   Don’t get me wrong.  There were some good people working inside these organizations and I do not regret working for these organizations at all. I got to see firsthand how Aboriginal policy is actually developed. It is time for change and only the grassroots people can make that change happen.  If the grassroots people do not start speaking up, nothing will change. 

My blogs will contain information about the Aboriginal elite leaders, the political parties, and the Department of Indian Affairs, and possibly leadership at the grassroots level if the issue arises.  My loyalty is to the grassroots people who do not have a voice.  You have a right to speak and should not be silenced by anyone. I am hoping that by speaking out, many grassroots people will follow suit and do the same, and that we can create that change together.

I hope you learn from my blogs!