Trick or Treaty? The Fight for Justice A film by Alanis Obomsawin

Free public screening followed by a Q &A with Alanis Obomsawin and John S. Long, author of Treaty No. 9

River Building Theatre 2200, Carleton University

Paid parking is available in the River Building parkade, or nearby in Lot 2

Trick or Treaty? The Fight for Justice is a feature documentary by the acclaimed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin. It profiles Indigenous leaders in their quest for justice as they seek to establish dialogue with the Canadian government. By tracing the history of their ancestors since the signing of Treaty No. 9, these leaders seek to raise awareness about issues vital to First Nations: respect for and protection of their lands and natural resources, and the right to hunt and fish. In recent years, an awareness-raising movement has been surfacing in First Nations communities. In this powerful documentary, those who refuse to surrender are given a chance to speak out.

Alanis Obomsawin is a member of the Abenaki First Nation and one of Canada’s most eminent documentary filmmakers. She has directed over forty films with the National Film Board of Canada, focusing on the lives and concerns of First Nations people. Obomsawin was named to the Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame in 2010.

John S. Long is professor emeritus in the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University. He is author of Treaty No. 9: Making the Agreement to Share the Land in Far Northern Ontario in 1905 (2010), and numerous other studies and scholarly articles on cultural encounter in the James Bay area. Treaty No. 9 was recognized by the Ontario History Society with the 2010 Fred Landon Book Prize, honouring the best book on regional history in Ontario.

This event is part of the Canadian Film Institute’s “The Enlightened Screen” series, and is presented in collaboration with CUAG, the Centre for Indigenous Research, Culture, Language and Education, the History Department, and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa.