Last January, KAIROS released its wish list for the year -- 10-plus-one hopes for the federal government and the provinces to fulfill. Two of these were realized: the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was launched and a national, rising price on carbon that integrates with provincial carbon pricing mechanisms was announced.

Marilyn McSporran couldn't forget the moment years ago when one of her husband's colleagues in the RCMP made an ugly remark about Indigenous peoples. When an Elder in Saddle Lake, Alberta gently encouraged her to introduce the KAIROS Blanket Exercise to the RCMP, McSporran decided to pick up the phone.

She never anticipated that one call to Inspector Honey Dwyer would swiftly lead to the Blanket Exercise becoming part of the RCMP's Alberta Division's mandatory Indigenous cultural training for all officers and employees in the province.

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is a participatory telling of Canada's history from the point of view of Indigenous peoples. 2017 marks 20 years since its creation.

Despite notable advances in addressing violence against women, a culture of gender-based violence remains pervasive in North America and throughout the world. The recent U.S. election campaign exposed this violence and blatant misogyny both in political discourse and in the behaviour and response of the electorate.

Nine years ago today, on September 13, 2007, the United Nations took an important step towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples when the General Assembly voted 144-4 to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. While 11 countries abstained, four countries voted against the Declaration: Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia.

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"Berta Caceres had three qualities that made her such a powerful advocate and activist for her people and for the environment. She was Indigenous, a woman and a feminist."

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Despite the parallels between the history of colonization in North, Central and South America, if you ask Latin American expats what they know about Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Indian Residential Schools, most will answer "not much."

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National Aboriginal Day was first proclaimed by Governor General Roméo LeBlanc in 1996 to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.

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This April 22 will be unlike any previous Earth Day. World leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau, will gather at the UN in New York to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change. This is good news because the agreement is a commitment to hold the increase in global temperatures to "well below 2.0 C above pre-industrial levels" and promises efforts to limit the rise to 1.5 C.

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If we give them a chance, kids can help end racism against Indigenous people in Canada. And the best chance we can give them is through the schools.