Aug 05, 2008 — A number of communities across the North Country and New England are celebrating the contributions of French-speaking immigrants from Quebec to the cultural life of the region this summer. Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, The Vermont Folklife Center and the RISCA Folk Arts Program are hosting a Franco-American Homecoming this month in Plattsburgh and Tupper Lake. The events will include Quebecois music, art and food. Todd Moe talks with TAUNY Executive Director Jill Breit about the cultural exchange project.  Go to full article

Jul 14, 2008 — There's a new agreement that says the Great Lakes water has to stay in the Great Lakes. It's been approved now by all eight of the states and the two Canadian provinces that border the Lakes. Rick Pluta reports the agreement is now on its way to Congress.  Go to full article

May 28, 2008 — Getting the right material is just one of many challenges in making art. Sometimes that takes more effort than usual! For two years now, Ottawa Correspondent Lucy Martin has found the Inuit Artists' Shop "Arts Alive" event a great way to meet artists from across the Canadian Arctic. The day of courtyard demonstrations lets the public see how the art is made and satisfy curiosity about life and art in the far north. Here's stone carver Mattiusi Iyaituk in a conversation with a visitor from British Columbia, at last April's event.  Go to full article

Jan 29, 2008 — The ensemble, Tidal Wave, anchors a three-day North Country Heritage Festival this weekend in Plattsburgh and Saranac. Sponsored by Hill and Hollow Music, the event includes music, dancing and French food. Tidal Wave's music is full of movement and drive, and rooted in Quebecois traditions. The musicians hail form both Quebec and New England. Todd Moe talks with pianist Rachel Aucoin about her musical career, during which she met her future husband, accordionist Sabin Jacques.  Go to full article

Nov 12, 2007 — North Country Public Radio has been looking at the impact of massive hydro drams on the Cree Indians of northern Quebec. But construction of those dams is only the latest collision between the Cree and the outside world. In the course of a single lifetime, the Cree peopple have made a remarkable -- and sometimes painful -- transition. They've moved from a traditional, nomadic lifestyle to full engagement with modern culture and technology. Until the 1970s, native children in Canada were forcibly removed from their villages and their families. They were placed in residential boarding schools, where they were punished for speaking their native languages or practicing their people's religions. Thousands of children were physically and sexually abused. Thomas Jolly made this journey and has come full circle. He grew up in the bush, moved south to live in Canada's cities, and then returned to the remote Cree community of Nemaska. Jolly, who works now as an economic development planner, told his story to Brian Mann.  Go to full article

Nov 08, 2007 — Beginning today, North Country Public Radio will air a series of special reports about a part of the world that feels very remote: the Cree Indian territory in northern Canada.

Back in the 1990s, New York's then-governor, Mario Cuomo, canceled a $15 billion deal to buy hydroelectric power from Quebec. That move effectively killed a project that would have built a network of dams and reservoirs along the Great Whale River, near James Bay. That was a victory for the Cree and for their allies in the environmental community. But now Hydro-Quebec is moving forward with a new project that will uproot and rechannel another northern river. Supporters say it's an engineering feat that rivals the Trans-Alaska pipeline, one that will supply cheap, carbon-free electricity to consumers in New York state and Vermont. As Brian Mann reports, the Rupert River is sacred to the Cree who live nearby.  Go to full article

Mar 30, 2007 — Politics in Quebec has long been dominated by the question of sovereignty - whether the French-speaking province should split off from Canada to become its own country. The leading parties reflected the divide: Federalism under the Liberals, or nationhood with the Parti Qu�b�cois. This week, voters delivered a stinging rebuke to both parties - the Liberals barely held on to power and must now lead Quebec's first minority government since 1878. The Parti Quebecois fell to third in the voting. The big winner was the L'Action Democratique party. The ADQ went from 5 seats to 41 and now replaces the PQ as the official opposition. Martha Foley talked about the implications with Dr. Robert Thacker, who teaches Canadian Studies at St. lawrence University.  Go to full article

Mar 27, 2007 — For decades, politics in Quebec have been dominated by the unresolved issue of sovereignty. Quebeckers could chose federalism under the Liberals, or pursue the elusive goal of nationhood with the Parti Qu�b�cois. Yesterday, voters delivered a stinging rebuke to both parties, by lifting a third out of obscurity. The Liberals barely held on to power and must now attempt to lead Quebec's first minority government since 1878. Lucy Martin has more.  Go to full article

Mar 26, 2007 — Voters across Quebec cast ballots today, in a provincial election which has re-ignited the hot-button issue of sovereignty. Polls indicate a tight three-way race. If no solid majority emerges, some accomodation will have to be formed between parties with strongly divergent views to allow what would be Quebec's first minority government in over 100 years to function. And one party's pledged yet a third vote on the divisive question of leaving Canada to form an independent nation. Ottawa corespondent Lucy Martin has more.  Go to full article

Mar 15, 2007 — Quebec voters go to the polls March 26 to elect new leadership for the province. Separatists had hopes of regaining power, but so far it's a three-way race with no clear frontrunner. Todd Moe has more.  Go to full article