It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Mistahi-maskwa, also known as Big Bear.

Big Bear was born around 1825 near Jackfish Lake in present-day Saskatchewan. His father was a minor chief of 80 Cree-Saulteaux people & a large influence of Big Bear.

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As a young man, Big Bear was a great warrior & he became chief upon his father's death in 1864.
In 1870, he led the Cree into battle at the Battle of Belly River, in present-day Lethbridge, which is the last battle fought between First Nations in Canada.

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In 1876, all the major Plains Cree chiefs had signed Treaty 6 except Big Bear. He attempted to warn them against signing, believing the government would not fulfill its promises.
He was left with no choice but to sign in 1882 due to the starvation of his people.

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During the North-West Resistance, Big Bear had a relatively minor role, and attempted to stop the violence at Duck Lake on March 26, 1885. Nonetheless, he was held responsible by the government.
On July 2, 1885, he surrendered to the NWMP at Fort Carleton.

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Big Bear was sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. He was released after less than two years due to ill health.
He died on Jan. 17, 1888 at Little Pine Reserve.
While Poundmaker was exonerated of treason in 2019, Big Bear, so far, has not been.

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More from @CraigBaird

Jun 13
It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Sgt. Tommy Prince, one of Canada's most decorated soldiers.

Tommy Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba on Oct. 15, 1915. His family had a long military tradition, which he would carry in his adult life.

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Despite easily meeting requirements, he was turned down several times when he tried to enlist to fight in the Second World War.
He was finally accepted on June 3, 1940. Originally part of the Royal Canadian Engineers, he joined the Devil's Brigade in 1942.

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Prince was highly skilled with covert abilities. In February 1944, he ran a communication line 1,400 metres to a house only 200 metres from a Germany artillery position. He spent three days reporting on German activities from that house.

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Read 8 tweets
Jun 13
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Jackie Shane, a pioneering transgender performer in Canada!

Jackie Shane was born in Nashville on May 15, 1940. In the 1950s, she began to perform in make-up with long hair. In 1959, she moved to Ontario by joining a carnival.

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In 1960, she started to perform at the Esquire Show Bar in Montreal & became the lead vocalist for Frank Motley & his Motley Crew.
Writing about her performances, media always called her a man wearing women's clothing.
She continued to find success in music.

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She released Money (That's What I Want) in 1962, followed by Any Other Way, which was a hit nationally for her and the band.
She continued to perform in the 1960s but less so after 1970. She turned down an offer to join George Clinton's Funkadelic as well.

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Read 5 tweets
Jun 12
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of The Body Politic, Canada's first major LGBTQ publication.

The 1st edition of the magazine was published on Nov. 1, 1971 by a collective of individuals, out of the home of Jearld Moldenhauer, the owner of the Glad Day Bookshop.

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In 1973, the Toronto Star refused to print an advertisement for the magazine, stating it did not accept ads related to sexual activity.
The magazine went to the Ontario Press Council & won a ruling that the refusal was discriminatory.

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The Toronto Star retaliated to the ruling by ending the printing contract for The Body Politic with the Star's printing subsidiary Newsweb Enterprises.
In 1977, Toronto Police seized the subscriber list for the magazine during a raid.

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Read 4 tweets
Jun 11
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Michelle Douglas, who legally challenged the LGBTQ discriminatory policies in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Michelle Douglas was born in Ottawa in 1963 & after studying law, she joined the Canadian Forces in 1986.

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She soon became the first woman promoted to the Special Investigations Unit.
In 1989, despite her excellent service record, she was released from the Forces for being a lesbian. Her release stated:
"Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality"

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She then launched a $550,000 lawsuit against the Department of National Defence in January 1990.
Douglas stated that two male officers took her to a hotel room and questioned her about her sexual activities and told her that she should like men.

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Read 5 tweets
Jun 10
I asked AI to generate mascots based on a major industry &in each province.
These are the results.

British Columbia: Forestry
With 55 million hectares of forested land, B.C. is one of the world's largest exporters of wood products. Image
Alberta: Oil

The province is the largest oil producer in Canada, accounting for 80% of the total oil production of the country. Roughly 22-25% of Alberta's revenue annually comes from the oil and gas industry. Image
Saskatchewan: Agriculture

Saskatchewan annually exports over $3.3 billion in cereal grains, oilseeds, pulses and edible oils. The province is also a world leading producer and exporter of crops such as mustard seed and canary seed. Image
Read 13 tweets
Jun 10
It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of Kenneth Zeller, whose tragic murder helped advance the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Kenneth Zeller was born on June 5, 1945 and worked as a librarian for three Toronto-area schools.

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On June 21, 1985 he went out for drinks with friends. As he walked to his car, five teenage boys began to chase him. They caught up with him at his car and beat him to death.
Zeller was found slumped in his car at 12:15 a.m. on June 22.

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After they were arrested, the teenagers agreed to be tried as adults.
The teenagers had been heard saying they wanted to "beat up a ***".
All five subsequently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter and received nine years in prison.

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Read 4 tweets

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