Late in 2011, Canadians learned that the RCMP and others have been keeping surveillance on Cindy Blackstock. Blackstock is a noted children's wellness and Aboriginal advocate.

In 2007, her organization, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, filed a human rights complaint against the federal government, saying that Aboriginal children are not given the same benefits as non-Aboriginals. Not long after she filed the complaint, Blackstock said, her relationship with the department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development (AAND) "changed." When the department held a meeting with Ontario Native chiefs, she was barred from the room. A security guard was posted to make sure she complied.

That event moved Blackstock to file a request under the Access to Information Act. Over a year and half later, the file that AAND had gathered landed on her desk. It disturbed Blackstock to find that government staff had followed her across the country to over 75 meetings. One incident was particularly revealing to her. A government staff used their personal identity after hours to go on Facebook and photograph her profile page. This suggested to Blackstock that AAND did not want to use its own identity when looking for her personal information.

According to one reporter, "This is the latest in a series of revelations about the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and its penchant for keeping tabs on its Aboriginal citizens. Back in June, Mohawk Nation activist Russell Diabo and Shiri Pasternak, a Toronto-based Writer, Researcher and Organizer, brought to light similar surveillance that involved not only AAND, but also the RCMP. Such monitoring of Aboriginal groups had begun with the advent of Harper's first government in 2005."

That the government and the police should monitor Canadians, including Aboriginal leaders, where there is a reasonable possibility of violence is not something most Canadians would dispute. But what has Cindy Blackstock done that is so threatening?

An article posted by the Ontario Association of Social Workers revealed her as a thoughtful worker for the integration of ethics and social work. "(Blackstock) calls upon social workers to actively engage in reconciliation, beginning with an active learning process informed by (Aboriginal) history, and inspired by (Aboriginal) values and vision. She noted that: 'It takes courage to understand that sometimes it was we, "the social work good guys," who were doing the harm. By engaging in reconciliation, we will be part of co-creating a social work profession nested within Canadian society where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples can co-exist in friendship with all their rights recognized.'"

In one of her own papers posted online, Blackstock contrasts cultural differences between Aboriginal cultures and modern thinking. For example, the modern world view emphasizes present and futuristic knowledge, while ancestral cultures value knowledge that has held up for a long time in the past. Aboriginal cultures recognize their inter-relatedness with the natural world while modern people see humans as more or less independent of nature, if not dominating it.

Aboriginal people look to integrated stories and practices to address specific issues. In contrast, modern techniques emphasize breaking problems down into distinct parts with treatments administered by experts in a supposedly neutral, professional environment. While the Aboriginal approach has its weaknesses, the modern approach can make the individual feel confused and manipulated, more like a cog than a whole person.

Blackstock has a great deal to offer the continuing dialogue between modern and Native Canadians. Therefore, we can wonder, along with reporters, why Blackstock has been treated as an enemy of the country.

This article is based in part on an article by Annette Francis of the Aboriginal People's Television Network, online postings by the Indian Country Today Media Network, and related video files.
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