More than three million dollars. Your money and mine, used by the Harper government to fight against equal social services funding for Aboriginal children—and to spy on Cindy Blackstock, a leading advocate for those children.

Fresh evidence of government spying on Blackstock and a court victory for the aboriginal children’s advocate show Ottawa is losing this fight, despite its chilling surveillance of a woman they seek to discredit.

It was less than a year ago that Blackstock went public, after learning through her own access-to-information request that the government had been spying on her. It has been monitoring her Facebook account, sending officials to hear her speak and compiling a voluminous file on her.

But, in a setback for the Harper regime’s Orwellian efforts, Dr. Blackstock will have her day, if not in court, at least before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

In a decision released last week, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal agreed to add allegations of government retaliation against Blackstock as part of a historic hearing on the larger matter [discriminatory policies against Aboriginal children] set to begin next February.

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network will televise proceedings — representing another loss by Ottawa, which tried to block the cameras.

Two government departments are involved in the on-going surveillance of this private citizen—Justice and Aboriginal Affairs. I use the present tense because there is no indication that the Harper surveillance has ended.

“The proposed Internet surveillance bill was met with all this outrage,” she says, “but meanwhile, they are just going ahead and doing it to me, including taking screen shots of my Facebook page.”

The CBC has done its bit, but why isn’t this a cause célèbre in the corporate media? In the allegedly “anti-statist” right-wing blogs? Could it be because Blackstock, despite her impressive credentials and strong credibility, is just another uppity Native?

[H/t Ben Oliphant]