Current Problems: Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation
Exploring Theme: "Systemic Racism and Discrimination"
Updates on this page: 31
November 8, 2024
Sculptor of Ottawa monument says anger over treatment of Indigenous veterans drove its creation
The National Aboriginal Veterans War Monument in Ottawa. Photo: Mark Blackburn/APTN. APTN News: For the past 23 years the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument has stood resolutely in an Ottawa park just blocks from Parliament Hill. It’s where veterans and others gather for National Aboriginal Veterans Day each Nov. 8., in recognition of Indigenous contributions to military service,...
October 25, 2024
B.C. Conservative candidate uses racist slur to describe Indigenous Peoples on election night
Conservative Leader John Rustad has condemned the statements by his candidate, Marina Sapozhnikov, in a Victoria-area riding. The Tyee: Vancouver Sun – A B.C. Conservative candidate awaiting the results of a recount that could determine who forms the provincial government used a racist slur to describe Indigenous Peoples during an election-night interview. Marina Sapozhnikov, who...
October 1, 2024
Nunavut gov’t to rename 15 place names containing Indigenous slurs
Work to officially change derogatory names a ‘priority’ in 2025 WARNING: This article discusses an offensive slur. The word is included once for context, then otherwise avoided. CBC Indigenous: Years after a push to rename a cluster of islands named with a racial slur in Nunavut, the territorial government says it’s working on it. The Old...
September 27, 2024
Reconciliation will take substance, not symbolism: Senator Francis
NationTalk: When so little has changed in the lives of Indigenous peoples, it is hard to believe that Canada is truly on a path to reconciliation. The legacy of colonialism is not something we can leave behind, but an ongoing reality. It is alive in the structural and systemic inequalities that continue to oppress communities....
September 26, 2024
Opinion: I am the Chief of Grassy Narrows. Doug Ford’s silence in the face of our struggles is deafening
Opinion – Based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events Chief Rudy Turtle is the elected leader of the Grassy Narrows First Nation and a strong advocate for mercury justice, Indigenous land defence, rights and sovereignty. Toronto Star: Last week I, Chief Turtle, walked to Queen’s Park with over a hundred...
September 25, 2024
The Troubling Far-Right Content on BC Conservatives’ Social Media
Candidates have faced criticism for ‘jokes’ about white nationalism and links to a far-right German politician’s speech. The Tyee: As the BC Conservatives gain ground in the polls, more attention is being turned to the social media posts of candidates and party activists. Lisa Moore takes on the reform school system with her harrowing, non-fiction...
September 18, 2024
Thousands rally at Queen’s Park to demand action on mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation
Toronto rally calls for compensation to people affected by Grassy Narrows mercury poisoning CBC News: People from the community of Grassy Narrows in northwestern Ontario held a rally at Queen’s Park in Toronto Wednesday to raise awareness about the impact of mercury poisoning in the area. As CBC’s Ali Chiasson explains, they’re calling for compensation...
September 12, 2024
Caravan from Grassy Narrows First Nation makes stops to educate about mercury poisoning ahead of Toronto rally
People going to rally next week call for compensation, respect for Indigenous Protected Area of land Warning: This story contains references to suicide. CBC Indigenous: Annie Sneaky says the loss of her two sisters to suicide is what drives her to defend the lands and waters of Grassy Narrows First Nation. “My twin sister and...
June 4, 2024
‘We have been met with a hard heart’: Frustrated at lack of progress, Grassy Narrows sues governments for failing to clean up mercury pollution
The lawsuit accuses Canada and Ontario of violating their treaty obligations by failing to ensure the community could safely fish. By Morgan Sevareid-BocknekInvestigative Reporter CBC News: Grassy Narrows First Nation is suing the federal and provincial governments, alleging Canadian and Ontarian officials have consistently put the profits of industry ahead of an Indigenous community poisoned by dumped...
May 8, 2024
Musée national de l’histoire du Québec – The First Nations cannot be erased from Quebec’s history
NationTalk: WENDAKE, QC – The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) wants to remind the Quebec government that Quebec’s history began long before the arrival of Europeans on the territory. The AFNQL is therefore reacting to the remarks made by Prime Minister Legault on April 25th, when he announced the creation of the Musée national...
April 19, 2024
UN puts spotlight on attacks against Indigenous land defenders, journalists
Indigenous peoples around the world are harassed and killed at alarming rates. Will the world act? Tear gas is deployed by police during a Maasai rights demonstration outside the Tanzanian High Commission in Nairobi in 2022. Ben Curtis / AP Photo APTN News: When around 70,000 Indigenous Maasai were expelled from their lands in northern Tanzania in 2022,...
March 11, 2024
Painful discrimination still confronts too many Indigenous people: Ken Coates for Inside Policy
Canada has a long way to go before Indigenous peoples can be assured of fairness before the law or consistent acceptance in Canadian society. March 11, 2024 in Ken Coates, Inside Policy, Columns, Latest News, Indigenous Affairs Program, Social issues NationTalk: McDonald-Laurier Institute: Inside Policy – Most Canadians believe that life is getting better for Indigenous peoples in the country and...
November 16, 2023
MKO Calls on Canada’s Justice Minister to Investigate the Indian Residential Schools System as a Crime Against Humanity
NationTalk: Thompson, Manitoba – The Grand Chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Inc. has reiterated MKO’s earlier call for Canada to commence an investigation of the Indian Residential School system as a crime against humanity under the laws of Canada. MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee presented MKO’s renewed call for action during a meeting...
November 9, 2023
2 years after promised review of discrimination complaints, CIRNAC, ISC won’t say if it’s done
lso on the show, a First Nations veteran talks about his time in the military during the Oka Crisis. APTN News: In 2020, Letitia Wells left her job at Indian Oil and Gas, an agency of Indigenous Services Canada because of the discriminatory behavior of her co-workers and managers. A year later, she turned to...
October 1, 2023
B.C. Conservative leader under fire for likening teaching of sexuality, gender to residential schools
Social media post on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ‘enraging’: survivor CBC News: The leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia is under fire for a social media post that critics say appeared to compare teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity to the genocide of Indigenous children in residential schools. John Rustad,...
August 29, 2023
Manitoba’s refusal to search landfill for remains is racist, church leader says
‘I can’t imagine that if there were white people in the landfill … we wouldn’t be searching for them’: bishop CBC News: The leaders of four major church denominations are standing together to urge Manitoba’s political leaders to search Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, with one calling the province’s stance racist....
August 14, 2023
AMC Confronts Unacceptable Statement by Springfield Councillor
NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is calling on Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien to take immediate action following racial and stereotypical remarks made by Springfield councillor, Andy Kuczynski, during a council meeting on August 8, 2023.T he unbecoming comments surfaced during a conversation about the construction of a facility...
August 14, 2023
N.B. government won’t say what it will do with systemic racism report, months after release
‘Actions speak louder than words,’ New Brunswick African Association president says of province’s response CBC News: For months, the province’s former systemic racism commissioner met with groups and individuals across New Brunswick listening to their lived experiences of systemic racism. People shared traumatic, personal stories with commissioner Manju Varma, and excerpts were included in her...
May 29, 2023
Open Letter from Quebec Native Women’s President
NationTalk: Last December, on behalf of the First Nations women and girls across Quebec that Quebec Native Women (QNW) represents, I spoke at the National Assembly, when a petition was tabled with 4,000 signatures calling on François Legault’s government to recognize the existence of systemic racism and discrimination in Quebec and to adopt Joyce’s Principle....
May 23, 2023
Joint Declaration by the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre and its Allies – Reaction to the Unacceptable and Disgraceful comments made by MNA Pierre Dufour
NationTalk: VAL-D’OR, QC – The homelessness situation in Val-d’Or, with its complexity and Indigenous particularity, combined with the feeling of insecurity expressed by the citizens of the downtown area, made the municipality fall back into a tense social climate that polarizes and rekindled divisions within the population. It is clear that healing and reconciliation, since the...
May 16, 2023
Chiefs of Ontario Launches Public Education and Awareness Campaign Surrounding Systemic Racism
NationTalk: Toronto, ON The Chiefs of Ontario’s Justice Sector is proud to launch the newly developed Public Education and Awareness Campaign surrounding systemic racism. The campaign is intended to raise awareness about lesser-known systemic issues, the policy decisions that lead to them, and solutions to dismantle and correct them. In pinpointing various precise policy choices that...
March 27, 2023
Amnesty International report pans Canada’s record on Indigenous rights
Canada is ‘significantly failing’ on multiple fronts, says official with NGO in Canada CBC News: Global non-governmental organization Amnesty International is denouncing Canada’s record on Indigenous rights as it releases its latest annual analysis on the state of human rights worldwide. In the report released on Monday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization expresses concern that Indigenous people in Canada...
March 23, 2023
11 northern Manitoba First Nations declare state of emergency to urge government intervention
State of emergency to be placed indefinitely: Keewatin Tribal Council grand chief CBC News: The Keewatin Tribal Council declared a regional state of emergency on Thursday afternoon to draw attention to the “dire” situations on the northern Manitoba communities and to urge immediate government action. The tribal council is made up of 11 communities, including Shamattawa First...
March 16, 2023
Petition Presented to The National Assembly: The Quebec Government Invited to Recognize the Existence of Systemic Racism and Discrimination in Quebec
NationTalk: KAHNAWAKE, QC – Quebec Native Women (QNW) today tabled a petition in the Blue Room of the Quebec National Assembly calling on Premier Legault’s government to recognize systemic racism and discrimination in Quebec and to adopt Joyce’s Principle. The petition, submitted by Québec solidaire member and co-spokesperson Manon Massé, calls on the Quebec government,...
March 8, 2023
Governor General shares abusive comments she received through social media
Mary Simon’s office shut down comments on her official social media accounts last month after a wave of abuse WARNING: This story cites racist, sexist and abusive comments directed at the Governor General. CBC News: Nearly a month after turning off comments on her official social media accounts, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is sharing some of...
December 5, 2022
Systemic racism and discrimination: A clear message sent to the government of Quebec
NationTalk: Kahnawake – Quebec Native Women (QNW) held a large gathering this afternoon near the Quebec National Assembly to send a clear message to the government of Prime Minister François Legault: systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, particularly Indigenous women, exists in Quebec, and it is time for the government to recognize this and...
November 15, 2022
Study reveals 99%+ of Indigenous people surveyed in BC have faced discrimination when using their Indian status card
NationTalk: (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – Indian status card holders face stigma and discrimination on a daily basis when presenting them at stores or to officials, according to a landmark study commissioned by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. The full report is titled “They Sigh or Give You the...
September 26, 2022
‘We are truly sorry’: Leaders, health officials acknowledge Indigenous-specific racism in northern Manitoba’s health-care system
CTV News: Indigenous leaders and northern health officials in Manitoba say Indigenous people continue to face racism in the health-care system, and have signed a declaration committing to eliminate it. On Monday morning leaders from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), and the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA), met in Thompson to sign...
June 19, 2021
Systemic Discrimination in Nunavut
Toronto Star – Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, MP for Nunavut criticized the federal government for its ongoing failure to address the worst living conditions in the country in the Inuit homeland: • Highest suicide rates in the world • Housing cots beyond the reach of Inuit • Mouldy and overcrowded public housing • Lack of clean water...
June 15, 2021
AFN/Canada Race Race Relations Foundation poll
Assembly of First Nations – Thirteen years after the Government of Canada offered a formal apology to the survivors of the residential school system and families, 68 percent of Canadians polled still say they were either unaware of the severity of abuses at residential schools or completely shocked by it. A poll conducted by the...
January 7, 2020
8 Ways to champion Human Rights
Toronto Star – Toronto Star identified eight ways that Canada can champion human rights in the 2020s, including the following: First step is to adopt overdue legislation making the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Canada’s framework for rights and reconciliation. And to show we truly mean it: address mercury poisoning at...
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