How to achieve balance between environmental stewardship and the resource economy
Individuals, corporations, and governments all want an easy solution to finding a balance between responsible environmental stewardship and a prosperous resource economy. These are two mutually exclusive concepts—or are they? In Canada, we never give up hope. We know it is a long road back to justice that we all have to traverse, together, without […]
Why National Indigenous Day is important for all Canadians
OTTAWA—June 21 is National Indigenous Day, the summer solstice. Many Indigenous organizations and businesses will close. Some Indigenous people will pay more attention to this day than to Canada Day. And it’s not just for Indigenous peoples. It is a day for Canadians to pause and consider the experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada, both […]
Canada should revoke diplomatic relations with Holy See if Catholic Church won’t apologize for residential schools; and church should be subpoenaed, search warrants issued, says NDP MP Green
Pope Francis and the Catholic Church should play a role in Canada’s truth and reconciliation after the remains of 215 Indigenous children were discovered last month near the former Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia, say NDP MPs. If the Catholic Church won’t cooperate by releasing documents and allowing investigations of the sites of former […]
Everyone wants ‘action,’ but what does that mean?
CHELSEA, QUE.—The two tragedies of recent days—the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of an old Kamloops residential school and the hate-fuelled murder of a Muslim family in London—has everyone (almost) calling for action, not platitudes. The chorus includes most of the politicians who spoke at a rally in the […]
Kamloops discovery should propel us to learn, not stand on guard for an incomplete history
OTTAWA—The discovery of the mass grave of 215 Indigenous children, students at a residential school, in Kamloops has shocked us all. It should upset us and should force us all to look at the historical narratives that have shaped Canada; the grand biographical ones of our founding fathers, like John A. Macdonald, that almost air […]
Documented: 215 reasons we need full disclosure
OTTAWA—Too often we think of our past records as simply what’s officially documented and written on paper. Far too much of that, however, is buried and kept secret. Probably the most hidden and damning record in Canadian history came out of Kamloops with the recent discovery of one mass grave containing the remains of 215 […]
MPs, leaders reckon with Canada’s ‘dark and painful’ history in House debate on remains discovered of 215 Indigenous children at B.C. residential school
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to immediately accelerate work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action on missing children and burial information, following the discovery of children’s remains buried at a former residential school in Kamloops—a “sad reminder of Canada’s genocidal actions against Indigenous peoples,” says NDP Leader […]
The past is the present when it comes to Canada’s genocidal Indigenous policies
OTTAWA—Even though Broadway is closed, Canada continues to turn in a Tony-winning performance of its ostensibly inherent commitment to niceness, fairness, and multiculturalism, while committing backstage atrocities. Anyone who has been through this country’s education system has witnessed the systematic erasure of Canadian genocide towards Indigenous peoples. Last week, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation […]
Feds need to amp up support, fast, for efforts to uncover the full legacy of Canada’s residential schools
During its six years of work, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard from more than 6,000 residential school survivors and families about the devastating, generational impacts of the Canadian residential school system. The commission concluded its work in 2015, presenting a six-volume report with 94 calls to action. “Canada’s residential school system for Aboriginal children […]
Quebec is on the land of Indigenous Nations whether you like it or not
OTTAWA—Quebec Premier Legault wants to increase the use of French in Quebec through Bill 96, come hell or high water. As federal parties fell over themselves to show support and garner future votes, a House of Commons motion to tacitly approve of Bill 96 was stalled by MP Jody Wilson-Raybould. The eagle feather has been […]
