Canada should flex its diplomatic muscles in pressing Sri Lanka to uphold human rights
Six years ago, Canada was among a group of countries that took the lead in adopting a crucial United Nations resolution to promote reconciliation and justice after decades of war and persecution in Sri Lanka. The human rights situation on the island is again deteriorating, and it is crucial for Canada to step up to […]
Sinclair says next GG should be Indigenous, ‘would contribute to reconciliation in a significant way’
Murray Sinclair is a trail blazer. Appointed associate chief judge of the Manitoba provincial court in 1988, he was later the first Indigenous judge appointed in 2001 to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba and the second Indigenous judge appointed in Canada. He was co-commissioner of Manitoba’s Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice […]
‘The embodiment of colonialism’: it’s time for an Indigenous governor general, but it won’t be easy, say some Indigenous Senators
Appointing an Indigenous person to serve as Canada’s next governor general could help advance reconciliation, but would come with unique challenges as well, say some current and former Indigenous Senators. Since Julie Payette’s resignation as GG last month, Hill circles have been awash with speculation about who will succeed her. Last week, the PMO communications […]
‘Racism is the issue here, not Lynn Beyak’: Senator McCallum vows to keep pressing Senate to tackle bigotry
Lynn Beyak’s retirement last week from the Senate won’t put an end to the debate on racism in the Red Chamber if Independent Senator Mary Jane McCallum has anything to say about it. Sen. McCallum (Manitoba) was getting ready to move a motion calling for Ms. Beyak’s expulsion from the Red Chamber when Senators returned […]
Canada should pass an order in council against systemic racism
OTTAWA—My family watched the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. We shared with millions of people the awe and relief that grace and leadership has returned to the White House. Tears were shed to witness so many BIPOC on podiums that day and evening. And then my daughter asked me, “why doesn’t our prime minister […]
Don’t expect Bill C-15 to be perfect, just better
I’m finding there just aren’t that many perfect solutions to problems as I’d like there to be. One example is Bill C-15, the federal government’s response to its latest promise to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If passed, Bill C-15 would require the federal government to take all measures […]
‘All my life, I’ve been a leader’: Perry Bellegarde on leaving the AFN, and what comes next
Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde says he hasn’t decided on his next steps after he leaves the AFN in July—but leadership is on his mind. Mr. Bellegarde spoke with The Hill Times last week about his time leading the AFN, which advocates for Canada’s First Nations, and about how he wants to spend […]
Let 2021 be a year for action on everything set aside in 2020
It’s been a year that was unprecedented in the use of the word “unprecedented.” When 2020 began, it seemed as though tragedy after calamity befell Canada and Canadians, starting with the downing of Ukraine Flight 752 over Iran in early January. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic was declared and the virus swept across the […]
A timely gift this season could be Canada taking a stand against racism
OTTAWA—The original intent of First Nations reserves was noted by Lt.-Gen. Sir Francis Bond Head in a report to Upper Canada in 1836: places for Indians to go die in peace away from the horrified eyes of the settlers, because obviously Indians “should still continue to wither, droop, and vanish before us like grass in […]
Feelings don’t mask the Liberal failings on the Indigenous file
CALGARY—Dec. 6, 1989, is a day when 14 women were massacred at École Polytechnique in an anti-feminist attack; it is now known as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. In Canada, this violence hasn’t changed, especially for Indigenous women. Canada has accepted the violence tax Indigenous women and girls pay […]
