Ian Lafrenière, the minister responsible for Indigenous affairs, described the funding as an important and highly anticipated announcement. He says it’s a direct response to recommendations outlined in the report from the Viens Commission, an inquiry that examined Quebec’s relations with Indigenous Peoples.
The federal government’s criminal justice reform bill has generally been described as a good first step in tackling the overrepresentation of Indigenous and Black people in the justice system.
But it’s also sparked the question: Why not go even further with Bill C-22?
The bill would repeal mandatory minimum penalties for all drug offences and some firearm offences, expand the use of conditional sentences such as house arrest, and urge police and prosecutors to use discretion in order to keep drug possession cases out of the justice system.
WARNING: Archived Toronto Star article.
A new educational resource is looking at the long history in British Columbia of racist policies and the resiliency of the many Indigenous, Black and racialized people who have been affected.
The open-source booklet Challenging Racist British Columbia: 150 Years and Counting was released today by co-publishers the University of Victoria (UVic) and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The 80-page document is being made available as Black History Month wraps up and as B.C. approaches its 150th anniversary of joining Canada this July 20.
“In 1871, this province joined the Canadian federation and, ever since, communities of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized peoples have waged protracted struggles against the dispossession of Indigenous lands, institutionalized discrimination, and the politics of exclusion,” the report begins.
“Although Indigenous Services Canada made progress in eliminating long-term drinking water advisories, the department was not on track to meet its 2015 commitment,” Karen Hogan wrote.
The proposed law would require the federal government to work with First Nations, Métis and Inuit to do everything needed to ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the rights and principles contained in the UN declaration.
Billions of dollars in increased federal government spending has failed to improve the standard of living for Indigenous Canadians, according to a new study by the Fraser Institute.
Despite a four-fold increase in spending between 1981 and 2016, the gap between Indigenous Canadians and other Canadians based on the Community Well-Being Index, which uses census data to measure income, employment, housing and formal education every five years, has barely budged in 35 years
Prince Charles says he has been in discussion with Canadian Indigenous leaders – adding it’s time for people to start to listen to them on environmental issues.
On Dec. 3, the Trudeau government introduced Bill C-15 into Parliament to bring the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into Canadian law. It sounds like a great idea: why not have Canada join 147 other countries in adopting the UN’s minimum standards for recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples. But it’s not a great idea. For Canada, UNDRIP is a step backwards. Its introduction into Canadian law is likely to cause costly legal confusion in return for no real benefit to Indigenous peoples or anyone else except maybe lawyers.
Singh recently discussed northern priorities with Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane. He told Cabin Radio: “What we’re hearing from people in the North is housing is the most important thing – making sure they have access to housing, making sure people have quality places they can call home.”
The Liberal government introduced long-awaited legislation Thursday to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Justice Minister David Lametti described as a significant step forward on the path to reconciliation.
As parents and educators nationwide struggle with how to make education work in a pandemic environment, Indigenous students, particularly in northern remote parts of the country, have headed back to the land. As Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers take the lead, there is an opportunity to work with Indigenous communities, education authorities, industry and post-secondary institutions in reshaping the classroom of the future.
