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Hill Times June 28, 2021 Kamloops. Brandon. St. Anne’s. Marieval. And the list grows. The numbers are devastating, but they should not be news. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathered data on at least 4,000 to 6,000 children who did not return from the government-funded, church-run institutions. That number will increase, given that some schools […]

Hill Times, June 14 2021 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

Hill Times June 7, 2021 OTTAWA—Warning: this story contains distressing details. Following the announcement of the mass grave of 215 Indigenous children unearthed at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, Canada is in an identity crisis and Canadians are appalled. But the federal government continues its passive aggressive resistance to

Hill Times May 31, 2021 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.

Hill Times May 17, 2021 Once upon a time, not so long ago, First Nations and many Indigenous societies governed with balance—men and women, including Two Spirits, equally shared the roles of leadership to serve a community. It wasn’t perfect. No governance structure is perfect. Then came the Canadian government, overly influenced by the church

May 3, 2021 Are apologies enough when a political leader refuses to represent some Canadians? Just what is “lesbian activity”? I’m asking for a friend. Getting a short, hawk haircut? Listening to k.d. lang? Sharing a beer with a “friend”? Are these “lesbian activities”? Here’s an activity that doesn’t fall into the basket of “lesbian activity.”

Hill Times April 19, 2021 Did you know that about 140 countries had zero new COVID cases last week? Canada has suffered about 67 deaths per one million population and ranks 60th in the world. Canada is falling behind with poorly executed and politicized public health measures, complicated by each jurisdiction making up its own

Hill Times April 5, 2021 Don’t talk about racism. It’s a sign that there may be an election close. Many racist acts have occurred in Quebec recently and almost all of those acts have been loudly defended or completely dismissed by its government. Matthew Fry Jacobson is a historian and professor at Yale, and he

Hill Times March 22, 2021 I am status, card-carrying First Nations—the federal government calls me a real one. The status card is a race-based ethnic identity card used to limit access to certain federal government programs for real First Nations peoples only. It used to be based on blood quantum, one had to prove at

Hill Times March 8, 2021 “When it comes to the safety of drinking water, residents of First Nations communities do not benefit from a level of protection comparable to that of people who live off reserves,” reported the auditor general in 2005. The Council of Canadians, meanwhile, declared “little progress with First Nations drinking water” in