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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Today is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.
The day is a direct response to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration to acknowledge those affected by residential schools and to educate Canadians.
It also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a movement that began on Sept. 30, 2013, when residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation opened up about her trauma caused by residential schools.
In a statement today, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations urged all Canadians to spend Sept. 30 reflecting on how to contribute to the healing path forward from the harms of the institutions of assimilation and genocide.
“Today, and every day, I stand in support of survivors and intergenerational trauma Survivors,” said RoseAnne Archibald. “I honour September 30 as a day of remembrance and grief.”
The Queen took note of the day.
“I join with all Canadians on this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to reflect on the painful history that Indigenous peoples endured in residential schools in Canada, and on the work that remains to heal and to continue to build an inclusive society,” Queen Elizabeth said in a statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the milestone day on Wednesday night, noting reconciliation doesn’t just mean understanding the mistakes of the past, but also looking at how those mistakes shape the country today.
Today, he elaborated in a statement.
“We must all learn about the history and legacy of residential schools. It’s only by facing these hard truths, and righting these wrongs, that we can move together forward together toward a more positive, fair and better future,” he said.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, in a statement, said more work needs to be done to address the devastating and harmful effects of residential schools, and reconciliation must be central to those efforts.
Mary Simon, Canada’s Governor-General, and the first Indigenous person to hold the office, is to participate in the one-hour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation broadcast special.
A statement from her office said it will air tonight at8 p.m. on APTN, CBC, CBC Gem, ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV.
Elsewhere, check here for continuing Globe and Mail updates on ceremonies and events marking this milestone day.
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION – HEADLINES
MEMORIAL CEREMONY – The Cowessess First Nation are holding a memorial ceremony at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in their territory to honour the Indigenous children who died and those who survived there – one of several ceremonies planned across the country to mark Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “We are going to gather, we are going to share, we are going to learn and we are going to walk forward in what we consider reconciliation,” says Chief Cadmus Delorme. Story here.
SURVEY MEASURES CANADA’S VIEW ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES – A new survey suggests that there is a growing awareness in Canada of the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples, and more willingness among Canadians to blame governments for the fact that First Nations continue to suffer inequality. Story here.
CANADA’S FIRST INDIGENOUS GG ON THE DAY – Governor-General Mary Simon had some very personal reflections Wednesday on the eve of Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, declaring in a statement that as the daughter of a white father and an Inuk mother she was not allowed to attend a residential school so stayed behind while other children were ripped away from their homes. Story here, from The Canadian Press.
AFN HEAD MAKES A POINT BY FISHING – On the west coast of Vancouver Island, RoseAnne Archibald fishes for salmon as part of a symbolic journey to highlight Nuu-chah-nulth fishing rights and emphasize issues Ms. Archibald raised earlier in the month in Nova Scotia. “Both the West Coast and the East Coast [First Nations] are asking for the same thing – which is to have their inherent and treaty rights to their fishery honoured, implemented and respected by the federal government,” the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations told Wendy Stueck. Story here.
EXPLAINER – There’s an explainer here on how to show unity with Indigenous communities.
Reporter’s Comment Kristy Kirkup:“This inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is taking place at a very emotional time for the country and there is a more sustained amount of attention being paid to systemic racism and discrimination toward Indigenous people. The focus is not only on the historical impacts of residential schools, but the modern-day implications for this government-funded, church-run system. Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has talked about the fact that as time goes on, the country may be commemorating this day in a different way and that’s okay. He says it is extremely important for the survivors to be able to have this formal recognition and that everyone is in the process of learning. That was also sentiment picked up on Parliament Hill on Thursday by Elder Claudette Commanda , who was talking about the country being in a process of learning.”
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION – THE DECIBEL
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon why a day of remembrance is good, but fixing the legacy of residential schools is better: “The first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity to reflect on the past and acknowledge the harms done by the residential school system. It needs to be more than that, though. It needs to be a day that prompts all Canadians to start asking about the future, and why it’s taking so long to get here.”
Clayton Thomas-Müller (Contributor to The Globe and Mail)on how Canada should commit to a Just Transition for Indigenous Peoples: “We need the rest of Canada to use the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and take a deep dive into a real healing process with Indigenous Peoples that is rooted in the idea of Land Back – returning land to Indigenous Peoples’ control – and the implementation of the 94 TRC recommendations, if we are going to achieve climate justice, peace and healing. A good start is a Just Transition Act that leaves no worker, First Nation or rural community behind. We need Trudeau and this government to hear us, work with us and act in a way this moment demands. We must learn from our past and prepare in the present to break the cycle and defend our collective future.”
Doug Anderson and Alexandra Flynn (Contributor to The Globe and Mail) on how municipalities must serve urban Indigenous Peoples in a mutually beneficial, respectful relationship: “Municipalities must acknowledge their obligations to Indigenous peoples by creating mutually beneficial, respectful relationships that recognize and endorse Indigenous rights and responsibilities. This is preferable to a one-sided consultative model where governments are the ultimate decision maker and merely consider the views of Indigenous peoples. Relationships can express themselves in many forms, but municipal governments must listen and learn from First Nations and Indigenous peoples, including their laws and governance practices.”
OTHER HEADLINES:
EARLY PRIORITIES FOR RE-ELECTED LIBERALS – Pushing ahead with contentious plans to overhaul Canada’s internet rules in areas like broadcasting, curbing online hate speech and requiring Google and Facebook to support Canadian news organizations are set to be early priorities for the re-elected Liberal government.
NUMBER OF FEMALE MPS FALLS BELOW 50-PER-CENT MARK – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged that he will once again create a cabinet with an equal number of men and women, but the number of female MPs in the House of Commons still falls well below the 50-per-cent mark. Story here.
KENNEY FACES LEADERSHIP REVIEW – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney will face a leadership review during a newly scheduled United Conservative Party annual general meeting in April. This is earlier than the fall 2022 review that had originally been planned by the party. But it’s still not as early as some party members would like. Story here.
“Private meetings” according to an advisory from the Prime Minister’s Office.
LEADERS
No schedules released for federal leaders.
OPINION
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail)on why Canada’s department of foreign affairs needs to become more permeable: “There is a general feeling within the government that foreign affairs, the foreign-policy shops in other departments, officials within the Privy Council Office and those in the Prime Minister’s Office collectively lack the numbers and depth to think through the big challenges facing Canada. This is why the American model is so much better. With each change of administration, the senior ranks of the federal public service in Washington are replaced by the new administration’s nominees. Yes, it’s cumbersome, partisan, time-consuming and wasteful. But, as I have written in the past, it also provides the United States with a more open government, and with a public-policy elite who shift between stints in government, universities, think tanks and corporations. Government benefits from that real-world experience.”
John McCarthy (Contributor to The Globe and Mail)on advice to Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, from one hostage to another: “The two Michaels will need plenty of rest, I imagine, as well as space and calm. I was lucky enough to have the invaluable counsel of psychiatrists who were at the forefront of what was then a relatively new field, studying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They warned me that at times I might be overwhelmed by my new free life – by choices I had to make and the responsibilities I’d have to face. They also cautioned that I might find myself lost in a fog of memories of captivity – that sometimes I would want to talk and talk about my experiences, while at other times I’d want to shut down the subject and focus on other things. All this, they told me, was totally normal and I should try to remember that if I was getting stressed. Gradually, they said, it would pass – and they were right.”
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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
