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Trudeau says appointing Indigenous RCMP commissioner is an ‘excellent idea’

Published

2 years ago

March 3, 2023

Naming an Indigenous person as the next commissioner of the RCMP is “an excellent idea,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, but he cautioned against thinking that such an appointment would be enough to solve the force’s problems.

His comment came in response a call from some First Nations leadership for the Liberal government to ensure the next top Mountie is Indigenous.

Speaking to reporters in Winnipeg, Trudeau said, “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

“Seeing more and more Indigenous leadership throughout systems and institutions across the country, we should absolutely look at more diversity.”

However, Trudeau said the decision will be made through an independent process, the details of which have yet to be announced.

“We will always look to try and make sure the full diversity of Canada and Indigenous representation is part of our considerations.”

Trudeau has made reconciliation one of his top priorities since taking office in 2015. Besides spending billions on various initiatives he named Mary Simon, an Inuk leader, as the first Indigenous Governor General.

His office also confirmed Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation, as the first Indigenous justice for the Supreme Court of Canada.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki plans to retire this month, just before the end of her five-year term.

She was appointed in April 2018 and led the force during a chaotic few years that included the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history, along with growing calls to defund the police and allegations of systemic racism in the force.

When she was selected, Lucki became the first woman to permanently hold the role.

The force, which marks 150 years in May, has faced criticism over its historic and current relationship with Indigenous people. The RCMP is the main police force for many First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities through contract policing agreements with the provinces and territories.

Officers have faced allegations of failing to properly investigate or take seriously the disappearances and deaths of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

In 2018, Lucki apologized to the families of some women who were part of an inquiry into the issue, saying that, “for too many of you, the RCMP was not the police service that it needed to be during this terrible time.”

In June 2020, Lucki said in a series of media interviews that she “struggled with the definition of systemic racism.” Those comments were met with sharp criticism, including from Indigenous leaders who pointed out she had pledged to improve relations with their communities.

Afterward, she released a statement saying she should have more definitively acknowledged that systemic racism exists within the ranks of the RCMP.

On Friday, Trudeau pointed out that choosing an Indigenous officer to lead the Mounties will not in and of itself fix the force’s problems.

“We have to understand that it’s not just about putting the right person at the top of an organization that makes the systemic change necessary,” he said.

“There is a huge amount of work on structures within our institutions, including the RCMP, to ensure that the entire force, the entire system, is fully respectful of Indigenous people, respectful of diversity.”

An internal report of the RCMP’s progress on reconciliation released in 2022 outlined its struggle to recruit and retain Indigenous members in its ranks.

The report found that Indigenous representation had dropped to seven per cent in 2020, down from eight per cent in 2010.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.

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Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

Published

2 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

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Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

Published

3 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

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Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

Published

3 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

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