Category: residential schools

Pope Francis Apologizes to Indigenous Delegates for Canada’s Residential Schools

Pope Francis delivered an official apology today to Canadian indigenous communities for the Catholic Church’s role in the country’s residential schools system. “I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry,” Francis said, addressing roughly 190 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegates on April 1 at the Vatican. “And I…


More Disclosure and Investigation Urged Regarding Potential Residential School Graves

A group of academics and concerned citizens is calling for an evidence-based perspective on residential school burials, as well as for more disclosure and more investigation. On Jan. 25, Williams Lake First Nation in British Columbia’s central interior announced that 93 possible gravesites had been uncovered on the grounds of a residential school that operated…


More Disclosure and Investigation Urged Regarding Residential School Graves

A group of academics and concerned citizens is calling for an evidence-based perspective on residential school burials, as well as for more disclosure and more investigation. On Jan. 25, Williams Lake First Nation in British Columbia’s central interior announced that 93 possible gravesites had been uncovered on the grounds of a residential school that operated…


Tenured Professor Critical of Identity Politics Fired by University

A tenured professor known for speaking out against “wokeism” and identity politics was fired by her university just before Christmas, which she says happened amid a campaign to have her terminated because of her views. Frances Widdowson, an associate professor in the department of economics, justice, and policy studies at Mount Royal University (MRU) in…


Trudeau Says Tofino Trip on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a ‘Mistake’

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he regrets the mistake of travelling to British Columbia to join his vacationing family on a day meant to honour Indigenous survivors of Canada’s residential school system. Trudeau’s presence in Tofino, B.C., last Thursday came as a shock after his itinerary initially said he was in Ottawa. Global News filmed…


What’s in a Name? Addressing the Charge of ‘Cultural Genocide’

Commentary The first couple of sentences in the final Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) report contain a stark condemnation of the way Canada has treated its indigenous peoples: “For over a century, the central goals of Canada’s Aboriginal policy were to eliminate Aboriginal governments; ignore Aboriginal rights, terminate the Treaties; and through a…


Keeping the National Flag at Half-Mast Indefinitely A Crass Political Move

Commentary Elections will always bring about new and unexpected wedge issues during the campaign. I don’t think anybody could have predicted that the status of the Canadian flag on federal buildings would come into play though. The decision to fly a national flag at half-mast is not one to be taken lightly. It is an…


Ryerson University to Be Renamed

Following the recommendations of a special task force, Ryerson University is looking for a new name. Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi created the task force in November 2020 with a mandate to review the legacy of the university’s namesake, Egerton Ryerson, in the history of Canada’s colonization. The task force released its final report on August…


Historians Explain Their Objection to Charge of Genocide Against Canada on Treatment of Indigenous Peoples

The charge of genocide against Canada in its treatment of indigenous peoples is “factually wrong,” says a historian and international studies professor at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. “Systematic and deliberate killing on a widespread scale is an absolutely essential component of genocide, and it doesn’t exist in…


Arson, Vandalism of Churches Deserves More Attention From Political Leaders: Observers

As more churches are set on fire or vandalized, observers note that the situation is getting out of hand and hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Since the discovery of unmarked graves at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C., at the end of May and heightened outrage over the deaths of children in residential schools,…