Marching climate activists urge G7 to step up



Issued on: 12/06/2021

The harbour town in southwest England is being used to host a media centre for reporters from around the world Oli SCARFF AFP

Falmouth (United Kingdom) (AFP)

Thousands of environmental campaigners rallied noisily and colourfully Saturday in Cornwall to urge G7 leaders to do far more against climate change and biodiversity loss.

Beating drums and holding placards, up to 2,000 activists from the Extinction Rebellion (XR) pressure group staged a procession through Falmouth -- an hour's drive from the Carbis Bay summit site.

The harbour town in southwest England is being used to host a media centre for reporters from around the world covering the first in-person gathering of the elite group since 2019.

Heightened security stretching around the seaside resort at Carbis Bay, including extensive police checkpoints and Royal Navy vessels offshore, has kept protesters largely out of the world leaders' view.

"I have a grandchild who's one, and I want some life for him when he grows up not affected by climate change and pollution," retiree David Oliver, 62, told AFP as he joined the Falmouth protesters.

Oliver had travelled from northwest England, linking up with family members from other parts of the country to descend on Falmouth.

He said G7 leaders appeared unwilling to make the "radical" sacrifices need to avert catastrophic climate change.

Dozens of demonstrators dressed entirely in red -- representing the accelerating rate of species' extinctions -- led the procession through Falmouth behind a banner reading: "G is for greenwashing."

Others held placards bearing various slogans, including "deeds not words".

- 'Desperately needed moves' -

Falmouth resident Sas Joyce, 42, joined with her nine-year-old son -- who held aloft a sign saying "the sea dies, we die" -- and daughter, aged six.

"We just can't make our voices heard," she complained of perceived continued global inaction on the environment.

The G7 was due to discuss action on climate change and safeguarding global biodiversity on Sunday, laying the groundwork for the UN's pivotal COP26 environmental summit in Scotland in November.

The leaders are expected to debate a pledge to protect at least 30 percent of the world's land and oceans by 2030.

On Friday they met business leaders to discuss ramping up sustainability efforts, at a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles at Cornwall's Eden Project, a renowned attraction showcasing the world's ecological riches.#photo1

Despite a raft of recent climate pledges by G7 and other countries, campaigners want more detailed plans to be implemented quicker alongside greater aid for poorer nations.

Activists from UK-based anti-poverty organisation Oxfam posed Saturday as the G7 leaders, wearing papier mache heads and relaxing on deckchairs on a beach in Falmouth to make their point.

"We need to put pressure on the G7 here in Cornwall to do far more to cut their carbon but also to deliver the desperately needed moves to help poor countries in Africa and the rest of the world, who are having to fight climate change right now," said Oxfam's Max Lawson.

© 2021 AFP

GEN Z 'WOKE' PRINCESS
Dutch princess won't accept payment when she turns 18

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The heir to the Dutch throne, Princess Amalia, has decided for the next few years not to accept the allowance -- worth some 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) per year -- that she is entitled to receive annually once she turns 18 in December.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The princess sent a hand-written letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte informing him of her decision on Friday. She said she would repay the money — which will still be deposited in her account — while she is still a student.

The payment is made up of about 300,000 euros directly to the princess and 1.3 million to cover staff costs and other expenses.

The princess heard Thursday that she had passed all her high school final exams and now is planning to take a gap year before going to university.

“I find it uncomfortable as long as I can offer little in return and other students have it so much more difficult, especially in these uncertain corona times,” the princess wrote.

Rutte wrote back to congratulate Amalia on graduating high school and said he understood and appreciated her decision.

The move comes at a time of declining popularity for the House of Orange in the Netherlands.

Amalia’s parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, came in for harsh criticism last year when they took the family on vacation to their holiday home in Greece amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The family cut short the trip and hurried home after a public outcry at the vacation.

In a video message issued after their return in October last year, a somber Willem-Alexander told the nation: "It hurts to have betrayed your faith in us.”

The vacation did not breach coronavirus restrictions, but came just days after the Dutch government introduced what it called a “partial lockdown” in a bid to rein in soaring infections.

The Associated Press

ABUSE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL MULLIGAN 

Ford's use of notwithstanding clause for third-party ads law may backfire: experts

TORONTO — Representatives have returned to Ontario's legislature for an emergency weekend debate on election finance law with implications for free speech that experts warn may backfire on Premier Doug Ford's government.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Debate was scheduled to start overnight into Saturday morning and continue over the next several days on the bill tabled this week using the notwithstanding clause — the rarely-used constitutional tool that allows legislatures to override portions of the charter of Rights and Freedoms for five years.

The bill in question restores rules on third-party ad spending which a provincial judge rejected as unconstitutional earlier this week. The law doubles the restricted third-party ad spending period to 12 months before an election campaign gets underway, but keeps the spending limit of $600,000 the same.

Unions have said the rules infringe on their rights to free speech. The Progressive Conservative government has argued the changes are necessary to protect elections from outside influence, but critics have been quick to label the move a power play aimed at silencing opposition ahead of next June's election.

Western University political science professor Cristine de Clercy said the term “third party” may sound vague, but the legislation has free speech implications for the majority of Ontarians.

“It basically affects all the rest of us, all the people and groups who are not actual political parties,” she said in an interview.

Jeffrey Dvorkin, a senior fellow at the University of Toronto's Massey College, said there are also press freedom issues at stake.

News outlets often rely on the excess revenue from advertisements during elections, he said, and the changes to the Election Finances Act threaten that income stream.

“It’s dangerous politically, and it's dangerous for a free media,” Dvorkin said. "It actually really has a lot of damaging consequences for the state of a healthy and independent media landscape, and I don't think the government has considered this."

At the heart of this weekend's debate is an effort to balance free speech and fair access to political expression, de Clercy said, describing them as complicated issues that Canadian governments and courts have grappled with before.

It’s not usual for courts to find legislation unconstitutional and for governments to respond by re-drafting laws or appealing decisions, but de Clercy said Ford’s drastic methods -- of using the notwithstanding clause and holding an emergency weekend debate to get it done quickly -- stand out.

Video: Ford government uses notwithstanding clause (Global News)

“It sort of underscores the concern that Mr. Ford is moving to expedite this legislation out of partisan self-interest, because he thinks that will help his party in the next election rather than because he thinks it's good legislation that Ontarians need,” she said.

Andrew McDougall, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said use of the notwithstanding clause is not a politically smart move because the baggage behind the measure often overpowers discussion about other issues.

“As soon as you use the nuclear option of the notwithstanding clause, it changes the entire tenor of the debate to one about civil liberties and how they can be limited, and that's not a great message generally,” he said.

Experts agree that using the notwithstanding clause to push the legislation through will be unpopular. But since Ford's government holds a majority, it’s likely to pass after the weekend of debate unless public pushback grows too strong.

De Clercy noted that Ford appears genuinely worried about third party influence, to the point that he’s willing to face the public after using such an unpopular legislative tool to push through a law deemed unconstitutional. However, she said his methods might contribute to the very problem he hopes to avoid.

“In the very act of trying to perhaps control third party voices against him, he may actually generate more opposition than he can squash,” she said.

McDougall said the government also runs the risk of drowning out news stories that might reflect well on them, such as improvements in COVID-19-related trends and the first stage of the province's economic reopening plan, which took effect on Friday.

“Instead of having that story, we're going to have a discussion about civil liberties, which may not be the best political spin for them right now,” McDougall said. “It’ll be interesting to see how this debate plays out on their numbers.”

Opposition parties have acknowledged that they have limited options for fighting the bill. They began on Thursday by introducing motions on other issues to drag out the process, and have called on Ontarians to voice their concerns.

The vice president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, which was involved in the original court challenge, said on Friday that the union was looking into its legal options.

Karen Brown said at a news conference that no matter the outcome of the marathon weekend debate, voters can still mobilize against the government next June.

"Ford can pass legislation that tramples on our democratic Charter rights, but he will not silence us," she said. "We can replace this government."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2021.

Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian Press

Saturday's Letters; 

Public pays price for Keystone loss

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has confirmed that the Keystone XL pipeline will be abandoned at a public cost of $1.3 billion — which could have been better spent to sustain schools and universities and to alleviate homelessness.

Meanwhile, during the 14-month period of this ill-conceived subsidy to TC Energy, the majority owner of the pipeline, shares of TC rose from $54.98 to $64.47 and paid dividends of $3.30 — for a total return of 23 per cent. This is the UCP way: Privatize profits, socialize risks.

Ron Chalmers, Edmonton

Saturday's letters: Curriculum ignores Japanese Canadian internment

Alberta has been built through the contributions of its citizens — many who came from distant shores. It is shocking to see that the proposed K-6 curriculum ignores so many groups, as if they never existed. The experience of Japanese Canadians is one example.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Relocation of Japanese-Canadians to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia. 1942 AND TO  LETHBRIDGE, TABER,  ALBERTA

Many Japanese Canadians arrived in Alberta near the end of the Second World War. These families, who were Canadian citizens, were forced from their homes in British Columbia. Their internment and subsequent re-location were in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan.

These families had no part in this, other than their Japanese heritage. Nevertheless, they lost their homes and possessions, their citizenship and freedom. Most were forced to work in the sugar beet fields of southern Alberta in areas like Taber and Picture Butte in very harsh and primitive conditions. None received compensation for their loss and it was not until 1988 that the federal government apologized for its mistreatment of Japanese Canadians and provided modest redress funds to those who were still alive. The emotional toll still exists today for the survivors and their descendants.

We want our children to learn about the experiences of those from different backgrounds. A truthful and informed understanding is vital for today’s youth to recognize the costly mistakes of the past and embrace a more inclusive and understanding society.

Paul Fujishige, president, Edmonton Japanese Community Association

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for INTERNMENT 

NDP calls for safe supply of drugs, other actions to curb Alberta's overdose crisis
Anna Junker 

© Provided by Edmonton Journal NDP mental health and addictions critic Lori Sigurdson, right, and NDP MLA Janis Irwin, left, called on the province to tackle the spike in overdoses, Friday, June 11, 2021.

Safe, legal, and regulated pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs are part of a plan proposed by Alberta’s Opposition NDP to address the province’s current overdose crisis.

On Friday, NDP mental health and addictions critic Lori Sigurdson called on the province to adopt a three-point emergency action plan to tackle the spike in overdoses. The plan includes urgently expanding safe consumption site services not only in Edmonton and Calgary, but other municipalities such as Grande Prairie and Lethbridge.

Along with providing a safe supply of drugs, Sigurdson said the province should also offer drug checking services so individuals can test to see if their drugs are lethally toxic, a practice currently in place in British Columbia and Manitoba.

“When more than four Albertans are killed by an overdose every single day, how can we not do everything in our power to prevent more deaths,” Sigurdson said.

“The government often presents this to Albertans as a false choice — that we can do harm reduction, or we can do treatment and that’s simply not true. We must do both.”

The call comes days after Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jason Luan announced a nasal Naloxone pilot project for Edmonton .

Edmonton in particular has seen a spike in overdoses. Between May 31 and June 1, emergency medical services responded to 55 opioid-related calls in the Edmonton Zone, prompting an alert to be issued by Alberta Health Services.

According to the latest provincial data, 346 Albertans died of an accidental opioid overdose between January and March this year and of those, 109 were in Edmonton.

During the same time period last year, 160 Albertans died of an accidental overdose. Fifty-three of those deaths were in Edmonton.

Video: Alberta NDP Alleges Contact Tracing Failure (Edmonton Journal)

Lorna Thomas with Moms Stop the Harm holds a photograph of people that have died from substance related issues, waits to talk after Mental Health and Addictions critic Loris Sigurdson and MLA Janis Irwin at a press conference to put pressure on the UCP government to deal with the opioid crisis. Taken on Friday, June 11, 2021 in Edmonton. . Greg Southam-Postmedia

Lorna Thomas, a founder of Moms Stop the Harm, a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-related harms and death said during the press conference Friday that every day she receives messages from bereaved parents.

“Just over the last month in Riverdale in Edmonton where I live, five young people have passed away, all of them were under the age of 32. These deaths are preventable,” Thomas said.

She said the measures proposed by the NDP will help keep people alive.

“Addiction is defined as continuing to use despite consequences. So if we don’t want the consequence of drug use to be death, I implore the UCP government to work with the NDP to implement the recommendations that are being made,” said Thomas.

Justin Marshall, spokesman for Luan, said in a statement the province does not share the same view in offering a safe supply of drugs.

“We understand the Notley NDP wishes to adopt the British Columbia approach of flooding the streets with taxpayer-funded drugs. We do not share this view. Contrary to what some would like to argue, drugs are not ‘safe.’ Period,” Marshall said.

“We are working to establish a full continuum of care for people struggling with addiction, inclusive of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. Making dangerous and addictive drugs more available and free is contrary to the ultimate goal of getting Albertans suffering from addiction off drugs.”

He also noted the province would be interested in reviewing evidence from other provinces on drug checking and if it makes a difference in curbing overdoses.

“We will continue to take a city-by-city/site-by-site approach in regard to supervised consumptions services to ensure Albertans who are struggling with addiction get the help they need, while maintaining the safety and security of communities,” Marshall said.

Meanwhile, a recovery community in Red Deer that the province announced last year is moving forward.

In a news release Friday, the province said a 10-acre parcel of land in north Red Deer will be home to the 75-bed recovery community, a form of long-term residential treatment for addiction.

The community is within the Chiles Industrial Park, directly adjacent to Highway 2A and construction is anticipated to begin this fall.

ajunker@postmedia.com

Doctor who faced racism after COVID-19 outbreak sues New Brunswick, RCMP

© Provided by The Canadian Press

A Black doctor who says he faced a barrage of hate and racism after being accused of breaking COVID-19 rules amid an outbreak last year announced Friday he is suing the New Brunswick government and the RCMP.

Lawyers representing Dr. Jean Robert Ngola told reporters the lawsuit alleges an abuse of power, defamation, negligence, malicious prosecution and a breach of the physician's charter rights. They say their client was a victim of systemic racism and anti-Black racism.

Ngola, a family doctor who was working in the northern New Brunswick city of Campbellton, was accused of violating the province's Emergency Measures Act, but the Crown withdrew the charge last week after concluding there was no chance of conviction.

Ngola had driven to Montreal in May 2020 to pick up his daughter, because her mother was travelling to Africa to attend a funeral. He did not self-isolate for two weeks when he returned, as provincial health guidelines direct, but Ngola said that was consistent with the practice of other physicians at his hospital.

He has been seeking an apology from Premier Blaine Higgs, who on May 27, 2020 — without naming Ngola — linked a growing COVID-19 outbreak in the Campbellton area to "one irresponsible individual," a health-care worker, and said the matter was being handled by the RCMP.

The statement of claim filed in New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench refers to Ngola's "banishment" from the province, which it says was brought on by the premier, the government, a police force and social media. Ngola, a Canadian citizen of Congolese descent, relocated to Quebec last summer and now practises medicine there.

"A Canadian citizen is entitled constitutionally to reside in any Canadian province or territory of choice and should not be shamed and coerced into banishment because of governmental action," the filing reads.

Lawyer Joel Etienne says the situation is unprecedented and so are the remedies being sought, saying the financial compensation is secondary seeing restorative justice measures, a public apology and a system of checks and balances to ensure such a case doesn't happen again.

Video: Charges withdrawn against New Brunswick doctor blamed for COVID-19 outbreak (cbc.ca)
Duration 1:56

"Dr. Ngola does insist on a public apology from the RCMP and the government of New Brunswick, but an apology will not be enough to make sure that such an ordeal is never again visited on a vulnerable citizen," the filing reads. "Dr. Ngola’s experience was a consequence of institutional anti-Black systemic racism."

Higgs has maintained he had done nothing wrong and again Friday he declined to offer an apology. Instead he repeated his call for Ngola to waive his right to privacy so the premier can disclose what he knows about the case. "I would like for all of information to be available to the public and let the public determine," Higgs told reporters outside the legislature, adding that a court case would offer such an avenue.

The lawsuit says there was no scientific evidence to single out Dr. Ngola as a patient zero in the outbreak, but nonetheless news got out that Ngola was the worker in question after his positive COVID-19 status was leaked on social media.

"Dr. Ngola was barraged with death threats (some of which called for his lynching) and racists insults," the court filing claims. It says he was stalked by people "who called him a refugee and told him to go back to Africa."

He had to seek police protection but claims the RCMP engaged in racial profiling, as numerous false tips were sent to police reporting Ngola was breaching his quarantine.

"False sightings of Dr. Ngola, essentially of other black residents, mistakenly observed to be Dr. Ngola, would result in calls to the RCMP, and the RCMP re-attending Dr. Ngola’s home to verify whether he was quarantining," the document read.

The court filing said the premier, who isn't named as a defendant, should have known his comments would lead people to connect the dots to Ngola.

Ngola had planned to remain Campbellton, where he worked at the hospital and had a private practice for eight years. But the lawsuit claims he was told by a security expert it wouldn't be possible to remain in the province and live safely.

The doctor's lawyers had repeatedly called on Higgs to apologize, first after presenting evidence he could not be patient zero in the outbreak and again after the RCMP said no criminal charges would be laid last July. One month later, he was charged violating the provincial health rule.

After the Crown withdrew that charge last week, the lawyers gave Higgs one more week to apologize or face legal action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2021.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

First Nation declares sovereignty over Saskatchewan River Delta

Cumberland House Cree Nation has declared sovereignty over the largest inland freshwater river delta in North America.

"We see it as a protection of our homeland, and a utilization to benefit our people, to get them out of poverty," Chief Rene Chaboyer said.

The Saskatchewan River Delta stretches over roughly one million hectares along the Saskatchewan and Manitoba border. Its declining vitality is threatening traditional ways of life.

Chaboyer wants to use the declaration as a springboard for greater control of the delta, spurring environmental protections and economic development. However, reversing any possible decline remains murky, he said

"There's uncertainty there. We've had land users, trappers, fisherman, professionals come into our delta and try to figure out the solution to get it back to its natural state," he said.

"We've got to do something to save what's left."

The declaration comes roughly a year after he expressed concern over a lack of consultation on a massive provincial irrigation project at Lake Diefenbaker that he says could affect water flows into the delta. He said he remains hopeful for a solution that could satisfy all parties.

He wasn't alone in urging a seat at the table for the First Nation.

"For too long, (the delta) has been degraded by government policies and decisions that do not consider or include First Nations’ voices — and today that way of doing business comes to an end," Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief Heather Bear said in a prepared statement.

Declaring sovereignty is a milestone, but there's a long way to go, noted Gord Vaadeland, executive director of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Saskatchewan, who is offering support for the First Nation's efforts.

The Lake Diefenbaker project remains in its early stages, but it's concerning for its potential "significant impacts" on the delta, he said.

The declaration of sovereignty is invitational — not confrontational — toward the province, he added.

The First Nation is in the process of developing a co-management model for the region. To raise its profile, it's also working toward a designation as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, a prepared statement noted.

The ecosystems in the Delta are home to several at-risk plants, birds, and mammals. It has also supported local hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, ecotourism, medicine gathering, carbon sequestration, sustainable forestry practices and local employment, the statement added.

First Nations-led conservation efforts are unique, but a long-term vision could support economic opportunities around traditional ways of life, eco tourism and carbon storage, Vaadeland said.

Chaboyer said he hopes a push for greater control over his band's traditional lands may be an answer to those challenges.

"There's a lot at stake, and we're going to do what it takes to save it."

Nick Pearce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The StarPhoenix

‘Heartbreaking’ overdose death of Indigenous teen in B.C. care highlights need for change: report

By Jon Azpiri Global News
Posted June 10, 2021 

VIDEO Global News Hour at 6 BC: B.C. children's advocate has released a scathing report into the death of an indigenous teenager who died of a drug overdose on her 17th birthday. Neetu Garcha reports.

B.C. children’s watchdog is sharing the heartbreaking story of the death of an Indigenous child while in government care.

In a new report titled Skye’s Legacy: A Focus on Belonging, B.C.’s representative for children and youth highlights the short life of an Indigenous teen name Skye and how the system failed her.

VIDEO 1:59 Family calls for public inquiry after Indigenous teen’s death in Abbotsford group home – Oct 15, 2020

Skye spent nearly 12 years in the care of B.C.’s Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and was moved 15 times. She died of an unintentional overdose in August 2017 on her 17th birthday, less than a year after her mother passed away.

“Skye and her mother deserved much, much better,” Jennifer Charlesworth, B.C.’s representative for children and youth, said.

READ MORE: ‘It doesn’t leave a person’: Residential schools aren’t ‘history’ for many, advocates say

“It’s heartbreaking that neither of them received the kind of foundational supports that might have enabled them to deal with the trauma they had experienced and, at the very least, to have a relationship with each other.”

Skye was removed from her mother’s care when she was five years old, according to the report. Rather than re-establishing a relationship between mother and daughter, Skye was put up for adoption, which resulted in three failed adoption plans and subsequent turmoil and emotional harm, the report said. Skye lived in eight different foster homes, attended eight schools and had 18 social workers during her time in care.

She also lacked opportunities to connect to her Dene culture and visit her home territory in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., despite her requests.

READ MORE: New Indigenous child-welfare law takes effect, but minister says change will be slow

Charlesworth supports the resumption of jurisdiction by First Nations and communities over their own child welfare services, which has been enabled by the passage of Bill C-92.

As that process unfolds, steps are needed to ensure that Indigenous children currently in MCFD care can achieve a sense of belonging, the report said.

Two sides of the same coin: Ex-foster kids identify with residential school survivors

VANCOUVER — As stories of the horrors of residential schools circulate after the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced it had located what are believed to be the remains of 215 children, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said he feels a connection with the former students.

Phillip was placed in a foster care system in the 1950s that, to this day, consists of a disproportionate number of Indigenous children, he said. He was raised by white people and he was one of only two Indigenous students at his high school.

There are obvious differences with the residential school system, which was largely run by churches, but Phillip said the child welfare system also shares some similarities in the way that children have been taken from their families, communities and nations.

"You're isolated from your history, your language, your culture, your customs. As a consequence, I don't sing, I don't drum, I don't dance," he said in an interview.

"That may sound like not much to you but to me it's like part of my heart and soul has been ripped out. It really bothers me when I'm in an environment where there's drumming and singing and celebrating because I feel so left out, so isolated, so not belonging."

Children in care are more likely to suffer mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction, as well as deal with issues associated with trauma, he noted.

"My vision of this is that it's two sides of the same genocidal coin," Phillip said referring to residential schools and the child welfare system.

"They both inflicted enormous trauma on the victims of both systems."

Phillip is among several former foster children, advocates and politicians drawing the link between the two systems and calling for change.

In the House of Commons last week, Inuk MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who represents Nunavut, equated the foster care system with residential schools.

"Children are still being separated from their communities. Foster care is the new residential school system. The suicide epidemic is the new form of Indigenous genocide," Qaqqaq said in an emotional address.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the removal of Indigenous kids from their home communities must end.

In 2019, the Commons passed a bill to counter the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in foster care. Since then, Ottawa has been working to allow Indigenous communities to keep at-risk children and youth in their home communities with their own language and culture, Trudeau said.

Beyond cultural harm, former children in care also have higher death rates than the general public.

A report published three years ago by the BC Coroner Service's Child Death Review Panel found young people leaving government care died at five times the rate of the general population of young people in the province, and a disproportionate number of those fatalities were Indigenous youth.

A death review panel report of First Nations youth and young adults published a year earlier highlighted that culture — and the interconnectedness of individuals, families, communities and First Nations — play an integral role in their health and wellness. Factors like colonialism, historical trauma and poverty were named as detriments to health and wellness.

Phillip said the only hope for Canada is to teach the "absolute truth" in schools about its racist history, including the legislation and policies that created the residential school and child welfare systems. Politicians also need to stop referring to a "dark chapter" in the country's history when the effects of racism are ongoing, and there should be harsher penalties for racist attacks and acts of hate, he said.

Phillip said he gets strength and comfort from his wife Joan and through the advocacy work he does fighting for Indigenous and other rights.

"It's not an occupation or job for me, it's my life."

Phillip's perspective was mirrored by another former foster child, jaye simpson, who uses the pronouns they and them and does not capitalize their name.

"My experiences in care were very restrictive and traumatizing where I didn't have a lot of access to my culture," said simpson, 26, who is Oji-Cree and spent 16 years in foster care in British Columbia and Manitoba.

Although simpson's care was overseen by a delegated Aboriginal agency, simpson said at times there was no opportunity to participate in cultural events or language classes.

The B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development says online that its practice emphasizes family preservation, when appropriately safe, keeping children and youth from coming into care.

In British Columbia, First Nations make up six per cent of the total population, yet about 45 per cent of youth in care are Indigenous. In Manitoba, nearly nine in 10 youth in care are Indigenous.

After being placed with a "really good" foster family in Kamloops, simpson found kinship and mentorship within the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc community. After aging out of care, simpson remained in Kamloops and worked on the powwow grounds and with community groups.

"To me, Kamloops is a very important place, I had access to a lot of healing and kinship," said simpson, who acts as an advocate for foster kids.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2021.

Amy Smart, The Canadian Pres