Patrick Brown: Islamophobia is a scourge on Canadian society. We must erase it

What happened in London, Ont., on June 6 was horrific, and sadly this tragedy was not an isolated incident.

Provided by National Post Mourners pray as caskets draped in Canadian flags are lined up at a funeral for the four Muslim family members killed in a deadly vehicle attack on June 6, 2021, in London, Ont. Talat Afzaal, 74, her son Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal all died when they were struck by a driver in what officials have deemed a terror attack.

Whether it is in London, Peterborough, or Quebec City, hate crimes against Muslims are real and a reminder that there is still much work to do in Canada.

After the senseless massacre in Quebec City on Jan. 29, 2017, I had Muslim friends who couldn’t sleep for fear of going out in public the next day wearing a hijab and facing hate or targeted violence.

A few weeks later I was eager to rise at Queen’s Park as leader of the Opposition and support a Liberal MPP’s motion on Islamophobia. I was enthusiastic to support the motion and even more proud to stand in the provincial legislature and declare, “Islamophobia is real, and we have to condemn it unreservedly.”

It was disappointing to see 91 federal MPs in Ottawa subsequently vote against the same motion, which passed nonetheless. Islamophobia can’t be a partisan issue. It’s about what is right and what is wrong. For me, it was very straightforward. Islamophobia is not a difference of opinion. I couldn’t comprehend how it had become a politically polarizing issue.

My best friend growing up was of Muslim faith. His family was no different than mine other than the god they worshipped. But I learned early on, he faced bias and hate simply because of the faith he was born into.

As a younger man I travelled internationally with a Muslim friend quite often, and when flying back to Canada I’d cringe knowing he would undergo enhanced security checks while they wouldn’t give me a second glance.

On the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, Brampton city council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming Jan. 29 as a day of remembrance and action on Islamophobia. In Brampton we honour and remember the victims of discrimination, and fight intolerance.

NP View: After terrible tragedy in London, Canada's leaders must fight hatred with more than condolences

Opinion: A typical London family out for a walk. Until hatred attacked

There are many reasons why bias and hate grow, but the most troubling emanate from the chamber of the extreme far right. In Canada, right-wing extremists broadcast falsehoods, play on emotions and pander to the worst in society.

Islamophobia is disgusting.

The London terrorist attack against the Afzaal family, killing all but a nine-year-old as they were out on an evening stroll simply because they were Muslim, was cowardly, heinous and cruel.

Crimes in Peel Region motivated by race or nationality increased by 54 per cent from 2018 to 2020. Yet, despite these numbers, our justice system continues to have an incredibly high threshold for anyone to be prosecuted under hate-related laws, and as a result, it is not achieving the desired aims.

The Criminal Code of Canada does not specifically define what constitutes a “hate crime” as a chargeable offence, and what is laid out only provides a judge the ability to hand down harsher sentences based on their perception of a perpetrator’s motivation. In Peel, only one-third of the Criminal Code offences designated by police as hate or bias-motivated crimes resulted in Criminal Code charges being brought forward in 2020.

© Twitter Salman Afzaal, 46, and his family were out for a walk the evening of June 6, 2021, in London, Ont., when they were struck by a driver who police believe targeted them because they were Muslim.

Javeed Sukhera, chair of the London Police Services Board, and Ahmad Attia, chair of the Peel Police Services Board, recently wrote, “It’s time to arm our justice system with the necessary tools to root out hatred, and to hold accountable those who perpetrate hate crimes. It’s time to remind far-right extremists and terrorists that our country will not tolerate their hate-motivated crimes and rhetoric. The human cost of our inaction would be too great to bear.”

We need more accountability in the justice system.

Additionally, if there was ever a time for federal leaders to speak up against Quebec’s ban on religious symbols for public-sector workers through the province’s Bill 21, it’s now.

Whether it be with a hijab, yarmulke, turban or any other religious garb or symbol, Canadians have a right to express their faith. The government of Canada can’t simultaneously be against Islamophobia in English Canada and allow it in Quebec.

Two years ago, Brampton council quickly and unanimously passed a motion to support a legal challenge against Bill 21. We would not be bystanders to hate; we reject it and we encouraged other municipalities to join the fight. Canada must be a country where no one fears recrimination based on their faith.

Brampton is deeply grief stricken and outraged by this most recent hate crime. It was heartwarming to see such an outpouring of love, support and strength at the vigil for London’s fallen this past weekend in Brampton. Islamophobia is a scourge on our society. It does not belong in Canada, and we need to erase it.

We can be a nation that celebrates religious freedom, not only in the words of our Charter, but in the reality of our society.

We must embrace, not shun, celebrate, not denigrate, love, not hate.

Patrick Brown is the Mayor of the City of Brampton in Peel Region, Ontario.

Patrick Brown (politician) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Brown_(politician)

• Overview
• Early life and career
• Municipal politics
• Federal politics
• Provincial politics
• Return to municipal politics
• Political views
• Personal life

Patrick Walter Brown (born May 26, 1978) is a Canadian politician who is currently serving as the Mayor of Brampton. Prior to his election as mayor, Brown was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and Ontario's Leader of the Official Opposition from 2015 to 2018.
Brown's political career began when he served on the Barrie City Council in the early 2000s. From 2006 until 2015, Brown was a federal Conservative Member of Parliament representing the riding of Barrie.

QUEBEC NATIONALISTS ARE CHAUVINISTS

Quebec isn't interested in adding a statutory holiday in the province to recognize Indigenous Peoples.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Premier François Legault told reporters today the province has enough statutory holidays and the government isn't interested in adding another, no matter the reason.

The federal government recently adopted Bill C-5, which designates Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; it will apply to federally regulated workers.

Legault says the province marked National Indigenous Peoples Day today and that there's a lot of work to do on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in the province.

He notes that his government has brought back a roundtable with the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and says a first meeting was held last week.

Legault says he hopes Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière will be able to eventually conclude agreements with each of the 11 nations in the province.

"I understand very well we have a lot of work to do for reconciliation between our nation and each of the 11 nations," Legault said today. "We have to honour them, we have to respect them, we have to make sure we don't see racism like we have in the past unfortunately, so there's still a lot of work to do."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.

The Canadian Press

‘Staggering disparity’: Study finds Indigenous people travel farther to give birth

#YEG H SERVE NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NWT/ARCTIC

(Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP) FILE: A mother holds the foot of her newborn baby on July 7, 2018 at the hospital in Nantes, western France.

Indigenous people living in rural Canada are 16 times more likely to travel long distances -- sometimes hundreds of kilometers more -- than non-Indigenous people to give birth, according to a new study.

The findings, published Monday by researchers from several universities, hospitals and health institutions, were found through a review of data from a federal survey on maternity experiences in Canada.

Read more: Canada’s Indigenous communities at greater risk post-surgery, study shows

The results of the review, which included 3,100 mothers living in small and rural towns across Canada, revealed a staggering disparity between the experiences of those across several different communities -- that 23 per cent of Indigenous women had travelled 200 km or more to give birth compared to only two per cent of non-Indigenous.

"I knew there would be a disparity, but I never imagined that the disparity would be so extreme, particularly since we weren't including First Nations women on reserves," Dr. Janet Smylie, who is Métis-Cree and is a family practitioner and professor of public health at the University of Toronto, told a Canadian Medical Association Journal podcast.

Concerns about shuttering of healthcare cultural facilitation team

Smylie and the other co-authors of the study had also taken into account several other socio-economic factors experienced by Indigenous people, pointing specifically that mothers from those communities were more "likely to be single, have lower levels of education, have an income under $30,000 a year, have experienced abuse and have been admitted to hospital during pregnancy than non-Indigenous mothers."

They had also specified that the sample of 3,100 had been weighted to represent 31,000 mothers -- which comprised of 1,800 Indigenous and 29,300 non-Indigenous -- and that First Nations women who were living on reserve were excluded from the survey.

Read more: Death of Harlen Laboucan reveals ‘glaring disparities’ of Indigenous health care: doctors

Smylie said that for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, giving birth close to home is a very important tradition because the land is considered a part of their family.

"If you have to move away from where you're from, it's like leaving a very important relative out of the birth experience," said Smylie.

Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and expert on Indigenous and refugee health at the University of Toronto, said she wasn't surprised by the findings of the report.

Video: Ottawa allows Indigenous people to reclaim birth names on official documents (cbc.ca)

Read more: COVID-19, lack of mental health support creating ‘dual pandemic’ for Indigenous Canadians

Though Banerji wasn't directly involved in the study, she frequently travels to and works out of rural Indigenous communities, and said that there are so many other complications to consider for Indigenous people who are not able to give birth within their communities.

Trudeau announces additional funding for national action plan on MMIWG

"So it has a huge impact on these young women -- they're separated from their families, often separated from their spouses, they can be separated from their children," Banerji said, noting that in many instances, women would have to fly large distances from their communities and wait by themselves in boarding houses or tertiary centres.


"Often they travel alone so they don't have someone there with them during the birth, they may be in places where they don't speak the language or the health care providers may not understand the culture."

Read more: Echaquan inquiry: Former health boss says he was unaware of racism problem at hospital

The study's authors also pointed to the discrepancies in travel distance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as being a result of longstanding systemic colonial policies.

Banerji said, however, that these policies have far extended past that of Indigenous health care, pointing to disparities in funding across the board from education to housing to social services.

Death of 6-year-old reveals gaps in Indigenous health-care system

"Indigenous people get per capita a fraction of the funding that non-Indigenous people get, and that is very much a colonialist attitude -- that they don't need more, deserve more," she said.

"I would say it's actually an apartheid attitude where you have differential funding in one group of people based on race."

Though a lack of access to health care in those communities, including those in reserves, remains one of the longest running issues faced by Indigenous peoples, the studies authors pointed at several ways to help increase access to proper birthing support.

Bringing in more Indigenous midwives and health professionals to or near those communities, as well as including community leaders in health service planning, could all potentially help increase access.

Lack of access to Indigenous midwifery

Banerji said that they need to take it a step further and start looking at the system as whole to make it safer and more equitable for Indigenous people.

"We've seen over and over again, especially in the past few years, how Indigenous people are generally treated differently than non-Indigenous people," she said.

Ultimately, Banerji said that concrete steps need to be taken in remediating those disparities and that funding should be going to both health-care workers and to the education of those not working in health care as well.

 Canada  

NDP's Singh blasts Liberal 'hypocrisy' on National Indigenous Peoples Day

Liberal 'hypocrisy' blasted

The Canadian Press - Jun 21, 2021 / 9:25 am | Story: 337622

Photo: The Canadian Press

Inuk elder Reepa Evic-Carleton lights a traditional oil lamp at a ceremony to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he believes the Liberal government is "hypocritical" for saying it wants to make reparations for past sins against Indigenous people while also facing tough criticisms of its handling of a number of key files.

Singh says the Liberals are hoping to turn the page and celebrate their achievements on reconciliation with First Peoples today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, but he believes they should instead be taken to task on their record.

The Liberals have faced several weeks of challenging questions following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

A number of Indigenous groups also condemned Ottawa's action plan responding to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, calling the development process not consultative enough and the plan “fragmented.”

Ottawa was also in Federal Court last week challenging two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that found the federal government discriminated against Indigenous children by not properly funding child and family services.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published a series of tweets today celebrating the "vibrant and diverse cultures, languages, and traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples," but he also acknowledged that action must be taken because "saying sorry is not enough."

VIDEO

HOW CANADIAN OF US

Canadians appreciate Indigenous land acknowledgements, but don't think it applies to them: poll

OTTAWA — A new poll shows that while Canadians want politicians to acknowledge the Indigenous history of the land they’re standing on, they don’t think it applies to their own land.

Provided by National Post 

The Canadian flag stretched out in the wind on Monday, February 15, 2021.

Indigenous land acknowledgments in which speakers, usually politicians, mention the Indigenous history of the land they are speaking on have become common in recent years. As an example, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau often mentions when he is speaking from Ottawa that he is sitting on unceded Algonquin territory.

A new poll done by the Association for Canadian Studies, a not-for-profit focused on increasing Canadians’ understanding of our past, found that most people appreciate the statements coming from their political leaders.

In the poll, 50 per cent of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat agree that politicians should regularly make a land acknowledgement, in contrast to 34 per cent who disagree and 17 per cent who don’t know.

Support for the statements was generally highest among younger people, with 67 per cent of people in the age group agreeing with it.

Despite the support for having politicians say it, when asked if they personally are living on unceded Indigenous territory, only 25 per cent of people agreed.

Jack Jedwab, president of the association, said it shows there is work for people to do in understanding what the acknowledgements actually mean.

“People feel it’s okay for governments to make that acknowledgement, but a lot of people simply don’t feel that they’re not on their own territory, so to speak,” he said.

Jedwab said he believes many people interpret that as saying they don’t own their land, rather than simply acknowledging the history behind it. He said there is a need for more education on what land acknowledgments really mean.

“Optimally, the idea is to give meaning to these land acknowledgments. We don’t want them to be gratuitous land acknowledgments, we want people to understand what they are about,” he said.

Unceded Indigenous territory generally refers to lands that were controlled by Indigenous communities before French and British settlers arrived. Courts have since recognized those claims, and land claim settlements have been underway with Indigenous communities to compensate communities for the land.

Mostly in Western Canada, Indigenous communities entered into treaties with the Canadian government of the time. Land acknowledgments in the Prairies generally mention those treaties, which were often not fulfilled.

The government is engaged in negotiations over land claims with Indigenous communities across the country. Jedwab said these views could be a political barrier to those negotiations, but generally he believes Canadians just need to better understand the process.

“My conclusion from all this, is there’s more education and more understanding that’s required,” he said.

The poll used an online panel and reached out to 1,539 respondents between June 4 and June 6.

Twitter: RyanTumilty

Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com

Ottawa approves new truth and reconciliation legislation on National Indigenous Peoples Day

Nick Boisvert 

© Justin Tang/The Canadian Press People gather at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 30, 2021. Children's shoes were displayed there following the discovery of children's remains at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

New Canadians will soon have to affirm their commitment to respecting treaties with Indigenous peoples when they are sworn in as citizens.

Two pieces of legislation concerning the government's relationship with Indigenous peoples received royal assent and became law Monday evening.

One of them, Bill C-8, will change Canada's oath of citizenship to include a new line acknowledging the country's treaties with Indigenous communities.

New citizens will be asked to affirm their commitment to Canadian law, "including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples."

That change reflects the 94th and final recommendation in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's landmark 2015 report.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said the change "will help new Canadians better understand the role of Indigenous peoples, the ongoing impact of colonialism and residential schools and our collective obligation to uphold the treaties."

The other legal change comes through Bill C-15, which will see Canada formally adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Both bills have been approved already by the House of Commons and the Senate, although Conservatives in both chambers said they were concerned by the UNDRIP bill and largely voted against it.

Richard Wagner, who is serving temporarily as the acting governor general, granted the bills royal assent on Monday evening, which enshrines them as law.

The legislation was approved on National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Grand chief notes 'abysmal' situation in Indigenous communities

Video: National Indigenous Peoples Day (Global News)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the occasion on social media earlier Monday by acknowledging that Canada has "much more work to do to advance truth and reconciliation."

Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip described the government's adoption of UNDRIP as a "significant development" before laying out numerous inequities that continue to plague Indigenous peoples in Canada.

"The true measure of reconciliation must be taken on the ground itself, and in that regard we still have abysmal rates of infant mortality, children are apprehended on an ever-increasing basis, we have an epidemic of youth suicides, Indigenous women are continuing to be kidnapped and murdered," Stewart said in an interview on CBC's Power & Politics.

"When one looks at the reality on the ground, we haven't really moved to where we need to be," Phillip added.
Singh, Qaqqaq say Liberals have nothing to be proud of

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday he believes the Liberal government is "hypocritical" for saying it wants to make reparations for past sins against Indigenous people while also facing tough criticism of its handling of a number of key files.

Singh said the Liberals are hoping to turn the page and celebrate their achievements on reconciliation with First Peoples, but he believes they should instead be taken to task over their record.

The Liberals have faced several weeks of challenging questions following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

A number of Indigenous groups also condemned Ottawa's action plan responding to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, saying the development process was not consultative enough and calling the plan "fragmented."© Sean Kilpatrick / Canadian Press NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said appropriate action has not yet been taken to address Canada's 'genocidal policies that targeted Indigenous families and communities.'

Ottawa was also in Federal Court last week challenging two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that found the federal government discriminated against Indigenous children by not properly funding child and family services.

Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq acknowledged National Indigenous Peoples Day while speaking to the House of Commons on Monday.

She said the federal government ought to be ashamed of its record on serving Indigenous communities.

"It should be a day of celebration, of culture and history. But I am filled with a tremendous amount of sadness and anger," Qaqqaq said.

"There is nothing for Indigenous peoples to be proud of in this institution."

CANADA
Two Catholic churches burn to ground on First Nations' land
David Carrigg 

VANCOUVER SUN

© JAMES MILLER Firefighters' jackets hang Monday on the fence outside what used to be Sacred Heart Church on the Penticton Indian Reserve. The church was destroyed by a fire around 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Two Catholic churches on Indigenous land in the southern Okanagan were destroyed by fire early Monday, as shock waves continue from the discovery of 215 unidentified graves near the old Kamloops Indian Residential School.

According to Penticton South Okanagan RCMP spokesman Sgt. Jason Bayda, an officer on patrol spotted fire coming from the Sacred Heart Church on Penticton Indian Band land at around 1:20 a.m.

Penticton Fire and Rescue were called and arrived to find the church fully engulfed in flames.

Bayda said that less than two hours later — at 3:10 a.m. — Oliver RCMP and the Oliver Fire Department were notified that St. Gregory’s Church on Osoyoos Indian Band land was ablaze.

Oliver is a 40-minute drive south of Penticton on Highway 97.

“Both churches burned to the ground and police are treating the fires as suspicious,” Bayda said.

The wooden churches were each at least 100 years old and are the responsibility of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson.

“Investigators have and continue to liaise with both the Penticton and Osoyoos Indian bands as we investigate these fires,” Bayda said.

“Should our investigations deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action. We are sensitive to the recent events, but won’t speculate on a motive.”

© ROY WOOD The remains of St. Gregory Church on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. It was destroyed by fire at around 3 a.m. on Monday.

Bayda was referring to the discovery of the remains of the 215 kids found late last month. This discovery has sparked outrage directed toward the Catholic Church that operated the majority of B.C.’s 28 residential schools, and the federal government that created the policy and funded the institutions, where children were systematically degraded and abused.

June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

Father Thomas Kakkaniyil, the priest in charge of St. Gregory’s Church, said Sunday had been the first mass at the church in over a year — due to COVID-19. He said the church had daytime security for the mass, but there was no security overnight.

“Somebody from outside came and burned it as I understand it,” Kakkaniyil said. “It was done on the Osoyoos First Nation land but not by those people. It was somebody else.”

A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver said there would be no comment on Monday’s fires.

“We do not consider this as cause for concern for churches locally,” Makani Marquis said.

Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band said the Sacred Heart Church was a community fixture that hosted weddings and funerals but many people also feel pain due to the Roman Catholic Church’s role operating abusive residential schools.

“There’s a lot of anger, a lot of hurt in every First Nations, Indigenous community throughout Canada,” he said, adding that he was not speculating on the cause of the fire.

Gabriel said he was awoken by a staff member calling at 2 a.m. to report the church was on fire.

“I quickly rushed down to the church site and by the time I got there it was already gone. It was a very old church and didn’t take very much time for it to completely burn down,” he said.

The church was built around 1912, he said.

The Penticton Indian Band is also asking that band members not be approached to ask how they felt about the fires.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com

— with a file from Canadian Press

First Nations, political leaders mark Indigenous Peoples Day, recognizing dark truths

Ottawa— As many settler Canadians gain greater awareness of the dark and disturbing truths about the country's mistreatment of Indigenous populations, political leaders struck conciliatory tones in recognizing National Indigenous People's Day Monday.

 Provided by The Canadian Press

The normally colourful and celebratory day — which has been marked in Canada since 1996 — came on the heels of several weeks of emotional events that have highlighted the need to reform institutions and policies that perpetuate systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement celebrating the "vibrant and diverse cultures, languages and beautiful traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples," but he also acknowledged there is more work to do on reconciliation efforts because "saying sorry is not enough."

He pointed to the recent discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

"We must never forget those innocent souls lost — this must be our collective commitment toward reconciliation," Trudeau said in his statement.

"We need to right past wrongs and address ongoing challenges, and we can only accomplish this with action."

But NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused the Liberal government of being "hypocritical" for saying it wants to make reparations for past sins against Indigenous people while continuing some actions that have sparked strong rebuke from Indigenous communities.

He pointed specifically to the ongoing legal challenge by Ottawa, which is asking the Federal Court to set aside two rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that found the federal government discriminated against Indigenous children by not properly funding child and family services.

"To me it really speaks of incredible hypocrisy that, on one hand at the federal level, we would celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, and on the other hand, we've got a Liberal government that's now fighting them and continues to fight these kids in court," Singh said.

A number of Indigenous groups also condemned Ottawa's action plan responding to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, calling the development process not consultative enough and the plan “fragmented.”

Inuk NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq did not mince words when she told the House of Commons that Monday should have been a celebration of Indigenous culture and history, but instead it filled with her with sadness and anger.

"This place pats themselves on the back while denying Inuit access to safe, livable space that keeps them alive. There is nothing, nothing to be proud of for Indigenous Peoples in this institution," she said.

"You should all feel extreme shame. I feel shame that Inuit are continuously being denied the right to live, the right to self-determination."

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet stressed the importance of acknowledging historic truths, however painful, to help the process of healing for families and grieving for nations.

He successfully received unanimous consent for a motion calling on the federal government to fund the identification of other residential school burial sites and to investigate the potential presence of other remains of children across the country.

The federal government recently said it would make $27 million urgently available to locate and memorialize children in unmarked graves, money that was originally earmarked in the 2019 budget. Saskatchewan committed $2 million to support searches in that province last week and on Monday, Manitoba committed $2.5 million toward these efforts.

Across the country, political leaders and Canadians shared tributes to Indigenous Peoples and cultures and recognized the need to do more to take responsibility for wrongs perpetrated by the state against the First Peoples of this land.

Indigenous leaders, meanwhile, shared words of mourning and calls for greater accountability for those past wrongs.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said National Indigenous Peoples Day coming in the wake of the discovery in Kamloops highlights the "pain, trauma and hurt that continues to be inflicted by practices of colonialism."

Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council Grand Chief John Boudrias said he considers it positive that governments are now recognizing the mistakes of the past, apologizing and promising reconciliation, but without a real process to repair these mistakes — especially in the management of Indigenous territories — these remain "empty phrases."

“If Mr. Trudeau recognizes that he is in Algonquin territory when he is in Ottawa, he should also recognize that as the owner of this territory, the Algonquins have the right to participate in its management and benefit from it,” Boudrias said.

He also called on Quebec Premier François Legault to recognize that systemic racism exists against Indigenous people in his province.

In Eastern Canada, about 150 people gathered on the front lawn of the New Brunswick legislature in an event meant to convey the need for more "allyship" with First Nations.

St. Mary's First Nation Chief Allan Polchies Jr. offered prayers of healing to First Nations communities, especially to those that didn't have the opportunity to have closure — like the families of the 215 children.

"For many Canadians this was an eye-opener, a revelation that confirmed what Indian residential school survivors were telling us for centuries, but nobody was listening."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.

With files from Kevin Bissett in Fredericton, Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg and Beth Leighton in Vancouver

Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press

A for Quebec, F for Alberta: Study rates Canadian governments on conservation


A new report grades Canadian governments in how they responded to the country's international promise to conserve at least 17 per cent of its land mass and 10 per cent of its oceans by 2020. © Provided by The Canadian Press

The report, released today by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, says Quebec and the federal government are the only jurisdictions to come close to meeting the 17 per cent conservation target.


The society says Alberta performed the worst, cancelling previously planned protections, delisting parks and attempting to open the Rocky Mountains for open-pit coal mining.

"A lot of it has to do with political will," said society spokeswoman Alison Woodley.

The group chose to examine how close different Canadian jurisdictions came to meeting its Aichi targets, an international agreement signed by Canada in 2010. The idea, said Woodley, was to learn how to better meet the next set of conservation goals — 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030.

The report used internationally recognized standards of what constitutes protection and federal data on the amount of land covered.

Nationally, Canada met and exceeded its 2020 ocean goals, but fell short by more than three percentage points on land. That was good enough for a B-plus and an A-minus respectively, the report says.

The report credits funding — the 2021 federal budget included $2.3 billion for conservation — as well as a willingness to work with Indigenous groups for Ottawa's progress.

Quebec nearly met its land conservation goals, conserving 16.7 per cent of its territory.

"The province worked with communities and First Nations to identify and deliver on new protected areas," said Woodley.

Alberta, not so much. Although the province has more than 15 per cent of its land mass protected, the report points out Alberta has attempted to delist parks, open its Rocky Mountains to coal mining and walked away from plans that would have created some of the biggest new protected areas in the country.

"It's not just about areas of protections," said report author Anna Pidgorna. "Alberta's going backwards in many ways."

Alberta Environment did not immediately respond to a request to outline conservation measures taken by the United Conservative governme
Ontario and Newfoundland share Alberta's F grade. Ontario has protected less than one per cent of its lands over the last decade, with a similar story in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the percentage of protected land is among the lowest in Canada.

The rest of the country is a mix, said Woodley.

Saskatchewan is criticized for having protected less than 10 per cent of its land and weakening protections on native grasslands, but praised for working with Indigenous groups and granting interim protection to one new area. Manitoba made early progress, the report says, but has lately discussed selling off park land.

British Columbia has almost 20 per cent of its land under protection. But the province is criticized for no recent progress and underfunding the parks it does have.

The Northwest Territories get a B-plus for creating large new protected areas and working with Indigenous groups to define and manage them.

Woodley said the study shows that funding makes a big difference to creating protected areas. So does time and patience.

"Conservation takes time," she said.

"A major barrier to delivering on the 17-per-cent target was a lack of time. If we're going to meet the 30-per-cent target, we need to start now."

Woodley said conserving land is the best way to address the loss of species and shrinking biodiversity around the world.

"Habitat loss is the primary driver of nature's decline. Protecting habitat has to be a core part of the solution."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Anti-gay statements trigger elevated stress in lesbian, gay and bisexual study participants

New research provides strongest evidence to date that the stress of discrimination causes physiological changes that can contribute to health problems for lesbian, gay and bisexual people

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A STUDY PUBLISHED TODAY FINDS THAT WHEN LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL ADULTS ARE EXPOSED TO EVEN MILD ANTI-GAY PREJUDICE, IT TRIGGERS BODILY CHANGES SUCH AS INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE THAT... view more 

CREDIT: PEXELS/GW

WASHINGTON (June 21, 2021)--Previous research has suggested that the stress of discrimination may play a role in the development of health problems that disproportionately affect lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. A study published today finds that when lesbian, gay and bisexual adults are exposed to even mild anti-gay prejudice, it triggers bodily changes such as increases in blood pressure that can contribute to heart disease.

"This study provides strong evidence that when LGB people experience anti-gay prejudice, their bodies respond with increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and in the stress hormone cortisol," David M. Huebner, a professor of prevention and community health at the George Washington University and lead author of the study, said. "When the body responds like this repeatedly, it can contribute to cardiovascular disease and other illnesses that develop over time."

Scientists know that the body's fight or flight response is triggered in response to a physical danger or psychological threat. Previous studies have shown that self-reports of discrimination are correlated with various health problems. However, in the past, researchers could not show that discrimination actually caused bodily changes that lead to such health problems.

To help change that, Huebner and his colleagues designed a laboratory study in which 134 lesbian, gay and bisexual adults participated in a stressful task -- an interview. Before the interview, participants were given a sheet of paper that purported to tell them about the person conducting the interview. People in the experimental group learned that the person supposedly interviewing them was opposed to same-sex marriage. In reality, the researchers drafted the anti-gay statement and showed it to the experimental group to expose them to discriminatory statements in the laboratory. Participants in the control group were not exposed to such statements.

The researchers prerecorded the interview questions so that there was no variability in the questions or in the tone of voice. The participants had to answer a series of standard questions while the researchers measured any changes in heart rate, blood pressure and other markers of the stress response.

Because interviews are generally stressful, the team found that all of the participants experienced signs of physiological reactivity when asked to take part. However, the experimental group, those who had been exposed to the anti-gay statement, showed an even stronger physiologic response:

• Blood pressure rose higher in the group exposed to anti-gay statements and recovered more slowly than the control group;
• Heart rates rose higher for the experimental group and went back to normal more slowly than the control group;
• Participants in the experimental group had higher levels of cortisol, a hormone released by the body in response to a dangerous or threatening situation.

"This work really begins to connect the dots between exposure to discrimination and physical health in a way that hasn't been done before," Huebner said. "For years, researchers have been showing correlations between reports of discrimination and poorer health. This study is one of the first to show how exposure to anti-gay prejudice really causes changes in physiological processes that can affect long-term health."

One limitation to the study is that the sample consisted of mostly young, white lesbian, gay and bisexual participants. Future research will have to find out how the stress of anti-gay discrimination affects Black or other ethnic minorities who are also lesbian, gay or bisexual, as well as older and younger people, Huebner points out.

Currently, very little research exists to show how people can lessen the specific impacts that discrimination might have on the body. Huebner suggests strategies for coping with other forms of stress, such as exercise, a healthy diet, and increasing mindfulness, would likely be helpful. He also suggests that people who find themselves struggling in the face of discrimination might seek the support of a skilled therapist. Research suggests that talk therapy can help people more effectively manage stressful events and reduce their negative health effects.

In the end, however, public policies aimed at banning discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will go a long way toward creating a healthy environment for all, Huebner said. The recent executive order providing protection to transgender people in the United States military is an example of solutions that can be enacted now, he said.

The study, "Cardiovascular and Cortisol Responses to Experimentally-Induced Minority Stress," was published June 21, 2021 in the journal Health Psychology.

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