Jukasa News Update – Monday April 15, 2019
A much-anticipated report on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is set to be released to the public in June.
The four-person commission will hold a closing ceremony in Gatineau, Que. on June 3.
The final report is to include stories from more than 1,400 family members and survivors of violence, as well as experts and officials who delivered testimony at 24 hearings and statement-gathering events in 2017 and 2018.
The mysterious case of a Mi’kmaq woman who died under suspicious circumstances in her Cape Breton home was raised at the Nova Scotia legislature today by some of her relatives.
The body of Cassidy Bernard, a 22-year-old mother of infant twins, was found by police in We’koqma’q First Nation on Oct. 24.
One of Bernard’s cousins, Annie Bernard-Daisley, delivered an emotional statement outside the legislature, saying the province must do more to stop violence against Indigenous women.
McGill University is dropping the Redmen name for its men’s varsity sports teams.
Principal Suzanne Fortier said in a statement that the Redmen name has caused pain and alienation for Indigenous students at the university.
Even though the name was not initially adopted as a reference to Indigenous peoples, that association was made in the 1950s when men’s and women’s teams came to be nicknamed the “Indians” and “Squaws.” Some teams later adopted a logo with an Indigenous man wearing a headdress.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals say they are still hearing support from Indigenous people and leaders, despite concerns raised publicly about Trudeau’s expulsion of two ex-ministers who had been central to work on reconciliation.
While the Liberals have repeatedly said that addressing the relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada is a top priority, that commitment has been questioned since the ejections of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett says she is continuing to hear “very positive” feedback from First Nations leaders.
An Inuit family whose son was shot by RCMP is suing the force over its alleged failure to staff Arctic detachments with officers who can speak with and understand the communities where they are posted.
It’s the second recent lawsuit to question the relationship between officers and Indigenous northerners.
The lawsuit is an attempt to force RCMP to institute recommendations from several inquests into suicides and police shootings in Nunavut.
The lawsuit alleges Mounties aren’t trained in how to deal with possible suicides. It also claims officers don’t speak the language of the people and accuses the RCMP of failing to recruit Inuktut-speaking officers.
0 thoughts on “Jukasa News Update – Monday April 15, 2019”