Category Archives: Social
Mark Indigenous languages decade by making Inuktitut official in Canada: Inuit UN rep
OTTAWA — When Lorraine Whitman's father, Chief Joseph Peters, asked for a cup of tea in his native Mi'kmaq, the care-home staff could not understand him. Whitman, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, recalls how her elderly father, a...
Most support workplace diversity but not if it’s a job qualification: national survey
REGINA — Most people in a new Canada-wide survey say equal representation in government is important, but they don't support employers taking demographic characteristics into account in hiring and promotion decisions. The survey by the Canadian Hub fo...
N.S. government to top court: housing choice for people with disabilities not a right
HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government is arguing receiving timely access to appropriate housing is not a human right for people with disabilities and is asking Canada's top court to overturn a decision that found its current practices are discriminatory...
First Nation says Alberta is preventing it from taking control of child welfare
A First Nation in Alberta says it's been nearly three months since it was supposed to take legal control of its own child welfare but the provincial government won't recognize the arrangement made possible by federal legislation. " (Alberta) won't reco...
Efforts to establish First Nation school board in Yukon decades in the making
VANCOUVER — Parents at eight schools in Yukon are voting on a proposal that could put the control of education for their children in the hands of the territory's Indigenous bands, the result of an effort that one official says
Rapid spread of Omicron showing “tale of two pandemics: rich and poor”
As parts of Canada see staggering rises in COVID-19 activity amid Omicron's rapid spread, experts say the highly transmissible variant is training a spotlight on social inequities across the country. Dr. Amit Arya, a palliative care physician in Missis...
First Nations brace for labour challenges brought by Omicron-fuelled COVID-19 surge
Many First Nations across the country are bracing for the spread of the Omicron variant as leaders prepare for labour shortages caused by COVID-19 that could be more severe in Indigenous communities. "We are well aware that Omicron is coming," said
Advocate pushes for awareness of anti-Asian racism as new surveys highlight toll
OTTAWA — An advocate is calling on white Canadians to become more aware of anti-Asian racism, as two new surveys highlight the heavy toll of the pandemic on race relations in the country. A recent study led by the University of
Bearskin Lake chief says community near ‘breaking point,’ needs urgent federal help
OTTAWA — The chief of Bearskin Lake says the remote northern Ontario community is "almost at a breaking point" after half of its population tested positive for COVID-19, as he renewed his call for immediate federal help. Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin joine...
Ottawa announces $40-billion Indigenous child welfare settlement, largest in history
Ottawa announced Tuesdayit had secured agreements in principle to compensate First Nations children harmed by its underfunding of child welfare, revealing for the first time early details about what the historic arrangement will cover. Crown-Indigenou...