Tag: Aboriginal News

Taking care: We recognize this news release may contain information that is difficult for many and that our efforts to honour Survivors and families may act as an unwelcome reminder for those who have suffered hardships through generations of government policies that were harmful to Indigenous Peoples.

A National Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students who can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. 

Indigenous Peoples can also access the Hope for Wellness Help Line by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or via online chat through the website at www.hopeforwellness.ca.

April 4, 2022 — Lac Seul First Nation, Treaty #3 region, Northwestern Ontario — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

The locating of unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School sites across Canada is a tragic reminder of the abuse Indigenous children suffered in these institutions. The governments of Canada and Ontario are working with Survivors, affected families, communities and Indigenous leaders as part of efforts to address historical wrongs and the lasting physical, emotional, mental and spiritual harms related to the legacy of residential schools. Part of this work includes efforts being made to locate and commemorate missing children who attended residential schools in Ontario, as well as responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 72 to 76.

Lac Seul First Nation is working with 33 affiliated Northern Ontario First Nation communities to ensure cultural and spiritual protocols are maintained in working with Survivors, intergenerational Survivors, Knowledge Keepers and First Nation leadership to address the location, documentation, mapping, maintenance, commemoration, memorialization and fieldwork investigation of burials associated with the former Pelican Lake (Pelican Falls) Residential School. 

This is a community-led process which enables Lac Seul First Nation to undertake this work in their own way and at their own pace and in partnership with the 33 other First Nations involved in this initiative.

Chief Clifford Bull of the Lac Seul First Nation; the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; and the Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs for Ontario, announced funding of $8,743,163 to support the continuing work underway in Lac Seul First Nation. 

On November 4, 2021, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) provided an initial amount of $1,000,000 to Lac Seul First Nation, approved for fiscal year 2021–2022. For fiscal years 2021–24, CIRNAC has confirmed additional funding of $6,091,563 to support the community’s Bringing our Children Home initiative. The work includes research, engagement, commemoration, memorialization and field investigation related to the Pelican Lake (Pelican Falls) Residential school. 

Indigenous Services Canada’s contribution includes a one-time funding amount of $551,600 to support mental wellness human resources associated with Bringing our Children Home. The staff hired with this funding will support various aspects of the initiative to ensure appropriate mental health supports are in place for those undertaking this difficult work in their communities. This contribution is available through health support funding that was announced in August 2021 to improve access to emotional, cultural, and mental health supports for those impacted by the ongoing investigations and confirmations of unmarked burials at the sites of former residential schools.

Ontario’s contribution of $1,100,000 in 2021–22 includes $700,000 in operating funding to support research and community engagement related to burial investigations, and $400,000 in mental health funding to provide supports to Survivors, Elders, and community members as the initiative proceeds. 

Addressing the abuse suffered by Survivors, their families and communities is at the heart of reconciliation and is essential to renewing and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples, governments, and all Canadians. 

Support line for those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people

For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. You can also access long-term health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based emotional support, cultural services, and some travel costs to see Elders and traditional healers.

April 1, 2022 — Savona, British Columbia — Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Kukpi7 (Chief) Darrel Draney of the Skeetchestn Indian Band announced $825,000 in funding to support the construction of a traditional pit home and museum facility for the Skeetchestn Indian Band. The funding announced through the new Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities program will help the Skeetchestn Indian Band celebrate and teach others about their culture, and highlight the role of women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ in their community.

The need for safe, culturally relevant spaces was identified in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which called for all Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be provided with barrier-free, permanent and meaningful access to their cultures and languages. Indigenous groups have also expressed the need for these spaces as a key component of self-determination.

Budget 2021 announced $108.8 million over two years for the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program, which supports Indigenous communities in re-establishing and revitalizing cultural spaces. This investment is part of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People—the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Girls, Women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan.

The Government of Canada remains committed to ending gender-based violence and recognizes that this is critical to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

Support line for those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people

For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. You can also access long-term health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based emotional support, cultural services, and some travel costs to see Elders and traditional healers.

March 31, 2022 —108 Mile Ranch, British Columbia — Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and the Northern Secwepemc Cultural Society announced $4 million in funding, provided through the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program, for the construction of a cultural centre and museum in 108 Mile Ranch to serve each of the four Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw Nations and the Esk’etemc First Nation. The Northern Secwepemc Cultural Society is leading the project to build a permanent cultural centre and museum to display Northern Secwepemc history. The centre will serve as a safe space for community members to share traditional knowledge and culture through a variety of programs, including Secwepemc language revitalization.

The need for safe, culturally relevant spaces was identified in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which called for all Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be provided with barrier-free, permanent and meaningful access to their cultures and languages. Indigenous communities have also expressed the need for these spaces as a key component of self-determination.

This investment, which is part of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People—the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Girls, Women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan—will continue our efforts to put an end to this national tragedy.

The Government of Canada remains committed to ending gender-based violence and advancing reconciliation in partnership with Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

Savona, British-Columbia – Please be advised that the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Kukpi7 (Chief) Darrel Draney of the Skeetchestn Indian Band will make an announcement on support for the construction of two new cultural spaces for the Skeetchestn Indian Band.

A brief media availability will be held following the event.

Date:  April 1st, 2022

Time: 10:00 AM PST

Where:
Big Sky Gas Station
1000 Trans-Canada Hwy
Savona, BC
V0K 2J0

ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ

March 31, 2022 —  Ottawa, Ontario, Unceded Traditional Algonquin Territory —  The Minister of Northern Affairs, Daniel Vandal, issued the following statement today:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased to welcome the final report of the independent Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education, A Shared Responsibility: Northern Voices, Northern Solutions — Report of the Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education.

I thank all members of the task force for their leadership, commitment and invaluable contribution to finding innovative solutions to improve education opportunities and outcomes in Canada’s North and Arctic. They did this work during a very challenging time for all Canadians, but also during a particularly difficult time for education, as the COVID-19 pandemic moved a lot of learning online, challenging accessibility.

We also take this opportunity to thank the many stakeholders, including those who participated in engagement sessions, territorial governments, Indigenous partners and organizations, leaders in education in northern jurisdictions and elsewhere, and other Arctic and Northern Policy Framework partners, who contributed to and supported this work.

Every Canadian should have access to quality education and skills training no matter where they live. Northern residents, especially Indigenous Peoples, have faced longstanding inequities in education and skills training for too long.

This report highlights the challenges and barriers that exist across the North in accessing post-secondary education and identifies important strengths and new opportunities for culturally relevant, northern-based, northern-focused and northern-led post-secondary programs and institutions.

The report provides expert advice that will help the Government of Canada—together with Indigenous, territorial and provincial partners, and educational institutions in the North and Arctic—to discuss barriers and possible solutions to providing Northerners with greater access to local high-quality education, ongoing learning and skills development opportunities, and culturally relevant higher education, including greater Indigenous-based knowledge and skills.

The Government of Canada welcomes the core findings of the task force’s report and will be giving careful consideration to its comprehensive Calls to Action. What is clear is that no order of government—or group of institutions—can rise to these challenges alone. This is the kind of work the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework was created for and the reason why the task force was established. Together with partners, the Government of Canada will continue to develop new initiatives and find opportunities to improve existing programming to achieve our common goals.

Through our engagement and collaboration with framework partners, we are already in the process of addressing some of the issues raised in the report.

We continue to advance measures to help close gaps in education and skills training that exist between the North and the rest of Canada and to help support solutions led by Northerners, for Northerners. This will ensure that the unique needs of remote and northern Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities are met and that—together with framework partners—we continue to deliver on the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework goals and objectives.”

March 31, 2022 — Ottawa, Ontario, Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory — Indigenous Services Canada

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) commends the tireless work of community leadership and frontline healthcare workers for their immense and ongoing contributions to their communities’ pandemic response. Their efforts and quick action continue to save lives.

Vaccination remains the most efficient form of protection against COVID-19. First Nations, Inuit and Métis across the country have access to vaccines through vaccine clinics, which are well underway in Indigenous communities. Now is the time to get vaccinated to protect your community, your Elders and your family.

Below are some of the latest updates from ISC for the week of March 28, 2022.

Vaccinations

As of Tuesday, March 29, 2022, over 88% of individuals aged 12 and older in First Nations, Inuit and territorial communities have received a second dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, and over 29% have received a third dose. Over 52% of children aged five to 11 have received at least one dose.

Vaccine information is updated and published on Thursdays and can be found at canada.ca/covid-vaccines-indigenous.

COVID-19 cases

As of Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the following case counts have been reported from First Nations communities:

• 94,308 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases
• 2,766 active cases
• 3,104 hospitalizations
• 91,743 recovered cases
• 689 deaths

For the week of March 24 to 30, 2022, the average daily reported active case counts increased by 11.6% compared to the daily average of the week prior.
This is compared to:

• a 7.7% decrease in average daily reported active case counts reported for the week of March 17 to 23, 2022, compared to the week prior
• a 6.2% decrease in average daily reported active case counts reported for the week of March 10 to 16, 2022, compared to the week prior

Case count information is updated and published daily, Monday to Friday, and can be found at canada.ca/indigenous-covid-cases.

Request for Federal Assistance (RFA) approvals and extensions

• Kashechewan First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 1, 2022, and subsequently extended by two weeks. A new RFA was received on 30 March, 2022 with a proposed end date of at least April 13, 2022.
• Attawapiskat First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 16, 2022. A new RFA was approved on March 16, 2022, and an extension for continued CAF support was approved on March 30, 2022, with an end date of April 13, 2022.
• Deer Lake First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on March 18, 2022, for CAF support until at least April 2, 2022.

RFA recent conclusions

• The Operation Remote Immunity 3.0 RFA was approved on November 10, 2021. The RFA remained active until today, March 31, 2022, to address any unforeseen support requirements.
• Kasabonika Lake First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 25, 2022. A two-week extension of support was approved on March 10, 2022, and CAF support was concluded on March 24, 2022.

Each COVID-19 vaccine dose increases your protection against severe illness

Our partners with the COVID-19 Indigenous Knowledge Translation Working Group in British Columbia recently developed the following new resource titled “Each COVID-19 vaccine dose increases your protection against severe illness.” This resource was developed after hearing from Indigenous partners, communities and members that there was a need for a resource on the differences between third dose and booster vaccines. This online tool provides important visuals of how vaccines and their efficacy work to deliver the message: the greater your immunity, the more your body is able to fight against COVID-19.

Supports currently available to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities

Across the country, Indigenous Services Canada’s regional offices and regional medical officers of health remain available to assist First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations should they require immediate assistance with an outbreak or require supports such as temporary infrastructure, rapid testing or personal protective equipment.

Indigenous communities and organizations can also continue to request needs-based funding from the Indigenous Community Support Fund. This fund provides Indigenous leadership and organizations with the flexibility needed to design and implement community-based solutions to prevent, prepare for and respond to the spread of COVID-19 within their communities.

These funds can be used for measures including, but not limited to:

• support for Elders and vulnerable community members
• address food insecurity, such as support for the purchase, transportation and distribution of food, and access to traditional foods through hunting and fishing
• educational and other support for children
• mental health assistance and emergency response services
• preparedness measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19

ISC continues to work with Indigenous communities to collaborate, share information and co-develop Indigenous-led, distinctions-based communications and health response approaches with Indigenous partners by listening to their advice and guidance.