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CTV News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Canada's Governor General calls for Hudson's Bay artifacts to be returned to Indigenous communities
Canada's first indigenous Governor General, born to an Inuk mother and an English father who managed the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) outpost in Nunavik, located in northern Quebec, insists any indigenous artifacts the company has in its possession need to be returned. 'These are things that belong to the people,' Mary Simon told CTV News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina on the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Sachedina visited that Quebec outpost in 2021 as part of a profile of Simon before she was installed as Governor General. 'I hope that by discussing (this) with the Hudson's Bay Company that this can happen,' she said. 'For instance, at the Vatican … there's a process going on whereby certain artifacts will be returned to Canada. There should be a process involved to see how it can be brought back.' Earlier this year, a court ruled that Canada's oldest company can prepare to auction off more than 4,000 artifacts and pieces of art. HBC has been facing pressure from The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Assembly of First Nations and the Assembly of Manitoba Chief to halt the sale of art and artifacts that have cultural and historical significance to Indigenous communities. Simon spoke to Sachedina on the eve of National Indigenous Peoples Day, outside The Heart Garden, where local students on Saturday will write messages to honour the struggle, sacrifice, and courage of residential school survivors. Ten years after the release of the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, only 13 have been realized. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon Gov. Gen. Mary Simon (left) and Omar Sachedina in an interview with CTV News ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day. (CTV News) 'Looking at it from an indigenous viewpoint, everything is slow,' she said. 'I always think about the layers of what this all means in terms of making lives better for people, and I try to look at it in a more comprehensive way, but clearly there's a lot more work to do.' One such area is confronting denialists who downplay the horrors endured in the residential school system, despite the more than 6,700 testimonies of survivors collected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 'It's not made up. Denialism needs to be addressed,' Simon said. 'I think one of the ways in which we need to do this as a country is to put it into our education system.' Simon – who was an advocate for indigenous rights before stepping into her current position – admits to the occasional challenges of now serving in a role that must be kept apolitical. Ottawa is pushing legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects, which is attracting criticism from some indigenous groups who insist it tramples on their rights. Some are even calling on the Governor General to delay or deny that legislation. Bill C-5, which House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia split into two separate votes on Friday, is expected to pass in both votes in the House of Commons and will ultimately need to be granted royal assent by the Governor General to become law. No Governor General has ever refused royal assent. Sachedina asked if Simon sometimes feels a clash between her identity as an Indigenous person and the Governor General. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon Gov. Gen. Mary Simon (left) and Omar Sachedina have a conversation ahead of National Indigenous Peoples Day. (CTV News) 'It's not so much a clash,' she said. 'I struggle with those issues as an individual, as a person, as a human.' Simon says Prime Minister Mark Carney has conveyed that he's going to 'consult Indigenous people in the economic development of the country.' Simon's duty to Canada and the Crown was on display recently during a Royal Visit from King Charles III, who delivered the speech from the throne in which he said, 'The Truth North is Indeed Strong and Free.' Even though the role of the monarch is not political, and the speech lays out the government's agenda, it's likely Buckingham Palace poured over every word given the state of heightened tensions between Canada and the United States. 'I think the North is strong and free. It has always been strong and free,' Simon said. 'To provide a message in a throne speech to the international community, saying our Canadian North is too strong and free is appropriate.' Simon, who is entering her final year as Governor General – unless her term is extended – says the focus in these last months of her term will continue to be reconciliation. While she acknowledges there has been a certain pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, she believes the conversation is ultimately progressing. 'There will always be times when things are difficult,' she said. 'I try to talk about hope because hope is not just for the future; hope is today.'
National Post
08-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Chris Selley: Earth to Liberals — First Nations are not an anti-development monolith
Sean Fraser — the federal Liberals' supposed master communicator who did a bad job as immigration minister, and then a bad job as housing minister, and then said he wasn't running again to spend time with his family, and then opportunistically changed his mind and was rewarded with the justice and attorney general portfolio — laid his first dog's egg of the Mark Carney era this week. Article content Article content Fraser said Indigenous groups don't have a 'complete veto' over natural-resource projects or any other government decisions — but that wasn't the turd in question, because it was absolutely true. Article content Article content The turd came later, apparently after getting his ears boxed by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse: Fraser disavowed his entirely truthful statement. Article content 'I think even accepting the premise of the question that was put to me (about a 'veto') really made people feel like there may be an attempt by the government to work unilaterally, not in partnership (with First Nations),' Fraser told reporters in a public apology. 'Despite innocent intentions, I think my comments actually caused hurt and potentially eroded a very precarious trust that has been built up over many years to respect the rights of Indigenous people in this country,' he said. Article content Coming up on 500 years since Jacques Cartier first set foot here and named it Canada, and 150-plus years after the Crown concluded the first treaties with First Nations, and with President Donald Trump suddenly bringing our crippling dependence on the United States into very sharp focus, if we can't even speak the plain truth to each other in plain language, we might be in even bigger trouble than we realized. Article content Article content But I think we can speak the plain truth to each other in plain language, so long as we rightly marginalize fringe and unreasonable voices. While apologizing for speaking the truth, Fraser also accurately pointed to 'a frankly dangerous trope that paints a false picture of Indigenous peoples as being anti-development.' Article content Article content Media mostly portrayed the Ktunaxa Nation case, which wound up at the Supreme Court in 2017, as a matter of Indigenous people opposing the proposed Jumbo ski resort in eastern British Columbia on religious grounds: They felt the development would chase a spirit bear from their traditional lands. Receiving much less attention was the fact that the equally interested local Shuswap Nation supported the project, believing their concerns had been properly addressed and being eager to reap the financial benefits.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
AFN to hold emergency meeting on major projects bill
Watch National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak on the upcoming emergency meeting to discuss Bill C-5.
National Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Justice minister apologizes for comments that 'potentially eroded' trust with Indigenous peoples
OTTAWA — Justice Minister Sean Fraser apologized Wednesday for recent comments about the federal government's duty to consult First Nations regarding developing projects on their territories, saying his words 'potentially eroded a very precarious trust.' Article content The issue has emerged in light of Prime Minister Mark Carney's plan to introduce legislation that would fast-track approvals for major energy and infrastructure projects by cutting the timeline to two years, down from five. Article content Article content Article content The Assembly of First Nations, a national advocacy organization representing more than 600 First Nations across the country, has expressed concerns that, from what they have seen of the forthcoming bill, it 'suggests a serious threat' to First Nations treaty rights. Article content Article content In a recent letter to Carney, National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak cited the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which outlines the principle of obtaining 'free, prior, and informed consent' regarding laws and decisions that affect Indigenous peoples. Article content When asked about that principle on Tuesday, Fraser outlined his interpretation of it, telling reporters that it demands 'a very deep level of engagement and understanding of the rights that may be impacted.' Article content However, he said, 'it stops short of a complete veto' when it comes to government decisions Article content On Wednesday, Fraser apologized for those comments, saying it gave some the impression of the government wanting to 'work unilaterally, not in partnership,' with Indigenous people. Article content Article content 'Despite innocent intentions, I think my comments actually caused hurt and potentially eroded a very precarious trust that has been built up over many years to respect the rights of Indigenous people in this country,' he said on his way into the Liberal caucus meeting. Article content The minister said that after he made those remarks he received a call from the national chief, 'expressing her frustration.' Article content Fraser said he apologized to Woodhouse Nepinak and committed to do so publicly. Article content 'This is completely on my own initiative,' Fraser told reporters. Article content 'I've not been asked to do this by anyone. (Woodhouse Nepinak) said that she would appreciate if I would offer some clarity. But this is not coming from anyone within government. This is something I feel compelled to do.' Article content National Post Article content staylor@ Article content Article content Article content
National Post
03-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Tasha Kheiriddin: Indigenous leaders put Carney's dreams on notice
Will Prime Minister Mark Carney's national infrastructure dreams be kiboshed by Canada's First Nations? That's the question hanging over Ottawa this week — and if Carney's not careful, the answer could well be yes. Article content At Monday's First Ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, the PM rolled out his big plan: slash approval times for 'national interest' infrastructure projects from five to two years. He got buy-in from the premiers, hoping to stimulate growth, counter U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, and pull Canada together as one economy. Despite a shortage of specifics, there finally appears to be a willingness to get things done and reconcile the interests of East and West. Quebec Premier François Legault said he's open to a pipeline, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was positively giddy about energy corridors, and even Alberta's Danielle Smith was cautiously optimistic. Article content Indigenous leaders, however, are not impressed. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse of the Assembly of First Nations warned that the plan risks trampling Indigenous rights and took umbrage at being given seven days to review draft proposals. Regional Chief Scott McLeod of the Anishinabek Nation went further, suggesting that Canada could see a new indigenous protest movement along the lines of Idle No More. That movement arose in 2012 in response to Bill C-45, legislation advanced by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper that sought to streamline the project approvals process, and spawned protests and rail travel disruptions across the country. Article content Article content Now, Carney could face the same opposition, made worse by the actions of his own party and other progressive politicians over the past ten years. Their version of reconciliation did little to advance Indigenous people economically, but much to reinforce the idea that non-Indigenous people are guests in their own country. Article content Article content From the denigration of Canadian historical figures like John A. Macdonald, Henry Dundas and Egerton Ryerson, to the performative and divisive repetition of land acknowledgements, to the spreading of falsehoods about the existence of mass graves at residential schools, Canada was depicted as the country that could do no right by its First Nations. Little wonder, then, that many Indigenous people don't see themselves as part of Canada and have little interest in pulling together for the 'national interest.' Article content Article content There is no question that a succession of Canadian governments implemented policies that damaged generations of First Nations people, including the Indian Act, the residential school system, the pass system, and the potlatch ban. But guilt will not help fix current problems facing First Nations. Nor will opposition to development. It will actually hurt, by weakening Canada economically and reducing its capacity to fund real change in indigenous communities, such as ending all boil water advisories and building adequate housing and schools.
