NDP leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) was expelled from the House of Commons on June 17 after calling out the actions by BQ MP Alain Therrien (La Prairie, Que.) who prevented the adoption of a motion to study systemic racism in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, while making rude and dismissive gestures. “CAP wishes to lend our support to … Read more
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples calls on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair (Scarborough-Southwest, Ont.) and Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti (LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que.) to convene an emergency meeting of Indigenous leaders to discuss the policing relationship with Indigenous people and to examine alternatives to traditional policing models. “We have a public safety crisis with Indigenous people … Read more
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples calls for defunding of the 161 Municipal Police Departments and the RCMP in Canada and reallocating the resources towards community needs and social supports, consistent with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. “After centuries of discrimination, inequality and oppression, it is time that we defund the police departments across … Read more
Indigenous people across Canada continue to wait for meaningful action on the 231 Calls to Justice outlined in the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, released one year ago. The very first call to justice in the report says, with regards to implementing a National Action Plan, “All programs must … Read more
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) is calling on the federal government to address issues of violence in penitentiaries across Canada in a coordinated effort by Corrections Services Canada and the Parole Board of Canada, using federal authority over justice issues. With over 30 per cent of inmates being Indigenous, this is a federal human rights issue that … Read more
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples joins off-reserve groups across Canada in denouncing the results of the Indigenous Community Support Fund competition, which had organizations serving off-reserve, non-Status, Métis and Inuit peoples competing for $15 million, a fraction of the $305 million in funding announced for Indigenous needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that total amount, $290 million is allocated to the three “Distinctions-Based” … Read more
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples issued a statement: “Despite over a month of appeals from the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and other organizations for immediate action to address the threat of COVID-19 to the health and lives of prisoners in federal custody, the federal government continues to delay and defer responsibility […] The Congress of Aboriginal … Read more
Two Métis men, Jake Sansom and Morris Cardinal were killed by gunfire outside of their truck while hunting north of Glendon, Alta. The two men had recently lost their employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were exercising their Section 35 right to hunt in order to feed their families while waiting for financial relief. “All Indigenous … Read more
Youth aging out of the foster care system continue to be thrown out on the street, even in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Vice-Chief, Kim Beaudin. “Premiers and Social Services Ministers across Canada will not commit to ensuring housing for Indigenous youth leaving care, despite the threat … Read more
The announcement of Indigenous COVID-19 funding shows with the stroke of a pen that the Liberal government has written off hundreds of thousands of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people from receiving adequate help in this time of need. Under the announcement, 642,850 First Nations individuals living off-reserve, over 500,000 Métis not affiliated with MNC, … Read more
