
Former MP Peter Penashue doesn't want fear of failure to hold his community back
For more than 30 years, Peter Penashue pushed Ottawa to properly recognize Labrador's Innu Nation. He was there for his community's move from Davis Inlet and went on to become Labrador's first Innu Member of Parliament. For his commitment to community, Penashue has received one of three leadership awards from the Innu Nteimun Music Festival.

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Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: SUV attack victim recovering, Ontario to spend now, balance later
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… After festival tragedy, a long road to recovery Even the smallest victories are being celebrated by Roland Nulada and his family, as he recovers from devastating injuries suffered in the Lapu Lapu festival attack in Vancouver. On Monday, it was Nulada's first meal in 16 days — soup and baked macaroni, 'the very soft ones,' says his older sister, Pinky Nulada, in the Vancouver hospital room where her brother is recovering from brain surgery, as well as operations on a broken arm and leg. He can sit up now, for 30 minutes at a time in a wheelchair, and greets visitors with a smile. He has trouble raising his arm to wave, and suffers from short-term memory loss as he recovers from his brain injury. But now he can recognize his family members, and his appearance is improving since he regained consciousness on May 4, eight days after the April 26 attack that killed 11 people when an SUV drove through a street crowded with festivalgoers. Ontario budget to favour spending over balance Ontario Premier Doug Ford is signalling that his government's budget will favour spending over balanced books, as a way to keep the economy afloat in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is set to table the 2025-26 budget later today. Ford has said the province can always balance the budget in a year or two, but for now he wants to spend on infrastructure and programs to keep people employed or get them retrained. He says he doesn't believe in slashing and burning, especially during tough economic times. Ex-teammate testifies at hockey players' trial A former member of Canada's world junior hockey team is expected to continue testifying today at the sexual assault trial of five of his ex-teammates. Tyler Steenbergen began testifying by videoconference Wednesday afternoon at the trial of Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote. The five accused have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in connection with an encounter that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. The complainant, who spent nine days on the stand via CCTV, has said she was naked and drunk when men started coming into the room where she'd just had sex with McLeod — an encounter that's not part of the trial. Coroner to release findings in Innu man's death A coroner is scheduled to release her report today into the death of a homeless Innu man whose body was found inside a portable toilet in Montreal. Fifty-one-year-old Raphaël 'Napa' André died in January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His body was found steps away from a shelter that had been closed by public health officials because of plumbing problems and a COVID-19 outbreak. Quebec had also imposed a nighttime curfew to curb the spread of the virus. Coroner Stéphanie Gamache is scheduled to hold a news conference in Montreal shortly after she releases her report. Maker of Stripes merchandise laments fall of Bay For four generations, the family behind Winnipeg garment maker Freed & Freed International has worked with the fabric of our nation, crafting police regalia like the scarlet tunics worn by the RCMP and uniforms for Canada's Olympic teams. But there's another sliver of Canadiana the family considers itself lucky to have handled: the Hudson's Bay stripes. Freed & Freed is one of a few companies that has made products bearing the Bay's iconic green, red, yellow and indigo motif that dates back to 1779. Its creations include full-length wool coats, puffer mittens and sleeping bags. 'It's a prideful moment to be able to say that we got to be a part of true Canadian history because that's what we consider it to be,' said Marissa Freed, president of the company her great grandfather started in 1921. NAC taps Tomson Highway musical, 'Fifteen Dogs' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A long-awaited musical from playwright Tomson Highway, a '90s take on 'Macbeth,' and skateboarding stunts are among the spectacles bound for the National Arts Centre. Canada's multidisciplinary home for the performing arts released a 2025-26 lineup Thursday that includes the return of holiday favourites, including Handel's 'Messiah' by the NAC Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 'Nutcracker' in December. In between are dance, orchestral, pop music and drama productions from new voices and established veterans. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025


CBC
26-04-2025
- CBC
Indigenous leaders remember Pope Francis as someone who 'gave voice to the voiceless'
Natan Obed of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and former Innu Nation Grand Chief Etienne Rich met Francis in 2022 Image | Natan Obed with Pope Francis Caption: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and Pope Francis during a welcoming ceremony in Edmonton during a papal visit in 2022. (Adam Scotti/Prime Minister's Office) Pope Francis has left behind a legacy of compassion around the globe — including the far reaches of the Canadian Arctic, says the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president. The pope died on Monday at the age of 88, after being the head of the Catholic Church for 12 years. President Natan Obed first met Francis at an Inuit delegation meeting in Vatican City during the spring of 2022. Toward the end, he says he politely invited the pope to visit the North. It's a moment Obed says he'll always cherish. "He was receiving interpretation throughout the whole meeting," Obed told CBC News. "He listened to the request, and he chuckled and he said in English, 'Yes, but not in winter.'" Months later, Francis honoured Obed's request. Francis visited Iqaluit, Nunavut during his papal visit to Canada in 2022, which was part of a historic six-day "pilgrimage of penance" during which he met with Indigenous people across the country. "During that time, he heard from survivors… he heard very difficult stories," Obed said. Francis also apologized for what he called "evil perpetrated by not a few Catholics" in Canada's residential school system. Former Grand Chief of the Innu Nation Etienne Rich was present when Francis led mass at a stop in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec. Rich, along with other Canadian Indigenous leaders, was sitting in the front row as Francis spoke. "It was very tremendously powerful," Rich said in an interview on CBC Radio's Labrador Morning. Rich says the weight of Francis' words was felt by many of the Labrador Innu in attendance that July day. An apology should have come from the Catholic Church a long time ago, Rich says, but he believes a large number of people accepted it. "A lot of those young children who were attending the residential schools, some of them… never went back home," Rich said. "That's one of the [most] powerful things that you could ever do or ever ask — forgiveness," said Rich. Obed says there is still work to be done with the Catholic Church, but Francis' apology "gave voice to the voiceless." "For the Catholic Church to apologize directly to residential school survivors is meaningful," said Obed. There are many leaders who would be whisked away by their handlers in certain situations, but he says Francis never shied away from connecting with people. During a particular meeting in Iqaluit, "Pope Francis showed in that moment and to the people in that room that he was there for them," said Obed. "He would sit with them and feel that pain and that sorrow and that suffering that they felt." When Obed remembers the pontiff, he says he thinks of someone who had wit, "was genuine, empathetic and also gave space and time for anyone" who met him.


CBC
13-04-2025
- CBC
Former MP Peter Penashue doesn't want fear of failure to hold his community back
For more than 30 years, Peter Penashue pushed Ottawa to properly recognize Labrador's Innu Nation. He was there for his community's move from Davis Inlet and went on to become Labrador's first Innu Member of Parliament. For his commitment to community, Penashue has received one of three leadership awards from the Innu Nteimun Music Festival.