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Winnipeg Free Press
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Indigenous leaders hopeful for Carney-led government on economy, reconciliation
OTTAWA – Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says he doesn't expect Prime Minister Mark Carney to get everything right immediately as he learns about and crafts policies for Indigenous Peoples, but it's clear he's willing to learn. And the leaders of the three national Indigenous organizations say that while former prime minister Justin Trudeau — who helped bring forward a national conservation on reconciliation when elected in 2015 — is no longer at the helm of the party, Carney won't stray too far from the priorities his government worked on, even if there's an increased focus on the economy. Obed said Carney's plan shows a commitment to continuing with reconciliation, and an understanding of the important role Indigenous Peoples play in the economy and the role they can play in Canada's response to tariffs. 'We've got lots to build on,' Obed said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said she has high hopes for the Carney government. He has given her his cellphone number and the two have already shared a string of text messages since his election Monday, giving her confidence that he is listening. The list of priorities for the two organizations is not short: better infrastructure, child welfare reform, clean drinking water, investments in natural resource projects, mental health care and skills training, just to list a few. Obed said he wants the subsidy for Nutrition North transformed into a program that is more transparent and accountable to end-users. The subsidy, which is intended to lower the high cost of food in Canada's remote northern communities, is currently under review because studies showed it wasn't all being passed down to Inuit. Carney's platform also pledged to invest in Inuit Nunangat University, which would be the first of its kind and embedded in Inuit cultures, with an aim of promoting language retention and revitalization and supporting economic and cultural opportunities. Obed said he's awaiting legislative options to get the university closer to completion, and a secure fiscal commitment to ensure timelines are met to open the doors in 2030. He also wants to see continued funding to social programs Inuit have long advocated for, including the Inuit Child First Initiative, which ensures Inuit children have access to the same social supports as non-Inuit for health, education and social services. 'We've come a long way, but we can't afford to have an interruption or a complete departure from some of the incremental gains that we've made over the last 10 years when we're still so far away from equity, from outcomes, from other Canadian populations,' he said. Carney's party platform pledges to increase lands added to reserves within four years, and to help revitalize Indigenous languages and help close the $350 billion infrastructure gap in First Nations communities, though it doesn't specify when it expects that gap to close. It also pledges to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a right to clean drinking water — something that began under Trudeau but failed to pass the finish line before Parliament was prorogued and the country was thrown into an election. Woodhouse Nepinak said the government should fix some of the problems identified with that bill before it reintroduces it. The new parliament has 12 Indigenous MPs across all major parties, which Woodhouse Nepinak said is imperative to ensuring government is working with the best interests of community in mind. 'It's a remarkable achievement,' she said. 'And it shows that First Nations do care, and that they're engaging (with government) more than ever before.' President Victoria Pruden of the Métis National Council was not available for an interview but provided a written statement which pointed to an election priorities document that called for growing the Métis economy, increasing education opportunities to help Métis enter the workforce and ensuring Métis are at the centre of climate leadership. 'Our priorities are focused on building a future where no Métis citizen is left behind,' Pruden said in a statement. 'Too many Métis families are still recovering from the economic impacts of COVID-19, climate emergencies, and the rising cost of living. We need urgent action that reflects our realities, our rights and our potential.' Carney pledged to work in partnership on self-government agreements, which Métis have said will make them full partners with the government and help them access similar services to Inuit and First Nations. The Trudeau-led government attempted to do similar, but a court order and heated disagreements between First Nations communities in Ontario and Métis groups ground that work to a halt. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'When the federal government doesn't follow through on its commitments, it's our most vulnerable citizens who feel it first, those waiting for education support, health services or stable housing,' said Pruden. 'We're ready to work in partnership. Let's reset the table and get to work.' Woodhouse Nepinak, when asked about those agreements, highlighted some concerns First Nations people have around a lack of what she called 'traditional land,' and said government and Métis groups need to speak directly to First Nations before any self-government work moves forward. 'We'll be sure to echo that loud and strong,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.
CBC
26-04-2025
- Politics
- 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.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indigenous leaders remember Pope Francis as someone who 'gave voice to the voiceless'
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. Indigenous people hold a protest banner as Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, Canada, on July 28, 2022. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images) 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. Pope Francis meets with residential school survivors at Nakasuk Elementary School Square in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images) 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. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
19-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Inuit call on prime minister to step in as end to child funding program approaches
The head of Canada's national Inuit organization is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in to save a program that helps fund services for Inuit kids. In a letter sent to Trudeau last week, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed called on the prime minister to "clearly signal" his "government's commitment" to continue funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI), which is set to end on March 31. "We are alarmed by the growing likelihood of an abrupt curtailing of funding for the program and the consequences this will have for our families and communities," Obed wrote on Feb. 12. "lf program funding is not renewed, many families will again be left vulnerable to the systemic racial discrimination that characterizes health and education service delivery in Inuit Nunangat." The letter comes after Obed said Inuit treaty organizations have been negotiating with Ottawa on a long-term approach to funding the ICFI, which was launched in 2019 to support Jordan's Principle. Jordan's Principle stems from a human rights complaint filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Family and Caring Society in 2007. They argued First Nations kids were being denied services equal to those available to other children as a result of constant jurisdictional disputes between the federal and provincial governments. Under Jordan's Principle, families are to apply for and receive funding as they need it, and the provinces and federal government are expected to sort out jurisdictional battles over who pays for it later. ICFI funds an array of services in Nunavut alone, including access to speech-language pathologists, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder treatment services and school food programs, said the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation (ACYF), which helps facilitate ICFI applications. ICFI also helps fund food voucher programs. Eighteen of Nunavut's 25 communities are signed up, with more 13,000 kids enrolled. Food voucher programs give families $500 a month per child to help buy food, plus another $250 for kids younger than four. Worry began before Parliament was prorogued On Tuesday, the City of Iqaluit warned its residents to prepare for the program's end. The ACYF recently surveyed Nunavut communities on the impact of losing the program and shared the responses with The Canadian Press. "A lot of people depend on ICFI now…. If it stops, a lot of children will probably rely on the soup kitchen again," said one senior administrative officer in the ACYF survey. "I have two kids with anemia. We haven't gone to the health centre since the program started. That's a nice change," said another community member. ICFI was always set to sunset on March 31, and with Parliament prorogued the government will have only a short window to get appropriations passed to keep the program alive into the new fiscal year. But Obed said Inuit started worrying about the program's survival well before Parliament was prorogued on Jan. 6. "We felt as though there was a distancing happening in the last six months that has become more acute in the last couple of months," Obed told The Canadian Press. He said Inuit paused negotiations six months ago so they could get a clear direction from Ottawa on what it was willing to take on long-term, and focused on working out what a shared responsibility model would look like. "It's been hard, though, to negotiate that shared model when we don't have the clear terms and conditions from the federal government about what they're willing to negotiate and what they're not," Obed said. Obed said he's had good dialogue with Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu but the minister hasn't been able to give clear direction on the program either. "I hope this is not just a cold calculation of political priority, where the country has decided that it has spent too much money on Indigenous peoples, and this is one of the areas where it would need to start tightening the purse strings," he said. Feds previously stated support for ICFI Nunavut Health Minister John Main said he's asked Hajdu about the program's future but has received no response. "It's causing me quite a good deal of concern, not knowing, because I'm looking at the health aspects to it and all the benefits," Main said. "Like on the nutrition side, we know one of the key things we're up against is food insecurity here in Nunavut." Newly-elected Nunavut Tunngavik President Jeremy Tunraluk said he's also received no response from Hajdu's office on the file. "We've reached out multiple times…. It really is very concerning that we're not getting any responses from her office," Tunraluk said. Hajdu was unavailable for an interview Tuesday to respond to Obed's letter. The Canadian Press has reached out to the Prime Minister's Office for comment but has not yet received a response. In a previous interview with The Canadian Press, Hajdu said Ottawa is committed to co-developing a long-term model for the program. "I know that there's a lot of anxiety related to where the government is politically right now," she said.
