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Former Afghan interpreters for the Canadian military pleaded with MPs yesterday to “listen to our cries” for help, saying family members stranded in Afghanistan are running from safe house to safe house to escape Taliban reprisals.
The group told the House of Commons Special Committee on Afghanistan that family members and colleagues left behind after the Taliban takeover of their country last August face bureaucratic insensitivity and delays in the processing of the special immigration visas they need to come to Canada.
Afghans who worked for Canada must fill out more than a dozen forms and face stringent security reviews, unlike what is being required of Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia, the six former interpreters said.
Former Afghanistan interpreters begin a hunger strike on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, March 31, 2022.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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As Canadian police grapple with hate crimes, a wave of reforms are improving how they handle incidents
Constable Ashlee-Lynn Mailloux starts each shift by reading all the reports of hate crimes that have streamed in overnight from across Montreal. Then she contacts the victims to let them know one of the investigators in her five-person unit will call them back within a day or two.
She also phones people back if they have reported incidents that do not rise to the level of criminal offence – such as having racial slurs hurled at them in public – and offers them and their families access to further supports. She always tries to make them feel safer by giving them tips on how to protect themselves.
Better explaining police investigations to victims and offering more supports builds confidence in the system, experts say, and will in turn lead to more people reporting hate crimes – a crucial step. Only a fifth of hate-crime victims ever call 9-1-1, according to Statistics Canada’s best estimate.
Ukrainian mothers who survived shelling of maternity ward describe the day Russian forces opened fire
There is no mistaking the Adonis Maternity Hospital. The five-storey building is flanked with signs depicting mothers kissing babies and billboard-sized text identifying it as an obstetrics clinic.
So when Russian forces began their assault on Ukraine, pregnant women fled Kyiv and other cities to take shelter here, 35 kilometres west of the capital.
What happened in the village of Buzova adds to evidence that Russian forces have taken lethal aim at women and children since the outset of the invasion.
- Opinion: When will the war in Ukraine end?
- Opinion: Justin Trudeau should stand with Ukrainians by flying to Ukraine
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Mountie asked supervisors to alert public about fake police car: Two hours before being killed by a gunman who was on a rampage across rural Nova Scotia, RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson asked her supervisors why they hadn’t told the public to be on the lookout for the killer’s replica police vehicle. The Mountie, one of 22 victims of Canada’s deadliest mass shooting, had joined the manhunt for the gunman, Gabriel Wortman, on the morning of April 19, 2020.
Former CRTC leaders say regulator not equipped to oversee Online News Act: Former leaders of Canada’s broadcasting and telecom regulator say the body is not equipped to oversee the implementation of the federal government’s legislation requiring major tech giants, such as Google and Facebook, to pay Canadian media outlets for news content that appears on their platforms.
Ontario’s top doctor warns of sixth COVID-19 wave: Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health says the sixth wave of COVID-19 could put 600 people in his province’s intensive-care units – more than triple the current number – and last another month-and-a-half, clouding the coming provincial election campaign.
Migrants flee South Africa as hostility worsens: A rising tide of anti-immigrant rhetoric in South Africa, fuelled by record-high unemployment and a stagnant economy, is challenging the country’s traditional politics and triggering a wave of raids on African migrants in their homes and shops.
New federal strategy could help cannabis industry: Industry experts say a new industry working group with the federal government may be the next step in combatting the illicit cannabis market. In its 2022 budget, Ottawa said it is creating a cannabis strategy table to support a continuing dialogue with businesses and stakeholders in the cannabis sector.
MORNING MARKETS
World stocks weak ahead of U.S. inflation report: World stocks slipped to their lowest levels in almost a month and selling again gripped the world’s biggest bond markets on Tuesday ahead of data expected to show annual U.S. inflation rising at its fastest pace in 40 years. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.38 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 were off 1.21 per cent and 0.90 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei fell 1.81 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.46 per cent. U.S. futures were modestly lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 79 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Editorial: “The goal of more drivers in electric vehicles is, all else equal, a good one. But getting there by offering big subsidies to a small number of new car purchasers is highly inefficient – ecologically, economically and fiscally. The cost is high. The environmental impact is middling.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
What should you know about omega-3′s, and less talked-about omega-6′s?
The health benefits of omega-3 fats, especially the ones in oily fish, are well reported. Omega-6 fatty acids, however, aren’t often talked about. And when they are, their health effects sometimes come with controversy. Here’s a primer on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids – their health benefits, best food sources and how to get the right balance in your diet.
MOMENT IN TIME: APRIL 12, 1876
Group portrait of Indigenous men, British Columbia, c. 1867. The man on the far left is thought to be Alkali Chief Quil-Quailse and the man on the far right is thought to be Williams Lake Chief Williams. The man in the centre is holding a Semour Malacca staff with a cast silver head.City of Vancouver Archives
Indian Act is introduced
The Indian Act, which came into effect on April 12, 1876, is the primary law defining the relationship between the federal government and First Nations across the country. It was introduced under a Liberal government led by prime minister Alexander Mackenzie and was considered a tool to assimilate First Nations people in Canada. The post-Confederation law included definitions, such as that an Indian was any male individual of “Indian blood” reputed to belong to a particular band, any child of that person and any woman who was married to the individual. It also included stipulations such as involuntary enfranchisement for Indians who obtained a university degree. Enfranchisement involved the termination of an individual’s status. The Indian Act also said that an Indian who lived outside Canada for a period in excess of five years without the permission of the then-Indian Affairs department was enfranchised. While the act has been amended over the years, it remains in effect in Canada. Indigenous experts consider it to be racist and colonialist, noting it gives the federal government tremendous power over the control of First Nations people on reserves. Kristy Kirkup
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