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BREAKING - A First Nation in Saskatchewan says there could be 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school, the latest such announcement from Indigenous groups struggling to come to terms with the legacy of the schools and the missing children who attended them. Cowessess First Nation, in a press conference Thursday, said it discovered 751 unmarked graves at a cemetery, although Chief Cadmus Delorme noted the error rate ranges between 10 per and 15 per cent.
British Columbia reporter Mike Hager and Calgary reporter Carrie Tait have more details here.
In a statement issued shortly after the announcement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, in part:
“I recognize these findings only deepen the pain that families, survivors, and all Indigenous peoples and communities are already feeling, and that they reaffirm a truth that they have long known. The hurt and the trauma that you feel is Canada’s responsibility to bear, and the government will continue to provide Indigenous communities across the country with the funding and resources they need to bring these terrible wrongs to light. While we cannot bring back those who were lost, we can – and we will – tell the truth of these injustices, and we will forever honour their memory...
“If you need someone to talk to, please reach out to the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line, which is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.”
The full statement is here.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, a member of the Little Bear First Nation in southern Saskatchewan, said in a tweet that the news was “absolutely tragic, but not surprising.”
“I urge all Canadians to stand with First Nations in this extremely difficult and emotional time.”
TODAY’S HEADLINES
A Canadian government forensic report into the shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 will say the disaster was caused by “a series of reckless acts and omissions” by Iranian officials.
An official summary of the report, obtained by The Globe and Mail, reveals that the Canadian investigation will accuse Iran of “incompetence, recklessness, and wanton disregard for human life,” while falling short of accusing Iran of intentionally shooting down the passenger plane on Jan. 8, 2020.
Senior International Correspondent Mark MacKinnon and Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase report here.
Reporters’ Comment from Mr. MacKinnon: “This report is something that victims’ families have waited a long time to see. While it appears to fall short of their main hope – which was that Canada would accuse Iran of intentionally shooting down the aircraft (something many of the victims’ relatives believe) – it does appear to open the door to future legal action by suggesting that the “incompetence, recklessness, and wanton disregard for human life” of Iranian officials caused the disaster.
“What kind of legal action the Canadian government might be considering isn’t yet clear, but it seems significant that Global Affairs Canada recently appointed Payam Akhavan – a veteran prosecutor of war crimes and crimes against humanity – as its legal advisor on this file.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom, are holding a news conference on this matter at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
BENNETT APOLOGIZES - Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is apologizing to Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould for a message the former justice minister described as “racist and misogynist.” Ms. Bennett said on Twitter that she has offered her apology directly to Ms. Wilson-Raybould.
EXTRA SENATE SITTING - The Senate will sit for two extra days next week in order to pass the budget bill and likely another bill on climate-change targets, but government legislation on broadcasting and conversion therapy appear unlikely to become law by summer.
LINE 5 TUNNEL REVIEW PLANNED - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Wednesday that it has opted to conduct an extensive review of Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Line 5 tunnel under the Great Lakes, which could significantly delay a solution the company has offered to avert a full shutdown of the pipeline.
FEDS GO TO COURT - The Liberal government is asking the Federal Court to prohibit disclosure of documents related to the firing of two scientists at Canada’s highest-security laboratory. In doing so, it is challenging the long-held principle that the House of Commons is supreme and has unfettered power to demand the production of any documents it sees fit, no matter how sensitive and regardless of privacy or national security laws.
NEW HATE SPEECH LEGISLATION - The Liberal government has announced new legislation meant to curb hate speech that ministers said could set the stage for other bills in the fall.
MIDDLE EAST TRIP SET FOR MINISTER - Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister will soon travel to Israel and the West Bank to advance a two-state solution following a deadly 11-day war between Israelis and Palestinians.
QUESTIONS ABOUT SAJJAN ASSISTANT - An army reservist who was ordered suspended from the Vancouver Police Department for having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate has been working as a military assistant to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. The Minister’s office says the military was responsible for hiring Maj. Greg McCullough, and that neither the Minister nor his staff knew about the complaint or disciplinary action taken against him while he was a sergeant in the Vancouver police.
MUSIQUE QUEBECOISE SEULEMENT - Only Quebec music will be allowed to be played in all government buildings and phone lines. “The days of royalty-free elevator music are over,” says Culture Minister Nathalie Roy.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Private meetings. An interview with the Prime Minister airs on RDS Hockey 360, the Montreal-based TV sports network.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to the media about the discovery of more children’s remains and unmarked graves at a residential school in Saskatchewan. Also visits Montreal to mark Saint Jean Baptiste.
OPINION
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on too many underqualified presidents and prime ministers: “Joe Biden, the oldest and most experienced president in the history of his country, marks a sharp break with recent history. He is in a position to re-establish the importance of pedigree, the idea that if you’re set on occupying the most important position in the land, maybe you should have suitable credentials. Mr. Obama, who served in the Illinois legislature, hadn’t even completed one Senate term in Washington before running for president. Donald Trump was the first president who had no political experience or public service whatsoever.”
David Parkinson (The Globe and Mail) on Canada being the model for an “international carbon price floor” proposed by the IMF: “Researchers at the International Monetary Fund have a proposal they hope will be the key that finally unlocks serious progress toward meeting the world’s Paris Agreement climate commitments. And they’re looking at Canada for their model of how it would work. It’s called an “international carbon price floor.” In a staff paper published by the IMF last week, the authors propose what amounts to a common minimum carbon tax among a “core group” of the world’s biggest-emitting countries.”
Richard Fadden (Contributor to The Globe and Mail) on why Canada needs a national inquiry into its handling of COVID-19: “Given the number of deaths Canada has seen throughout this pandemic, the enormous social and economic adjustments Canadians have made, and the unprecedented cost to taxpayers, this country needs a credible, practical and comprehensive look at how we can be better prepared for the next pandemic. A public inquiry established by the federal government, but independent of it, is the only practical vehicle to accomplish this. It needs to be set up before the next election to prevent its work from becoming a matter of partisan debate. Now is not too soon to get started.”
Todd Hataley and Christian Leuprecht (Contributors to The Globe and Mail) on why Canada should use DNA testing to return children in residential school graves to family members: “The country needs a pan-Canadian database to enable DNA from unidentified persons to be matched against cold cases, missing persons, as well as individuals and family members who volunteer samples. The U.S. has a highly successful precedent with the University of North Texas’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), which works in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The system has thereby restored some dignity by matching anonymous victims with their families, but its success depends on the database of DNA matches.”
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Ian Bailey