Indigenous

A restricted gun licence holder holds an AR-15 at his home in Langley, B.C. Friday, May 1, 2020. A House of Commons committee studying federal efforts to outlaw assault-style firearms is hearing criticism, as well as some measured support, from Indigenous leaders. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Indigenous leaders stress need for consultation on federal firearms legislation

A House of Commons committee heard criticism, as well as some measured…

A restricted gun licence holder holds an AR-15 at his home in Langley, B.C. Friday, May 1, 2020. A House of Commons committee studying federal efforts to outlaw assault-style firearms is hearing criticism, as well as some measured support, from Indigenous leaders. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Chrissie John (ḥakaƛ) and her partner are committed to teaching their two young children their First Nations language as they grow up. The family is part of an increasing number of First Nations people in B.C. who are working to reclaim their mother tongues. (Submitted photo)

Taking back identity: New learners fight to keep First Nations languages in B.C. alive

Number of fluent speakers declining, but new learners on the rise

Chrissie John (ḥakaƛ) and her partner are committed to teaching their two young children their First Nations language as they grow up. The family is part of an increasing number of First Nations people in B.C. who are working to reclaim their mother tongues. (Submitted photo)
An RCMP officer stands by as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses new Canadians during a citizenship ceremony in Kelowna, B.C., Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Trudeau says having an Indigenous person serve as the next RCMP commissioner is “an excellent idea.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Trudeau says appointing Indigenous RCMP commissioner is an ‘excellent idea’

Some First Nations leaders urging government to ensure the next top Mountie is Indigenous

An RCMP officer stands by as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses new Canadians during a citizenship ceremony in Kelowna, B.C., Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Trudeau says having an Indigenous person serve as the next RCMP commissioner is “an excellent idea.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Canadian Coast Guard ship called John P. Tully has been used to bring scientists to the Explorer Seamount, Canada’s largest underwater mountain. (Devon Bidal/News Staff)

Oceana Canada celebrates commitment to protect B.C. Seamounts

Offshore area 4 times the size of Vancouver Island due to become protected

The Canadian Coast Guard ship called John P. Tully has been used to bring scientists to the Explorer Seamount, Canada’s largest underwater mountain. (Devon Bidal/News Staff)
Governor General Mary Simon and Yuliya Kovaliv, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, right, hold a section of the Ukrainian flag during the ‘Stand in Solidarity with Ukraine’ event marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the Flora Footbridge in Ottawa, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Governor General: Climate change, Indigenous issues transcend boundaries with Russia

Simon: Polar region needs some communication and cooperation between nations

Governor General Mary Simon and Yuliya Kovaliv, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, right, hold a section of the Ukrainian flag during the ‘Stand in Solidarity with Ukraine’ event marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the Flora Footbridge in Ottawa, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
The NK’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course presents stunning views of the South Okanagan Valley. (nkmipcanyon.ca)

B.C.’s first Indigenous Golf Championship tees off in South Okanagan

The event, hosted at Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course, will see 128 golfers compete

The NK’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course presents stunning views of the South Okanagan Valley. (nkmipcanyon.ca)
Former Tk’emlups te Secwepemc chief Shane Gottfriedson, left, speaks as hiwus (Chief) Warren Paull, of the Sechelt (shishalh) First Nation, listens during a news conference, in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. Scores of First Nations leaders are voicing their formal support in court for a $2.8-billion settlement agreement to a class-action residential schools lawsuit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Indigenous chiefs across Canada laud the pending approval of $2.8B settlement deal

B.C. chief says First Nations should decide how to mitigate harms done by residential schools

Former Tk’emlups te Secwepemc chief Shane Gottfriedson, left, speaks as hiwus (Chief) Warren Paull, of the Sechelt (shishalh) First Nation, listens during a news conference, in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. Scores of First Nations leaders are voicing their formal support in court for a $2.8-billion settlement agreement to a class-action residential schools lawsuit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Survivors’ Flag hangs to honour Indigenous Peoples who were forced to attend residential schools, on the grounds of the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. On Tuesday, Tseshaht First Nation announced the preliminary results of an 18-month research-and-scanning effort to identify those who died at the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), which operated from 1900 to 1973. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

B.C. First Nation aims to reclaim narrative from shadows of residential school

Indigenous communities taking steps toward ‘decolonizing the narrative’ around residential schools.

The Survivors’ Flag hangs to honour Indigenous Peoples who were forced to attend residential schools, on the grounds of the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. On Tuesday, Tseshaht First Nation announced the preliminary results of an 18-month research-and-scanning effort to identify those who died at the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), which operated from 1900 to 1973. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Media wait outside B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday June 2, 2015. A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses the British Columbia government of “sexism and genocide” over a decades-long practice of coercing Indigenous women into sterilization or abortions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lawsuit accuses B.C. government of coercing Indigenous women into sterilization

Case filed in B.C. Supreme Court says B.C. had a law sanctioning sterilizations for 40 years

Media wait outside B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday June 2, 2015. A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses the British Columbia government of “sexism and genocide” over a decades-long practice of coercing Indigenous women into sterilization or abortions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Thompson Rivers University is considering revoking an honorary from Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. (UBC photo)

Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree under review at TRU

B.C. university latest to reconsider ties to scholar accused of misrepresenting Indigenous identity

  • Feb 23, 2023
Thompson Rivers University is considering revoking an honorary from Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. (UBC photo)
NDP MP Leah Gazan rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 21, 2021. Gazan is requesting the federal government establish a system where the public receives a phone notification when Indigenous women go missing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

NDP MP urges feds to create ‘Red Dress Alert’ for missing Indigenous women

An NDP member of Parliament is asking the federal government to establish…

NDP MP Leah Gazan rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 21, 2021. Gazan is requesting the federal government establish a system where the public receives a phone notification when Indigenous women go missing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) throws a stuffed salmon to fans as they celebrate the Kraken’s 4-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken partner with Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for groundbreaking jersey ad

‘Maybe someday a young Muckleshoot kid wears that jersey with that patch on it’

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) throws a stuffed salmon to fans as they celebrate the Kraken’s 4-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Tseshaht First Nation dancers perform during the Doing it for our Ancestors announcement on Feb. 21, 2023. (ELENA RARDON / Alberni Valley News)

Probe into former Alberni residential school resets the death toll at 67

Roughly 10 percent of the 100 hectares of Tseshaht territory to be surveyed has been scanned

Tseshaht First Nation dancers perform during the Doing it for our Ancestors announcement on Feb. 21, 2023. (ELENA RARDON / Alberni Valley News)
Jully Black is photographed in Toronto on Friday Jan. 17, 2020. Black made a small change to the lyrics of O Canada at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

‘Our home on native land’: Jully Black calls for small change to O Canada lyrics

Change acknowledged existence of Indigenous people prior to colonization

Jully Black is photographed in Toronto on Friday Jan. 17, 2020. Black made a small change to the lyrics of O Canada at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Hereditary chief Deric Snow adjusts his glasses as he joins family and friends to witness the historical repatriation of the Nuxalk Nation totem pole carved by the late Louie Snow after years of effort to release the pole back to the nation from the Royal BC Museum during a ceremony in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, February 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

‘Wonderful awakening’ as totem pole is returned to Nuxalk Nation after a century

‘We would like the world to see that this is happening’: Chief Deric Snow

Hereditary chief Deric Snow adjusts his glasses as he joins family and friends to witness the historical repatriation of the Nuxalk Nation totem pole carved by the late Louie Snow after years of effort to release the pole back to the nation from the Royal BC Museum during a ceremony in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, February 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Flags mark where ground-penetrating radar recorded hits of what are believed to be 751 unmarked graves in this cemetery near the grounds of the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the Cowessess First Nation, Sask. on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says there are many problems with a $2 million contract Ottawa signed with an international group to provide it with advice on unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor

Feds’ hiring of international group to advise on unmarked graves called ‘misstep’

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says it’s ‘deeply concerned’ by the decision

Flags mark where ground-penetrating radar recorded hits of what are believed to be 751 unmarked graves in this cemetery near the grounds of the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the Cowessess First Nation, Sask. on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says there are many problems with a $2 million contract Ottawa signed with an international group to provide it with advice on unmarked graves. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor
Kathryne Bomberger, director-general of the International Commission on Missing Persons, reacts during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday, April 8, 2022. Bomberger says families are central to addressing the issue of missing children and unmarked burials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Peter Dejong

International organization says Indigenous families will lead unmarked graves report

International Commission on Missing Persons tapped to conduct a cross-country outreach campaign

Kathryne Bomberger, director-general of the International Commission on Missing Persons, reacts during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday, April 8, 2022. Bomberger says families are central to addressing the issue of missing children and unmarked burials. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Peter Dejong
A Kansas City Chiefs fan wears a headdress during the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory celebration in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Native Americans grapple with Chiefs Super Bowl celebrations

‘I don’t really fully understand it, but it is almost like a mockery’

A Kansas City Chiefs fan wears a headdress during the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory celebration in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond speaks during a news conference after releasing a joint report with the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner about cyberbullying, in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday November 13, 2015. The University of Regina says it has rescinded the honorary doctor of laws degree it awarded to Turpel-Lafond in 2003 as she faces questions about her Indigenous heritage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Turpel-Lafond stripped of honorary degree over claims of Indigenous heritage

University first to revoke a degree granted to Turpel-Lafond after she returned 2 others

B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond speaks during a news conference after releasing a joint report with the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner about cyberbullying, in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday November 13, 2015. The University of Regina says it has rescinded the honorary doctor of laws degree it awarded to Turpel-Lafond in 2003 as she faces questions about her Indigenous heritage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Jon Coleman (right) and other members of the Cowichan Tribes-owned Khowutzun Development Corporation, here seen blocking work at the site of the new Cowichan District Hospital on Bell McKinnon Road over union issues, has called on the provincial government to abolish an agreement that he says prevents him and other Indigenous contractors from working on the site. (Robert Barron/Citizen)

Indigenous contractor won’t represent ‘token Indians’ in B.C. hospital dispute

Builder wants community benefits agreement abolished despite exception allowing him to work on site

Jon Coleman (right) and other members of the Cowichan Tribes-owned Khowutzun Development Corporation, here seen blocking work at the site of the new Cowichan District Hospital on Bell McKinnon Road over union issues, has called on the provincial government to abolish an agreement that he says prevents him and other Indigenous contractors from working on the site. (Robert Barron/Citizen)