Canada unveils revised $C23 billion compensation deal for Indigenous children
Ottawa, Canada Reuters Canada’s Federal Government and a group of Indigenous people have reached a revised $C23.34 billion agreement to compensate First Nations children and families for the decades of harm caused by a discriminatory welfare system. The terms of the deal, announced by the Canadian Government in a statement on Wednesday, were revised to […]
Australians urged to support Indigenous recognition ahead of referendum
Adelaide/Sydney, Australia Reuters A First Nations group leading the push for the constitutional recognition of Australia’s Indigenous people called on all citizens on Thursday to vote in favour of the change to help bring the country together. Australia is preparing for a landmark referendum to change its constitution to include an Indigenous “Voice”, which is […]
Indigenous people seek stronger land rights at COP15 nature talks
Montreal, CanadaReuters Negotiations on a deal to protect 30 per cent of the Earth by 2030 are woefully behind in addressing the concerns of native people, whose land holds the majority of the world’s remaining biodiversity, Indigenous advocates told Reuters at the UN nature summit in Montreal. Indigenous participation is seen as key to reaching […]
Australia struggles to ‘close the gap’ in Indigenous living standards
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia is failing to meet almost half its targets for improving the lives of Indigenous people, including on the problems of adult incarceration and suicide, according to a government assessment published on Wednesday. Australia’s roughly one million Indigenous citizens have inhabited the land for roughly 60,000 years but track well below national averages […]
Canadian tribunal seeks revamp of $C20 billion deal for First Nations children
Toronto, Canada Reuters The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, whose landmark decisions on discrimination against First Nations children set the stage for a historic $C20 billion compensation agreement, threw the deal into doubt after it said the agreement does not fully satisfy its orders. In January, the Federal Government and First Nations groups announced two C$20 […]
Religious leaders call for greater action from Australia in addressing climate change
Geelong, Australia Some 100 religious and First Nations leaders from Australia and across the South Pacific have signed an open letter urging Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stop all new and current gas projects and end public subsidies for the fossil fuel sector. The letter also asks that Australia fully respects First Nations peoples’ […]
Essay: After listening to Indigenous peoples, Pope gives comprehensive apology
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the penitential pilgrimage of Pope Francis should be an example to all church leaders who need to apologise to victims of church leaders and other Christians…
Pope apologises for “deplorable evil” of Canadian Indigenous schools
Maskwacis, Alberta Reuters Pope Francis apologised on Monday to Canada’s native people on their land for the church’s role in schools where Indigenous children were abused, calling their forced cultural assimilation a “deplorable evil” and “disastrous error.” Speaking near the site of two former schools in Maskwacis, Alberta, Francis apologised for Christian support of the […]
Updated: Pope apologises to Canadian Indigenous for wrongs at residential schools
Updated: 11:15amVatican CityReuters Pope Francis issued a historic apology to Canadian Indigenous peoples on Friday for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools that sought to erase their cultures and where many children suffered abuse and were buried in unmarked graves. Francis, in an address to native leaders after meetings with delegates from various […]
Canada’s Indigenous seek dialogue with Vatican on repatriation of artefacts
Vatican CityReuters Canadian Indigenous leaders seeking an apology for the Catholic Church’s role in notorious residential schools where children where abused also want to start a dialogue on the return of native artefacts held in the Vatican Museums. “My view is that we should sit down with Church officials and begin discussions about repatriation,” Phil […]