Indigenous groups looking for more than an apology during Pope's visit
Indigenous groups looking for more than an apology during Pope's visit
Just months after Pope Francis apologized and asked forgiveness of Indigenous people in Canada for the "deplorable conduct" of members of the Catholic Church at residential schools, the Pope will be in Canada to continue reconciliation.
Cree Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty is expecting to hear another apology when the Pope visits Quebec.
"I feel that Indigenous Nations are open to hearing whatever statements the Pope makes, but I do hope for him that he is successful in identifying an apology," she said. "I believe that's something many residential school survivors want to hear as part of his visit."
Apologizing on Canadian soil was one of the calls to action laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) - a federal inquiry into the residential school system.
Gull-Masty said while the trip is monumental, reconciliation doesn't stop at an apology.
"[The church needs to start] Looking at lands that have been owned by the Catholic Church to see if they will be returned to communities, looking at different elements of what it would mean uncovering graves on school sites," said Gull-Masty.
She would also like the church to disclose documentation on who was running the residential schools and the names of students that never returned home.
"Communities wish to make a decision if they want those members returned back to their traditional territory," she said.
On Thursday, a delegation of 10 people is expected to start a 275-kilometre healing walk from the Ponte-Bleue residential school to the provincial capital.
"It's to offer an opportunity to people in the community to gather around the former residential school survivors," said organizer Jay Launiere-Mathias. "It's really important for us to make them know that we are there for them."
Supporters and allies can join the walkers for the last 15 kilometres from Wendake to the Plains of Abraham.
"Reconciliation is not the end; it's a process," said Launiere-Mathias. "So what we want to offer with the walk it's an opportunity for people, Indigenous people, allies, to gather together."
About 16,000 Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are expected to gather at the Plains of Abraham to watch the Pope's address next week.
MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee are recommending that hybrid Parliament and the electronic voting system become permanent features of the House of Commons.
Quebec RCMP say they rescued a man over the weekend who became lost in the woods in heavy snow while trying to cross the border into the United States.
A report commissioned by a non-profit organization founded by the late Jean Vanier says the Canadian sexually abused 25 women during his decades with the group.
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
New guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular, advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say.
Members of Parliament return to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
The Farmers' Almanac just revealed its spring 2023 forecast and Ontario, along with much of the rest of Canada, is expected to see a “turbulent transition to warmth,” the agency predicts.
A Toronto passenger said her Sunwing Airlines flight was unforgettable as she recounted the moments after the pilot shut down the plane’s engine mid-flight to Montego Bay on Friday.
The grisly aftermath of an alleged fatal shooting was described today during the murder trial of a former medical student accused of killing a fellow student in Halifax seven years ago.
Police are investigating the sudden deaths of two people in Saint John, N.B. The Saint John Police Force responded to a medical assistance call at a home on Red Head Road shortly after 8 a.m. Monday.
A person has been charged following the death of a pedestrian in a crash last week. As previously reported by CTV News, a pedestrian was struck by a car near Hamilton Road and Watmar Avenue on Jan. 24.
Police in St. Thomas, Ont. are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect who they allege participated in a violent home invasion over the weekend.
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
Two people discovered asleep in a vehicle in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 30 were found with weapons and more than $175,000 in illegal drugs, Sault police said Monday.
The University of Lethbridge, following a great deal of push back from students and members of the public, says it will not provide space for a planned lecture from a controversial guest speaker.
The Brantford Police Service (BPS) is investigating "significant vandalism" to the TH&B Bridge in Brantford, including homophobic vandalism targeting the LGBTQ2S+ community.
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
A Vancouver police sergeant who says he was Const. Nicole Chan's friend and mentor has told a coroner's inquest that Chan believed she would never return to work because human resource officers went to the hospital when she was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
The Mindbender roller coaster at Galaxyland has been shut down, West Edmonton Mall announced on Monday. The redevelopment of the area is already underway, and the roller coaster is being decommissioned and removed.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged after police say he caused more than $5,000 worth of damage to an Edmonton Transit Bus and threatened a female passenger, acts that drew condemnation from Alberta's premier.
Windsor city council will not hear a motion to rescind support of a previously approved location of a consumption and treatment site (CTS) saying a compromise has been reached.
The newly minted Chatham-Kent Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) franchise is immediately dropping their recently announced “Blackbirds” name after learning the term held historical derogatory use.
The Maidstone RCMP are looking for a suspect following the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in the dressing room at the Lashburn Sportsplex on Sunday afternoon.
A report into the impact of the "Freedom Convoy" occupation on residents of Ottawa has accused all three levels of government of failing to uphold the human rights of people who live and work in downtown Ottawa.
Ontario Provincial Police have formally identified a woman who was found dead in Eganville last week as the mother of an 18-year-old man accused of murder.
A man accused of murder said he has been behind bars at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre for the last 1,310 days and is only allowed out three hours each day.
