National Indigenous News July 1

Darrell Stranger takes a look at some of the latest Indigenous news making headlines across the country. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is a look at your National Indigenous News. I'm Darrell Stranger. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Inuit Tapuri Canatami leader Natan Obed agreed Tuesday there is room to improve the relationship between Ottawa and Inuit as they kicked off a meeting of the Inuit to Crown Partnership Committee. Carney is in Kujawak, Quebec with six of his cabinet ministers for a meeting with Inuit leaders. Inuit Tapuri Canatami hosted an Arctic Security and Sovereignty Summit earlier this month. It culminated in a call for the federal government to be a better partner and ITK's rejection of what it called outdated colonial approaches to Arctic policy that repeat Canada's past mistakes of marginalizing Inuit. Other issues on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting included Arctic sovereignty, security and defense, housing and food security, the proposed Inuit university, and Inuit Health and Wellness. Carney said there were other areas where Ottawa and Inuit could deepen cooperation, particularly on Arctic security and defense. A group of archaeologists at Memorial University have voiced their support for the Inu Nation, saying the Newfoundland and Labrador government has undermined public trust and harmed Inu people. The comments were made in a letter signed by seven professors from Memorial's archaeology department and shared publicly by the Inu Nation on Thursday. The letter is the latest development in a dispute between the indigenous group in Labrador and the provincial government, which the Inu Nation says stems from the province espousing a fringe theory that Inu arrived in Labrador just 300 years ago after the Europeans. The Inu Nation says the theory erases thousands of years of Inu history in the region. In the archaeologists' letter, they also opposed the theory, saying it employed a colonialist logic. The Inu Nation announced last week it was canceling their cultural exhibit, which was set to open in Labrador on National Indigenous Peoples Day. Premier Tony Wacom and Leela Evans, Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, met with the Inu Nation shortly after, but there was no resolution. Evans said last week that the government met with the Inu Nation and it hopes to find a respectful resolution to this dispute. A new group supporting Indigenous cancer patients and their families is hosting sessions in Regina, Saskatchewan with plans in place to expand to other cities. The Grief and Loss program was launched in February and is now in its second cycle. Grounded in First Nations and Metis worldviews, the group recognizes grief as a holistic experience. The group meets once a week at First Nations and Metis Health Services in Pasqua Hospital, and the sessions are led by a Metis Elder. The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency is now looking for creative ways to support. A First Nations Metis Cancer strategy is being developed through collaboration between Indigenous partners, community members, and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Thanks to positive feedback from patients and families, there are now plans to expand to Saskatoon and other cities. The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency said there are plans to continue improving all services to ensure earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for Indigenous cancer patients. That's a look at your National Indigenous News.