National Indigenous News July 16

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

Transcript

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This is a look at your National Indigenous News. I'm Darrell Stranger. The Assembly of First Nations has passed an emergency resolution that calls on Canada to criminalize residential school denialism. The advocacy organization, which represents Chiefs countrywide, is holding its annual General Assembly in Ottawa this week, and the resolution was passed Tuesday. Several leaders, including Anishinaabec Nation Grand Council Chief Linda DeBassage and AFNBC Regional Chief Terry Teegey, said they spoke to the Senate about including residential school denialism in the recently passed Combating Hate Act. The Senate voted down a proposed amendment to add it to the bill. A spokesperson for the Justice Minister said in a statement the Combating Hate Act was intended to make spaces like places of worship, schools, cultural centers, and community spaces safer by strengthening laws against hate crimes, but that Indian residential school denialism does not fit within the scope of what the act was designed to do. Residential school denialism does not deny the existence of the school system, but rather downplays, excuses, or misrepresents facts about the harms caused by it. This resolution calls for the government to either amend Bill C9 or create new standalone legislation that criminalizes the public condoning, denial, justification, or minimization of Indian residential school denialism as a form of hate speech against First Nations. It is a crime in Canada to promote anti-Semitism by condoning, denying, or downplaying the Holocaust, and DeBassage said it is a simple ask for Canada to include a similar amendment to the Criminal Code on Residential School Denialism. Nunavut's Department of Family Services has reversed its earlier decision to end a contract with the operator of several children and youth care facilities in a Calahuit. The Angerak Corporation was set to close two group homes this week because of a contract dispute with a territory that could have forced some children and youth in care to be moved out of the territory. In a news release Wednesday, the department announced it reached an agreement with Angerak to provide services until March of 2027. Angerak provides respite services for children and youth under the department's care. Angerak said it is a huge relief for the seven affected youth, their families, and the company's 37 staff members. The news release says the department, alongside Angerak, will conduct a joint review of program delivery and financial arrangements to ensure affected youth remain supported. The department has also created room for negotiating more funding to avoid the company having to pay for expenses out of pocket. A First Nation in BC's Fraser Valley has launched a substance use treatment program specifically for young adults that combines indigenous knowledge and clinical care. Led by Seabird Island through a partnership with Fraser Health and the government of BC, the Thaitel Wellness Program will soon accept Indigenous applicants between 19 and 26 for its six-spot 90-day program. While overdose deaths due to the toxic drug supply decreased from 2024 to 2025, First Nations people continue to be disproportionately affected by the toxic drug crisis. According to data by the First Nations Health Authority, nearly half of drug overdose deaths of First Nations people in 2025 were among adults under 40. The province of BC said in a news release the Tytel Wellness Program will support Indigenous young people through culture, community, and land-based practices and is designed for those who experience gaps as they transition between youth and adult systems of care. Indigenous advocates have called for more culturally informed addictions treatment programs in BC for a number of years, alongside continued harm reduction supports like Safe Supply. The BC Health Minister also said in a news release that for young adults, having the right support at the right time can change the trajectory of their lives. That's a look at your national Indigenous News.