Global News: ‘This is genocide’: Final MMIWG report says all Canadians have role in ending violence
The chief commissioner of the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) told survivors and families on Monday they have started to rewrite Canadian history.
The tragedy, former B.C. judge Marion Buller said, is a direct result of a “persistent and deliberate pattern of systemic racial and gendered human and Indigenous-rights violations and abuses, perpetuated historically and maintained today by the Canadian state, designed to displace Indigenous people from their lands, social structures and governments, and to eradicate their existence as nations, communities, families and individuals.”
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WNU Editor: Canadians do not see themselves complicit in committing genocide against Canada's indigenous people. On the contrary, in my years of being a Canadian citizen (since the 1990s), this country has always been supportive of policies and politicians who are committed to improving the lives of this country's native peoples. I live across the river from the Kahnawake First Nations Reserve, and over the years I have gotten to know many people who live there, and many of them are my friends. I play golf there. Socialize. And even pursued business and educational projects. I have seen first hand the problems on this reservation (and others in Quebec), and more importantly I have seen many who have sacrificed their time and energies to improve the situation. I have seen success stories. I have also seen disasters. The sexual violence that exists in some of these communities, especially on children, is truly horrific .... Open secret: Sexual abuse haunts children in Indigenous communities (CBC). One of my girlfriend's closest friends is an indigenous person who told her that before she fled her Ontario reserve, almost every girl (including her) experienced sexual abuse before they reached the age of 18. This has to stop.
Prime Minister Trudeau refused to use the term "genocide" today .... Trudeau avoids calling the violence against Indigenous women a ‘genocide’ (National Post). In my opinion he did the right thing. The mass majority of Canadians want to support policies and initiatives that make sense. Labelling them as complicit in genocide is going to kill the conversation. It will also frankly hurt the Prime Minister's chances of getting re-elected when Canadians go to the polls this October, especially in places like the province of Quebec where the French and native communities have a long history of animosity that goes back centuries.
As to the report itself. I think the severe criminal penalties and rules that it wants implemented be adopted for all Canadians instead of just for Canada's indigenous peoples. The report also calls for more police in these communities, but in my experience many of these communities have trouble recruiting people who want to be policemen or policewomen. Crime insome of these reservations is a huge problem, and according to the RCMP almost 70% of all murders of indigenous peoples occur within these communities. Who wants to work in such an environment? Especially in small communities where everyone knows everyone, and crime is an endemic problem.
I also believe that we must rethink on what to do with isolated reservations with no jobs (unless you work for the government), resources, or opportunities. Other native communities have also been given land and resources that are valued in the tens of billions of dollars. I believe a strategy should be developed on how to use these resources effectively, and to encourage investment. I understand that many native groups are against development, but a compromise must be found because the status quo is not working. The report's call for a guaranteed income will also not solve the crisis. Throwing money never solves social ills, and in some cases will only perpetuate the misery by creating a dependency on these funds. I have also seen first hand on what happens when government money flows into these communities. Many act responsibly, and many do not.
The full report is here.
More News On A Canadian Report That Calls The Murders Of Indigenous Women And Girls A Genocide
Trudeau declines to call deaths of Indigenous women and girls a genocide -- CTV News
Canadian inquiry calls deaths of indigenous women 'genocide' -- Reuters
Inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women issues final report with sweeping calls for change -- CBC
Some of the MMIWG inquiry's farthest-reaching recommendations -- National Post/Canadian Press
from War News Updates http://bit.ly/313BBhM
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