Abbas stressed the importance of accelerating the process of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and maintaining support for the Palestinians….report Asian Lite News
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau in the West Bank city of Ramallah, urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop assaults on the Palestinians.
During the meeting on Monday, Abbas said there has to be a political horizon that gives hope to the Palestinian people to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state, Xinhua news agency reported.
Abbas stressed the importance of accelerating the process of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and maintaining support for the Palestinians.
The President briefed Garneau on the efforts made by all concerned parties to stabilise the ceasefire with Israel in all Palestinian territories and resume the stalled peace process under the international resolutions.
According to local media, Abbas expressed the Palestinian people’s appreciation of Canada’s support to the Palestinian refugees and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saying the state of Palestine is committed to democracy and the jurisdiction of law, Abbas added that as soon as Israel agrees on the holding of the Palestinian elections in East Jerusalem, he will call for holding them in Palestine.
For his part, Garneau said Canada opposes Israel’s decision to evict Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem and rejects the expansion of Israeli settlement which violates international law.
He reassured Abbas that Canada is committed to achieving peace based on the principle of the two-state solution and restore stability in the region.
More than 4,000 died of disease and neglect in the schools, according to a commission of inquiry that concluded Canada had committed “cultural genocide.”…reports Asian Lite News.
Canada’s national holiday Thursday was marked by a grim reckoning over its colonial history, after more than 1,000 unmarked graves were found near former boarding schools for indigenous children.
Several cities across the country cancelled their traditional Canada Day celebrations, usually marked by fireworks and barbecues. The hashtag #CancelCanadaDay was trending on social media, and rallies in support of the indigenous community were held around the country.
The 154th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation came one day after 182 unmarked graves were found near a former boarding school in British Columbia where indigenous children were forcibly assimilated.
The discovery was the latest in a series that have outraged the country, with 751 similar graves found near a school in Marieval in western Saskatchewan province last week, and 215 found at the end of May at another school in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Until the 1990s, some 150,000 indigenous, Inuit and Metis youngsters were forcibly enrolled in the 139 schools, where students were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers who stripped them of their culture and language.
More than 4,000 died of disease and neglect in the schools, according to a commission of inquiry that concluded Canada had committed “cultural genocide.”
“The horrific findings… have rightfully pressed us to reflect on our country’s historical failures, and the injustices that still exist for Indigenous peoples and many others in Canada,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Thursday.
Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“We as Canadians must be honest with ourselves about our past,” he said.
Days after the Kamloops discovery the city council of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, voted unanimously to cancel their planned virtual celebrations.
In Toronto, demonstrators marched early Thursday wearing orange T-shirts in support of indigenous communities, many carrying signs with slogans such as “No pride in genocide.”
Thousands held a similar rally in Montreal with slogans like “Happy denial day.”
“I come here because I have small children and I think it’s important to send the message that we don’t want our children to be touched, to be mistreated,” said an emotional Therese Dube, 56, an indigenous woman from the Akikamekw nation and a survivor of one of the residential schools in Quebec.
April Courtney Kipling, a 29-year-old indigenous woman, came “to remember, to recognize all the children who will never go home.”
Others had a more pointed reason for showing up. “Canada Day is like celebrating genocide,” said Olivia Lya, a 22-year-old Innu woman.
“Anyone celebrating Canada on July 1 is celebrating oppression,” said Nakuset, co-organiser of the Montreal Native Women’s Shelter, in a statement.
Several indigenous people noted the presence of non-indigenous Canadians at the Montreal rally.
“It’s hopeful, it shows that people are listening,” said Nadine Bellerose Lavallee, a 50-year-old Metis woman.
A statue of Queen Victoria, the 19th century ruler of the British empire, was covered in red paint and toppled in Winnipeg, in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, while at least ten churches suffered damage in Calgary, in the western province of Alberta, local media reported.
The Canadian flag on the Peace Tower in Ottawa was flown at half-mast to honour indigenous children, as was the flag on the central tower of the Quebec National Assembly.
“This year, the tragic history of residential schools has overshadowed Canada Day celebrations,” said Quebec premier Francois Legault.
But opposition leader Erin O’Toole defended Canada Day. “The road to reconciliation does not start by tearing Canada down,” the Conservative leader said, admitting that Canada is “not a perfect country.”
Lower Similkameen Indian Band Chief Keith Crow said he received a call at about 4 am PT that the Chopaka church was on fire….reports Asian Lite News
Days after two Catholic churches were destroyed by fire in the British Columbia province of Canada, two more Catholic churches were burned down in the province’s Interior on Saturday morning.
Lower Similkameen Indian Band Chief Keith Crow said he received a call at about 4 am PT that the Chopaka church was on fire. By the time he arrived about 30 minutes later, it had burned to the ground, reported CBC News.
“I am angry. I do not see any positive coming from this and it igoing to be tough,” said Crow.
Crow further said that he later received a call from the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, near Hedley, that a church on that reserve had burned down as well.
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band confirmed that St Ann’s Church was destroyed overnight and a representative for the band said officials are currently working with Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the site of the fire.
In a written statement, RCMP said both fires started within an hour of each other early Saturday morning. They said the Chopaka church fire had spread to nearby brush, but BC Wildfire crews were able to attend to it before it spread.
Meanwhile, Crow said that the fire in his community is still under investigation, adding that the fact it came on the heels of overnight fires that destroyed two other churches in the Okanagan earlier this week is suspicious.
“There’s got to be something more to it,” he said. “It’s not just coincidence.”
RCMP said they’re treating Saturday’s fires as suspicious, and investigating any possible links to the Okanagan church fires, reported CBC News.
The RCMP on Monday said that the Sacred Heart church on Penticton Indian Band lands and St. Gregory’s church on Osoyoos Indian Band lands burned to the ground and police were treating the fires as suspicious.
The incident comes days after 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, the second such discovery here in less than a month as the country confronts one of the darkest chapters in its history.
The discovery came less than a month after the mass burial place of 215 children, some as young as three years old, was found at the site of a school, closed in 1978, near the Canadian town of Kamloops.
Following the discovery of graves, a probe has been opened into the circumstances and the accountability of these fatalities.
Under the Canadian schooling system for indigenous children during the 19th century, at least 150,000 students were forcibly separated from their families and incarcerated in residential schools. It is estimated that up to 6,000 children could have died in such schools. (ANI)
Excavations at the site around the former school in Marieval, Saskatchewan began at the end of May….reports Asian Lite News
Hundreds of unmarked graves have been found near a former Catholic residential school for indigenous children in western Canada, local media reported late Wednesday.
Excavations at the site around the former school in Marieval, Saskatchewan began at the end of May.
They followed the discovery of the remains of 215 schoolchildren at another former indigenous residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, which sent shock waves through Canada.
The finds revived calls on the Pope and the Catholic church to apologize for the abuse and violence suffered by the students at these boarding schools, where they were forcibly assimilated into the dominant culture.
In a statement quoted by several Canadian media, including CBC and CTV, the native Cowessess community said it had made “the horrific and shocking discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves” during excavations at former Marieval boarding school.
“The number of unmarked graves will be the most significantly substantial to date in Canada,” the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) said in a statement.
Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the news was “absolutely tragic, but not surprising. I urge all Canadians to stand with First Nations in this extremely difficult and emotional time.”
After the discovery of the Kamloops remains, excavations were undertaken near several former schools for indigenous children across Canada, with the assistance of government authorities.
The Marieval residential school in eastern Saskatchewan hosted indigenous children between 1899 and 1997 before being demolished and replaced by a day school.
Some 150,000 Native American, Metis and Inuit children were forcibly recruited up until the 1990s in 139 of these residential schools across Canada, where they were isolated from their families, their language and their culture.
Many were subjected to ill-treatment and sexual abuse, and more than 4,000 died in the schools, according to a commission of inquiry that concluded Canada had committed “cultural genocide” against the indigenous communities.
HC Ajay Bisaria paid homage to the victims of the terrorist bombing of Air India flight AI-182 ‘Kanishka’ at the Kanishka Memorial, Ottawa(@HCI_Ottawa)
The terror attack that took place on June 23, 1985 claimed 329 lives including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens…reports Asian Lite News
Kin of the victims of the 1985 mid-air bombing of Air India flight 182, named Kanishka, marked the 36th anniversary of the worst terror attack in Canada’s history with visits to memorials and through online events on Wednesday.
On June 23, 1985, Air India’s Boeing aircraft was heading from Montreal to London when it exploded at around 31,000 feet off the Irish coast as a bomb planted inside the plane by Khalistani terrorists went off. The terror attack claimed 329 lives including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens
The terror attack is recognised in Canada as a National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the “despicable act of terror remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canada’s history. Sadly, it was not the last time Canada had to confront the malice of terrorism”.
HC Ajay Bisaria paid homage to the victims of the terrorist bombing of Air India flight AI-182 ‘Kanishka’ at the Kanishka Memorial, Ottawa(@HCI_Ottawa)
Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Ajay Bisaria pays homage to the victims of the terrorist bombing of Air India flight AI-182 ‘Kanishka’ at the Kanishka Memorial, Ottawa. (Source: Twitter)
Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Ajay Bisaria said, “This terrible incident revealed to the world the heavy cost that Khalistani terrorism could inflict on humanity. Today, I join the families of the victims and share their deep sorrow and pain as we pay homage to their memory. The terrorist bombing of the Air India flight remains the worst terrorist attack on Canada and the worst aviation disaster after 9/11. The majority of the victims were Canadians and the bombing was a result of a conspiracy conceived, planned and executed in Canada. This was principally a Canadian tragedy. But it was also a British tragedy an American tragedy and Indian tragedy… A global tragedy. No religion, faith or cause can justify such violence. Our most enduring tribute to the victims will be rededicating ourselves in fighting and eliminating terrorism and militancy with strong determination and joint action.”
Air India 182 memorial, Toronto(wikipedia)
Indian officials laid wreathes at memorials, with India’s high commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria doing so in Ottawa; consul generals in Toronto and Vancouver, Apoorva Srivastava and Manish, in their respective cities; and the representative of India to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Shefali Juneja, visiting the site in Montreal.
Earlier in the day, Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Civil Aviation Minister tweeted, “This dastardly bombing on 23 June, 1985 remains one of the most reprehensible acts of aviation terror committed against India. Actions anchored in such extremism have no place in a sane and civilised world.”
The Canadian government has also condemned the “targeted” killing of the Muslim family….reports Asian Lite News
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the killing of four members of a Muslim family in London, Ontario, as a “terrorist attack”, media reported.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Trudeau called the attack, in which five people were rammed by a black pickup truck, “a brutal, cowardly, and brazen act of violence,” the Hindustan Times reported.
“This was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities,” Trudeau was quoted as saying.
The Canadian government has also condemned the “targeted” killing of the Muslim family. A nine-year-old boy is in hospital with serious injuries.
Police said the killings were premeditated as the 20-year-old driver, identified as Nathaniel Veltman, was wearing a vest that looked like body armour.
Veltman could face terrorism charges even though he has already been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one attempted murder.
To those who knew the Afzaal family, to the son who survived, to Muslims in London and in communities across Canada, to everyone who feels sad or angry or afraid: You are not alone. Canadians across the country are mourning with you and standing with you – tonight, and always. pic.twitter.com/MqMj1kKeTC
“We believe this was an intentional act. The victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith,” said the city’s police chief.
In a statement, Prime Minister Trudeau said on Monday: “I’m horrified by the news from London, Ontario. To the loved ones of those who were terrorised by yesterday’s act of hatred, we are here for you. We are also here for the child who remains in hospital, our hearts go out to you, and you will be in our thoughts as you recover.”
Sympathising with the Muslim community of Canada, he said: “We stand with you. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities. This hate is insidious and despicable and it must stop.”
London city Mayor Ed Holder called the incident “an act of mass murder, perpetrated against Muslims – against Londoners – and rooted in unspeakable hatred”.
Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced to dim the Toronto Sign on Monday night “to mourn the London family – three generations of one family – targeted and murdered because of their Islamic faith and to stand in solidarity with our Muslim community”.
He added that the city stands “with the Muslim community in London and here in Toronto in the face of this tragedy. And we absolutely reject the hatred and Islamophobia that led to this deadly violence”.
This comes as the mass burial place of 215 children, aged from three years, was found at the site of a school, closed in 1978, near the Canadian town of Kamloops…reports Asian Lite News
Pope Francis on Sunday expressed sorrow over the findings of the remains of more than 200 indigenous children at a former indigenous boarding school in western Canada, which was run by the Church.
“I observe with pain the shocking discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 children, pupils of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, in the province of British Columbia. I join the Canadian Bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing his closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatized by the shocking news,” the pontiff at a mass as quoted by the Vatican news.
This comes as the mass burial place of 215 children, aged from three years, was found at the site of a school, closed in 1978, near the Canadian town of Kamloops, Sputnik reported.
Following the discovery of graves, a probe has been opened into the circumstances and the accountability of these fatalities.
The pope requested Canadian authorities “to continue to work together with determination to shed light on this sad event and to commit themselves humbly to a path of reconciliation and healing.”
According to Francis, the incident was a strong call to abandon the “colonial model” and work toward the recognition of rights of the ingenious communities in Canada.
However, he stopped short of a direct apology that some Canadians had demanded.
“We’re all pained and saddened. Who isn’t? This is a worldwide travesty,” Bobby Cameron, chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatchewan.
“How hard is it for the Pope to say: ‘I’m very sorry for the way our organization treated the First Nations people, the First Nations students during those times. We are sorry. We pray,” Cameron said.
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Thomas Collins also said an apology “may very well be something that will be on the path ahead”.
Under the Canadian schooling system for indigenous children, at least 150,000 students were forcibly separated from their families and incarcerated in residential schools, according to the Russian news agency. It is estimated that up to 6,000 children could have died in such schools. (ANI/IANS)
The discovery of the remains at the former Indian residential school in Kamloops in British Columbia led to calls on Tuesday for officially designating it as “genocide”….reports Asian Lite News
As Canadians fear discovery of more graves of indigenous children after the remains of 215 kids were found from the grounds of a former native school, the UN has called for an “exhaustive investigation” into the tragedy.
“Remains should be identified and forensic studies carried out to ensure proper identification of remains. Without this, healing is not possible,” the United Nations Human Rights Council told Canada on Wednesday.
The discovery of the remains at the former Indian residential school in Kamloops in British Columbia led to calls on Tuesday for officially designating it as “genocide”.
Indian-origin Opposition leader Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party said these schools were started with the aim of a “genocide” of indigenous people.
As we begin this month, we are all mourning the tragic loss of the 215 children whose remains were discovered at the former Kamloops Indian residential school.
If we are to honour their legacy, everyone in Canada must know the haunting truth about our past. (2/3)
— Human Rights Canada (@CdnHumanRights) June 1, 2021
“These residential schools were not schools; they were institutions designed to eradicate and eliminate Indigenous people. They were institutions that were designed to perpetuate a genocide,” he said.
Angry indigenous leaders wanted the Pope to apologise as Catholic missionaries ran these schools with government support.
Canada’s first Prime Minister Sir John Macdonald too came under attack as he started these schools in 1883 and ordered Indigenous kids forcibly removed from their “savage” parents and placed in these schools.
Macdonald’s statue was removed from the city centre in Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in a House of Commons debate on the tragedy, expressed fears that there could be more unknown graves of indigenous kids at other Indian residential schools.
“We know that the discovery in Kamloops is part of a larger tragedy and that from coast to coast to coast, many children forced into the residential school system disappeared without a trace.
📣RETWEET📣 if you think the federal government needs to support First Nations in the wake of this tragedy, immediately implement the TRC Calls to Action, and stop fighting First Nations children in court. #cdnpolihttps://t.co/FVwADDqvpV
— Perry Bellegarde (@perrybellegarde) May 31, 2021
“Today, some of the children who were found in Kamloops – and who have yet to be found in other places across the country – would have been grandparents or great-grandparents. They would have been elders, knowledge keepers and community leaders. They are not. And that is the fault of Canada.”
Former Senator Murray Sinclair too feared more unknown graves of indigenous kids who disappeared from the residential schools.
“We know there are lots of sites similar to Kamloops that are going to come to light in the future. We need to begin to prepare ourselves for that,” he said.
In all, 139 Indian residential schools ran across Canada where over 150,000 indigenous kids were placed till the last was closed in 1996.
Earlier, Canadian government has contributed $10 million for supporting India with therapeutics and ventilators….reports Asian Lite News
Showing solidarity with India at a time when it is faced with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday encouraged Canadians to help India.
At a time when Canada continues to struggle with COVID-19, Trudeau explained that Canadians cannot ignore the world’s more vulnerable nations and that they must look beyond national borders to help in any way they can, he said in an interview with ET Canada.
“Even as we are facing challenges with certain parts of the country, much higher case-loads than we’d want, and I.C.U.s getting to their limits, we still have ways that we need to look to help out others around the world,” said Trudeau.
On being asked as to what was on his mind when people were losing their lives because of oxygen supply he said, “It is just heartbreaking. Nobody wants to see just the terrible images and the tragedies that we’re hearing from loved ones and family members.”
Sharing the steps the Canadian government is taking to help India during this difficult time, he said the Canadian government has contributed $10 million for supporting India with therapeutics and ventilators.
“We stepped up with $10 million. We have sent therapeutics and ventilators and shipments of equipment to India because we know what a devastating situation it is. But we also know this pandemic doesn’t end anywhere until it ends everywhere,” Trudeau stated.
Recalling the tough time after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, contracted the virus back in 2020, Trudeau admitted that made it “really real” for himself and their family.
After recently receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the prime minister says “it was an amazing feeling” knowing we’re one step closer to a sense of normalcy and he encourages all Canadians to do the same.(India NewsNetwork)
Markham city’s Frank Scarpitti, who has been to India many times and is very well respected in the Indo-Canadian community, announced to donate $10,000 to the initiative by the ICCC….reports Asian Lite News
The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), along with 80-odd community bodies, launched its ‘Oxygen for India marathon fundraiser to collect $2 million to send oxygen equipment to India, even as Ontario announced to send 2,000 more ventilators to the Covid-battered country.
Almost $500,000 was raised during the very first session of the marathon fundraiser on Sunday.
It will be held for three hours every Sunday for four weeks.
Surprisingly, the biggest contribution of $50,000 came from Canada’s native or indigenous Metis people.
“We have similarities with Indians even though we are from different parts of the world. India will be there for us when we need, and we should be there for them now. We will donate $50,000 to the ICCC and do more if needed,” announced David Chartrand, President of the Manitoba Metis Federation.
In case you missed the live event, here is the full recording of the Oxygen for India – Virtual Coast to Coast Marathon Fundraiser event.https://t.co/5UQHKIsvI7
— Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (@IndoCanadaCC) May 17, 2021
ICCC president Vijay Thomas said their initiative aims at garnering donations not only from the 1.6 million Indo-Canadian community, but also businesses and cities across Canada.
“The money will be used to send oxygen concentrators and generators and we will find new pathways to send oxygen to India. We want to ensure that oxygen reaches tier 2 and 3 cities and towns before they get severely hit by the virus,” Thomas said.
Top political leaders, including the Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mayors, business owners and medical professionals took part in the marathon fundraiser.
Ford announced that 2,000 additional ventilators are being sent to India, in addition to 3,000 already delivered.
“The whole plane-load of Air Canada is filled from front to back and arriving (in India) by Tuesday with all sorts of supplies. The people of India have been there for us and we will be there for them,” the Ontario Premier said, referring to India’s delivery of one million vaccine doses to Canada earlier this year.
Markham city’s Frank Scarpitti, who has been to India many times and is very well respected in the Indo-Canadian community, announced to donate $10,000 to the initiative by the ICCC.
The mayors of Brampton and Mississauga, the outlying cities which are home to the biggest concentration of the Indo-Canadian community in Canada, urged their residents to donate liberally to the initiative.
