Articles by Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press

Jun 21 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — As many settler Canadians gain greater awareness of the dark and disturbing truths about the country's mistreatment of Indigenous populations, political leaders struck conciliatory tones in recognizing National Indigenous People's Day Monday. The normally colourful and celebratory day — which has been marked in Canada since 1996 — came on the heels of […]

Jun 19 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — When European explorers first set foot on the lands that are now Canada, they claimed the territory as their own, despite the presence of Indigenous Peoples who had already been occupying the lands for generations.  They did this using the "doctrine of discovery," a policy originally emanating from decrees issued by the pope […]

Jun 19 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — When European explorers first set foot on the lands that are now Canada, they claimed the territory as their own, despite the presence of Indigenous Peoples who had already been occupying the lands for generations.  They did this using the "doctrine of discovery," a policy originally emanating from decrees issued by the pope […]

Jun 17 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Canada's attempt to narrow the list of First Nations children who can access services under Jordan's Principle is linked to the country's long-standing "racist and colonial" policies toward Indigenous Peoples, lawyers argued in Federal Court Thursday.  Questions about who is considered a First Nations child, and whether this should include children living off-reserve, […]

Jun 16 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — A landmark piece of Liberal legislation aimed at harmonizing Canada's laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has passed third reading in the Senate, paving the way for the bill to be enshrined into law before a possible federal election. Bill C-15 cleared the Senate Wednesday with a […]

Jun 16 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Children and youth in remote First Nations who have died by suicide are a tragic examples showing Canada's harms toward Indigenous kids was wilful and reckless, lawyers argued in Federal Court Wednesday.  Akosua Matthews, representing the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a political territorial organization representing 49 mainly remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario, says […]

Jun 15 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The Assembly of First Nations is chastising the federal government's legal challenge of a ruling to compensate First Nations children who were unnecessarily taken into foster care as "callous" and "heartless." Lawyers arguing on behalf of the AFN were in Federal Court Tuesday, arguing against Ottawa's attempts to set aside a 2019 Canadian […]

Jun 14 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Lawyers arguing on behalf of First Nations children and youth unnecessarily taken from their families by an underfunded and discriminatory child-welfare system say Canada harmed these kids, but is "shamefully" trying to avoid paying for its wrongs.  But even while federal officials insist they believe these children should be compensated, their lawyers argue […]

Jun 14 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — The federal government is arguing the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's decision to award $40,000 to each Indigenous child removed from their parents by a systemically underfunded child-welfare system was based on "seriously flawed reasoning." Ottawa’s legal challenge of two rulings involving First Nations children taken into care began the first of five days […]

Jun 13 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — Ottawa’s controversial legal challenge of a pair of rulings involving First Nations children torn from their families by a chronically underfunded childcare system heads to Federal Court Monday, despite repeated calls for the cases to be dropped in the name of reconciliation.  The federal government is poised to argue against two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal […]

Jun 13 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — Ottawa’s controversial legal challenge of a pair of rulings involving First Nations children torn from their families by a chronically underfunded childcare system heads to Federal Court Monday, despite repeated calls for the cases to be dropped in the name of reconciliation.  The federal government is poised to argue against two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal […]

Jun 9 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Diena Jules was just seven years old when she was forced to attend the Kamloops Residential School, but she was considered one of the lucky ones because she got to go home every night.  She doesn't remember feeling so lucky. In fact, she calls the period the "dark ages" of her life. Jules […]

Jun 8 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sidestepping questions about whether he will adhere to a unanimous motion passed in the House of Commons calling on the federal government to drop its legal battles against a pair of rulings involving First Nations children. The non-legally binding motion, passed by all five parties in the Commons […]

Jun 8 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sidestepping questions about whether he will adhere to a unanimous motion passed in the House of Commons calling on the federal government to drop its legal battles against a pair of rulings involving First Nations children. The non-legally binding motion, passed by all five parties in the Commons […]

Jun 4 2021 — Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — In the wake of the tragic discovery of an unmarked burial site in Kamloops, B.C., the Liberals are facing tough questions about ongoing harms being suffered by Indigenous children in the child welfare system — a system an Inuk MP says is no different than residential schools. Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who represents Nunavut, said […]