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Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan says there could be 751 unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School. Chief Cadmus Delorme said during a press conference yesterday that the discovery was “not a mass gravesite.”
Chief Delorme said he “cannot affirm that they are all children.” Oral history says adults were buried at the gravesite that was previously overseen by the Catholic Church. The news from Marieval comes about a month after Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir said a preliminary search using ground-penetrating radar technology had discovered the remains of 215 children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. It’s led to renewed trauma for Indigenous communities and calls for governments to take greater action on reconciliation.
As political leaders react to the Marieval revelation, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is under fire. She insinuated that Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould’s tweet calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to live up to his promise on reconciliation and to stop “jockeying for an election” was motivated by financial considerations. Bennett responded to the tweet in a text message with one word: “Pension?” Wilson-Raybould characterized the message as “racist and misogynistic,” and Bennett has since apologized.
Explainer: What we know about the unmarked graves, and Canada’s reaction so far
Opinion: Canada should use DNA testing to return children in residential-school graves to family members
Flags mark where ground-penetrating radar recorded hits of what are believed to be 751 unmarked graves near the grounds of the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the Cowessess First Nation, Sask., in this undated handout photo provided by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.HO/The Canadian Press
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How China is trying to increase Han Chinese births, limit Muslim births in Xinjiang region
A Globe exclusive reveals how the Chinese government is trying to re-engineer the population balance of Xinjiang region through two different approaches in birth policy.
One seeks to increase the dominant Han Chinese population through benefits and incentives that encourage non-residents to settle and have children in the region, which is home to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims. Beijing is also pursuing a “strike-hard campaign” against “illegal childbirths” among the Muslim ethnic minority, limiting its population growth.
“It’s kind of discriminatory eugenics thinking as it relates to population planning in Xinjiang, and particularly amongst the indigenous population,” said scholar James Leibold. Such policies have led to accusations of genocide in Xinjiang against China, including from Canada’s House of Commons. China denies any wrongdoing.
Catch the latest Decibel on China’s differential birth policies
Read more: Trudeau calls for probe into China’s mistreatment of Uyghurs as Beijing attacks Canada’s record on reconciliation
Iran’s ‘recklessness’ responsible for Ukrainian Flight 752 disaster
Ottawa stopped short of accusing Iran of intentionally shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane on Jan. 8, 2020. But it didn’t mince words in its forensic report on the disaster that killed all 176 people on board, saying Iranian authorities’ “wanton disregard for human life,” along with their “recklessness,” were to blame.
Those aboard Flight 752, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents, had been en route to Canada via Kyiv, Ukraine, when a pair of Iranian anti-aircraft missiles struck the plane shortly after it took off from Tehran. Though Ukrainian and Canadian authorities were prevented from conducting a full investigation on the ground, the report accepted Tehran’s contention that it wasn’t a premeditated act. Still, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Iran cannot shirk from its obligations, adding that Canada will continue to push for “full reparations.”
The passengers of UIA Flight 752: What we know about those lost in the disaster
Subscribe to our Olympics newsletter: Going for gold under the cloud of COVID-19 makes the Tokyo Summer Games an Olympics like no other. Tokyo Olympics Update is here to help you make sense of it all, with original stories from Globe reporters in Canada and Tokyo, tracking Team Canada’s medal wins, and past Olympic moments from iconic performances.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Habs head to Stanley Cup final after overtime win against Golden Knights
The Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 6, advancing to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 28 years. Artturi Lehkonen scored on a crisp wrist shot in overtime, capping a hard-fought victory that most sports observers couldn’t have predicted at the start of the playoffs. Outside Montreal’s Bell Centre, police used tear gas and made arrests when celebrations became rowdy. The Habs will face off against the winner of Friday’s game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders.
Ontario moving to Step 2 of reopening plan on June 30
The Ford government is moving Ontario to the second phase of its reopening plan two days ahead of schedule, allowing shopping malls, hair salons and amusement parks to reopen with capacity limits. Most indoor activities, however, will remain closed. The province has already surpassed COVID-19 vaccination targets required for step 3 of the reopening plan, but will not proceed to that stage until later in July, citing the need for vaccines to reach their full effectiveness.
Nearly 100 missing after 12-storey Miami building partly collapses
A huge search-and-rescue operation has been under way after a beachfront condo building partly collapsed outside Miami, killing at least one person. While dozens of survivors were pulled out, nearly 100 were still unaccounted for, as of Thursday afternoon, raising fears of a higher death toll.
Nova Scotia MLA booted from PC caucus over support for New Brunswick boundary protest
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, a prominent Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative member of legislature, has been dropped from her caucus and barred from running for the party in the future after posting a Facebook video in support of a protest that closed the boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Smith-McCrossin objected to last-minute changes by the Nova Scotia Liberals that imposed travel restrictions on New Brunswickers, though the government has since reversed its decision and will drop restrictions next week.
Court dismisses Meng’s request for publication ban on HSBC materials
B.C.’s Supreme Court dismissed Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s application for a publication ban on new evidence her legal counsel is looking to introduce in her battle against extradition to the United States. The court’s reasons have not been publicly released.
Royal Household releases statistics acknowledging lack of diversity in staff
Figures released by the Royal Household show that just 8.5 per cent of the Queen’s 508 employees come from ethnic minority backgrounds, despite London’s population being 38 per cent racialized, according to the latest census. This marks the first time such statistics on the makeup of the royal staff have been disclosed and comes at a time when the Royal Family has been grappling with allegations of racism made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Buckingham Palace officials have recognized the need to do more on diversity.
Pelosi strikes congressional panel to probe Capitol attack
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a new House committee yesterday to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol Hill. Democrats’ bid to set up an independent commission was blocked last month by Senate Republicans. So far, some 500 people have been arrested in connection with the riot.
MORNING MARKETS
Global equities edged towards record highs on Friday after U.S. President Joe Biden embraced a bipartisan Senate infrastructure deal, raising hopes for an extended rebound in the world’s largest economy, and a tight supply outlook boosted oil. Just before 6 a.m. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.05 per cent, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC were down, 0.14 per cent and 0.19 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.66 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.40 per cent. The Canadian dollar was trading at 81.32 U.S. cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Nathan Stall, Fahad Razak, and Andrew Morri: “While 88 per cent of Canadians are now willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we need to incentivize everyone to receive the vaccine as soon as offered. One crucial strategy is to show them how life will change with vaccination.”
The editorial board: “...the path to a pandemic that never quite ends is to leave behind large numbers of unvaccinated people. Across Canada, there remain significant pockets of our fellow citizens who, for whatever reason, still haven’t been given a first shot... It’s like kindling for the next wave.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian GableBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Clean up your sleep schedule as you transition back into the office
Without the need to commute or dress up professionally in the morning, the pandemic has altered nighttime routines for many. But with reopening under way, the adjustment may prove difficult. Dr. Mandeep Singh at the University Health Network and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto provides tips on how to ensure a smooth transition.
MOMENT IN TIME: JUNE 25, 2009
Michael Jackson, King of Pop, dies
Michael Jackson fans watch a broadcast of the memorial service for Jackson from Los Angeles, during a public gathering in Harlem, N.Y., July 7, 2009.MIKE SEGAR/Reuters
Anyone who saw Michael Jackson perform with his brothers as the Jackson 5, or as a solo artist in the late seventies and early eighties, could not help but be heartbroken by his decline. The preternatural talent, the sense of joy, the youthful charm – all seemed to fade quickly in the years after the release of his 1982 album, Thriller, which sold more than 50 million copies and earned him the title the King of Pop. His appearance changed drastically, with the skin disorder vitiligo – which causes a loss of pigmentation – as well as a speculated obsession with plastic surgery. An accident on the set of a Pepsi commercial left him with third-degree burns to his scalp and a subsequent reliance on painkillers. Then there were the allegations of child molestation that continued to plague his reputation even after he was acquitted of charges in a 2005 trial. By the summer of 2009, a frail, cash-strapped Jackson was preparing for concerts in London when he collapsed in his Los Angeles mansion. His personal doctor had administered a combination of drugs, including the sedative propofol, to help him sleep. Jackson’s heart stopped. The king was dead. Massimo Commanducci
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