COVID-19 Daily News Digest – July 1, 2020
Yukon First Nation calls on territory to abolish ‘colonial’ claim staking process for mines
This work dates back to 2017, when a memorandum of understanding was signed by the 11 self-governing Yukon First Nations and the territorial government to improve the quartz and placer mining regimes.
A spokesperson with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources declined comment, adding that it would be premature to do so at this time.
The panel was supposed to have completed its work by the end of May, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans, said Michael Pealow, the process facilitator.
Judge urges Crown to live up to terms of Robinson-Huron Treaty
“In both instances, the judge rejected the defendants’ positions mostly based on mischaracterizing the nature of the treaty and the relationship set out in the treaty,” said a news release from the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund.
“The Lake Huron Leadership is again requesting the Government of Ontario to abandon their appeal and for Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier (Doug) Ford to do the honourable thing and start good faith negotiations and not use covid-19 as an excuse to continue to do nothing,” the release said.
Ipperwash Summer Series: Systemic racism grows roots in Canada since the release of Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry
Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared in March 2020, more First Nations people have been killed by police services across Canada than by the COVID-19 virus itself.
The Report broadly explored Treaty Relations, Public Awareness and Education, the Relationship between First Nations and Policing Institutions, and the government’s role in addressing systemic issues. A chapter focussed on Bias-Free Policing, which included seven recommendations.
http://anishinabeknews.ca/2020/06/30/ipperwash-summer-series-systemic-racism-grows-roots-in-canada-since-the-release-of-report-of-the-ipperwash-inquiry/
Coronavirus has laid bare the racial fault lines in access to clean, safe water
Indigenous communities rightly refer to water as a relative, reminding us that we are deeply connected to water and should treat it with respect, care and humility. Water is life-giving, life-sustaining, and lifesaving. Covid-19 should spur the nation to rethink policies and practices that treat water as a commodity – an increasingly unaffordable one – and reimagine it as an essential resource that must be available to all.
The US Government Has Always Undercounted Native Americans. But COVID-19 Could Make the 2020 Census a Disaster.
The Census Bureau has been overlooking the continent’s original inhabitants since it started its decennial population count in 1790. The very phrase in the Constitution that mandates “counting the whole number of persons in each State” explicitly excludes “Indians not taxed”—those who hadn’t renounced tribal rule and integrated into white society
For myriad reasons that ultimately boil down to the US government’s unwillingness to invest in the people whose resources it has squandered since the nation’s inception, Native Americans have been regularly undercounted ever since—more than any other ethnic group.
Hometown Hero: Helping Indigenous women and girls amid COVID-19
Cora McGuire-Cyrette talks about her initiative helping bring essential supplies to Indigenous women and girls.
https://globalnews.ca/video/7124470/hometown-hero-helping-indigenous-women-and-girls-amid-covid-19/
Drug controller approves Phase 1, 2 trials of India’s first COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Announcing the vaccine development milestone, Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director said: “We are proud to announce COVAXIN, India’s first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19. The collaboration with ICMR and NIV was instrumental in the development of this vaccine. The proactive support and guidance from CDSCO have enabled approvals to this project. Our R&D and Manufacturing teams worked tirelessly to deploy our proprietary technologies towards this platform.”
NACCA and Aboriginal Financial Institutions Across the Country Roll Out Emergency Loans to Indigenous Businesses
As a national leader in Indigenous economic development, NACCA began seeking a COVID-19 response tailored to the needs of Indigenous entrepreneurs when the crisis first hit in March. Working with Indigenous Services Canada, the Association put forward a plan to help Indigenous businesses survive and recover. In late April, the federal government confirmed that it will provide $307 million in relief, including $204 million for an Emergency Loan Program (ELP) to be delivered by NACCA and AFIs.
Native Americans Account For 13 Percent Of Montana COVID-19 Cases
“American Indian populations throughout the whole state are not being disproportionately impacted. What we have is a localized outbreak in one area of the state. That’s the Crow reservation and Big Horn area. They are being disproportionately impacted,” Jim Murphy with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services said.
https://www.mtpr.org/post/native-americans-account-13-percent-montana-covid-19-cases
Montreal production company, Health Canada to retire industry term after First Nations man flags its racist connotation
The contract was titled “casting sauvage” — an industry term used to describe what is commonly known in English as an “open call,” or a “cattle call.”
In French, the term sauvage is a slur when used to describe an Indigenous person. It translates to “savage.”
In both English and French, the word has a colonial history as it was used by European settlers to refer to Indigenous people.
Daybi said he was offended to be asked to sign a contract labeled “casting sauvage” to nail down a job where he was being asked to play a First Nations man.
Canada’s food insecurity problem is about to get worse due to COVID-19, experts say
“Ultimately when we talk about food insecurity we’re also talking about racism against Black and Indigenous folks,” Taylor added. “As a country, we need to recognize that racism and anti-Black racism is having a significant impact on health outcomes and access to food.”
Cape York travel ban set to end on July 10 but remote community leaders wary of COVID-19 risk urge caution
[Our people] live in a very vulnerable world in Cape York,” he said.
“If there’s any evidence of [community transmission] into Queensland, then, unfortunately, we’re just going to have to dig our heels in and stand our ground.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-01/end-date-set-for-cape-york-travel-ban/12408248
Brazil military moves to protect Indigenous people from COVID-19 deep in Amazon forest
The Army airlifted supplies from the Roraima state capital of Boa Vista on a Blackhawk helicopter to a military frontier post deep in the rainforest, with boxes of face masks, alcohol gel, aprons, gloves, tests and medicines, including 13,500 pills of the controversial anti-malaria drug chloroquine.