COVID-19 Daily News Digest – June 2, 2020
Scrapped 2020 cruise season will cost communities in Nunavut, Canada almost $1 million
On April 5, the government announced Canadian cruise ships would be prevented from “mooring, navigating or transiting” in Canadian Arctic waters. And that foreign passenger vessels would be required to give Transport Canada 60 days notice before entering Arctic waters and “… would be subject to any conditions the Minister determines necessary to ensure the protection of marine personnel and local communities.
Guilt as a helpful emotion
Guilt may seem like an odd partner. Many of us are taught not to feel guilty. But these problems are our problems. We have a responsibility to change the conditions that have led to the abuse and abduction of Indigenous women, the disproportional COVID-19 infection rate among minority communities, and the wrongful deaths of black men. We take pride in our systems and organizations when they benefit us. But when something goes wrong, we are quick to distance ourselves and blame others.
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2020/06/01/white-guilt-as-a-helpful-emotion/
After The Pandemic: Why COVID-19 has made me more optimistic we can tackle the climate crisis
We need to listen to the young people, to climate-vulnerable states, to indigenous peoples, to women, to the scientists, to environmental defenders, and we need to ensure the global community is supportive of their needs, including action on the provision of climate finance.
Ottawa’s support for Inuit women’s safety is urgently needed: Pauktuutit
“COVID-19 shouldn’t be an excuse [to delay the plan], because we know women are actually at a higher risk [of violence] right now,” she said. “I think [the action plan] should happen this year—families have been waiting.”
With or without that plan, Pauktuutit is asking the federal government for immediate funding for women’s shelters in Inuit communities. The organization has requested $20 million for the construction of five emergency shelters and transitional housing units, which, Kudloo stressed, “are desperately needed.”
‘Indigenous voice matters:’ What to watch this June
“Indigenous representation in media has always been important to me as a journalist, but also just as a consumer of television and movies. People’s images of Indigenous people have been shaped by movies negatively in the past, that’s why it’s so important that Canadians in general have a chance to see the amazing Indigenous movies that are being made.”
https://www.cbc.ca/television/indigenous-voice-matters-what-to-watch-this-june-1.5590258
Another $650M in COVID-19 aid bound for Indigenous communities, Miller says
“These funds will go toward more nurses, will help procure specialized supplies and will support work with First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities on continued community-driven responses,” Trudeau said May 29 outside his Rideau Cottage residence.
Mining industry accused of spreading COVID-19 in remote communities by new report
The report, titled ‘Voices on the Ground’ and published on Tuesday, accuses mining companies from all over the world of prioritizing profit over worker safety by continuing to operate during the pandemic, and failing to take adequate safety precautions after outbreaks were discovered, sometimes with fatal results.
Our recovery from COVID-19 should be rooted in reconciliation
If young people can organize such impactful projects in a matter of days, imagine the calibre of ideas we would see coming from them over a longer term, given the opportunity.
As we recover from the pandemic, we must open the door to Indigenous youth’s ideas and innovation. The TRC shows us how.