On National Indigenous Peoples Day, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is reflecting on the challenges before First Nations' communities in Canada, during a season of record wildfires that have ravaged communities.
Already this month, 13 First Nations were evacuated as wildfires raged across 11 provinces and territories, driving thousands from their homes.
In an interview with CTV News from Rideau Hall, Simon said the wildfires are a visceral reminder to Canadians that many Indigenous people live with stark inequalities that need to be fixed.
"There is a need to build better infrastructure for communities in remote regions. And this is not just because of the wildfires, but for day-to-day living. [They need] running water, services for health and education," said Simon. "When something like this disaster in terms of wildfires has happened people seem to notice more because it's being covered in the media -- but these are things that people live with every day in our Indigenous communities."
The vice-regal also touched on her efforts to strengthen Crown-Indigenous relations. Before the coronation of King Charles III in May, Simon orchestrated a meeting between the new monarch and Inuit, Métis and First Nations leaders.
"It was an opportunity to engage with the King. They wanted to have a conversation about the challenges they were facing as leaders in this country."
Simon said there was a "consistency" between Charles III's priorities and the priorities of Indigenous leaders on climate change and diversity.
"There is a commitment to continue this dialogue," Simon said.
The governor general also spoke about the pride she feels participating in an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall on National Indigenous People's Day. More than 30 people are being awarded with the Order of Canada and medals for meritorious services on Wednesday. The recipients are being recognized for their work in supporting truth and reconciliation.
"We have to not just admire but celebrate what people do -- and how much we have moved forward."
As part of the celebrations, Simon will also participate in a giant art installation with Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers. The project aims to encourage a deeper understanding of Canada's painful legacy of residential schools and involves Simon and Chambers crocheting together outside the front doors of Rideau Hall.
Simon, an Inuk, says she first learned how to interlock loops of yarn growing up in Kuujjuaq in northeastern Quebec. As a teenager, the vice-regal used to sew her own boots and parkas, and crochet hats and mittens. But Simon admits her crochet skills are a bit a rusty, and that she needed to spend a few days practicing before participating in Wednesday's art installation.
"I've learned a lot of skills in my past life. I don't often do these things anymore because I don't have the time that I used to -- but I still remember how to do it," said Simon.
Tracey-Mae Chambers is the first Métis artist to be featured at Rideau Hall. Her public art installation is called #hopeandhealingcanada. It evokes the struggles of Indigenous peoples in Canada. pic.twitter.com/VA6oQdtvl9
— Judy Trinh (@judyatrinh) June 21, 2023
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.
The Vancouver Canucks will start rookie goalie Arturs Silovs as they look to eliminate the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
When all three levels of government defended the ballooning price tag to host several 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Vancouver, they repeated a claim of significant economic benefits that experts and critics are questioning.
B.C.'s police watchdog wants a review of how prosecutors handle cases where officers kill or seriously harm members of the public, saying low rates of charges and convictions are casting doubt on the province's system of accountability.
Matthew Knies scored at 2:26 of overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Tuesday to avoid elimination in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
The University of Toronto has put up new fencing along part of its downtown campus and is warning students that encampments on its grounds will not be tolerated following protests in the U.S. and in Canada demanding educational institutions divest from companies with military ties to Israel.
A program providing low-income Calgarians and Edmontonians a financial break on their monthly transit passes is losing millions of dollars in annual support from the provincial government, city councillors confirmed Tuesday.
A Calgary-based technology security expert is raising concerns about the potential breach of personal data in a cyber security incident that forced London Drugs to close its doors.
A serious collision in the Municipal District of Ranchland, Alta., has left Highway 22 impassable in both directions, Mounties say.
A boycott targeting Loblaw-owned stores is gaining momentum online, with thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere for the month of May.
Ontario Provincial Police are at the scene of a fatal collision on Highway 417 near Limoges, east of Ottawa.
Terry Sutherland is trying to sell his home in Tweed, Ont., but he'll likely be hit by the capital gains tax rise.
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
The Montreal police (SPVM) arson squad is investigating after a person was killed in an apartment fire on Tuesday night in the Pointe-aux-Trembles neighbourhood.
Transit riders, take note: the Montreal-area regional transit authority, the ARTM, is changing its fare structure on July 1. Prices are going up by an average of 3 per cent.
As municipal politicians in Alberta continue to question the need for a bill giving the province more powers over local governments, an Edmonton group has established a party it says will run candidates in next year's city elections.
Edmonton police are looking for a man they say is a person of interest in the Hangar 11 suspicious fire.
Joel Dublanko didn't have to wait long to learn where he'll be starting his CFL career. The Edmonton Elks selected the rugged linebacker first overall in the CFL draft Tuesday night. The six-foot-three, 240-pound Dublanko was regarded as the most pro-ready draft prospect.
Residents in the area of Gaston Road in Dartmouth, N.S., were asked to shelter in place Tuesday morning as police searched for an armed suspect.
The deaths of two people in Bass River, N.S., are not believed to be suspicious, according to a medical examiner.
A new study found five companies are responsible for 24 per cent of the plastic waste in the world.
Cheryl-Lee Spence and her children have been displaced by flooding on Peguis First Nation multiple times.
Winnipeg police were kept busy this week responding to a string of incidents involving knives and a hatchet.
The lawyers of an alleged serial killer in Winnipeg are questioning whether pre-trial publicity in the high-profile case may have influenced the jury’s decision-making ability, after a public poll commissioned by the defence found 81 per cent of respondents believe the accused is guilty.
According to new numbers released from Statistics Canada, there was a decrease in local businesses in Saskatchewan over the past year.
A ceremony and walk around Wascana Park was held in Regina on Tuesday to honour the more than 140 long-term missing persons in Saskatchewan.
Regina police say eight people were arrested in an incident that involved an officer being inadvertently shot by another officer’s gun last week.
Unions representing Conestoga College’s faculty and support staff are speaking out about the impact of the school’s rapid growth on those who work there.
A man was airlifted to a trauma centre Tuesday after a shooting in Kitchener.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
The last of 10 people convicted in the brutal killing of a 25-year-old Edmonton woman was sentenced on Friday, closing a chapter on one of the largest homicide investigations for the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Investigations unit.
A band councillor at Red Pheasant Cree Nation says he’s considering putting up surveillance cameras around the community in the wake of a runaway grass fire that nearly destroyed several homes on Monday.
On Wednesday, Saskatoon police begin a search for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier in the city's landfill. CTV News will be on site at 42 Valley Road Wednesday morning as Staff Sgt. Corey Lenius from the major crimes section provides more details.
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Black River-Matheson no longer has a sitting town council, after it failed to meet for more than 60 days due to lack of attendance.
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Beginning Wednesday, road closures will take place along part of the Dundas corridor and last through the summer, as crews complete carry-over work on phase two of the East London Link for the bus rapid transit project.
OPP and the Ministry of Labour are investigating after a 25-year-old individual sustained life-threatening injuries during a construction accident in Lucan Biddulph.
Another witness who cannot be identified has testified about the disturbing abuse they suffered at the hands of their mother and father.
OPP in Alliston are warning the public to stay away from the downtown core due to an investigation into a man armed with a knife.
Nearly a year to the day Joshua Wheatley was caught on camera running a man over in an apparent road rage incident, the 22-year-old has been given a conditional sentence for six months, including partial house arrest with a curfew.
Search teams have recovered the body of a missing man who disappeared on Friday afternoon while on Lake St. George in Severn Township.
A 19-year-old University of Windsor student is being remembered as an energetic and charismatic soul following a fatal two-vehicle collision over the weekend.
Neighbours of 700 Wellington Ave. aren’t vehemently opposed to the new site of the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4).
A downtown Windsor intersection remains closed to traffic after a large sinkhole developed Monday evening. And while there’s no threat to public safety, it will be a few days before the issue is fixed and the road reopens, officials said.
Floatplane operator Harbour Air will offer direct flights this summer from downtown Vancouver to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, landing its seaplanes in a remote cove behind the historic horticultural attraction.
B.C.'s police watchdog wants a review of how prosecutors handle cases where officers kill or seriously harm members of the public, saying low rates of charges and convictions are casting doubt on the province's system of accountability.
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
The rail line from Lethbridge to Coutts is used solely for freight trains, but a new feasibility study done by Integrated Travel Research and Development looks at the potential of adding a passenger train.
Police are releasing more details about the kidnapping and robbery of a senior in Lethbridge, which included a strange request for spices, in hopes of identifying a suspect.
Thousands of people dressed as dinosaurs descended on Drumheller, Alta., on Saturday.
A group of Sault Ste. Marie YMCA supporters working to save the facility from closure received a glimmer of hope at this week’s city council meeting.
Another incident at Algoma Steel has union officials questioning safety protocols at Sault Ste. Marie’s steel plant.
The Ontario government is spending $45 million in the next three years to improve access and funding for the northern travel grant.
Tributes continue to pour in for Bob Cole as his family has confirmed a funeral will be held for the legendary broadcaster Friday in St. John's, N.L.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.
Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government 'will respond' to the Canada Revenue Agency when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
A new study, building upon previous evidence, has found that among teens, vaping often may spike the risk of exposure to lead and uranium.
Researchers at Ottawa's CHEO Research Lab are calling for a national surveillance strategy on eating disorders in Canada, as new statistics show a rise in the social and economic costs associated with the issue in children and youth.
A wealthy Silicon Valley-backed campaign to build a green city for up to 400,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area has submitted what it says are enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the November election.
Surmising even the physical appearance of a dinosaur - or any extinct animal - based on its fossils is a tricky proposition, with so many uncertainties involved. Assessing a dinosaur's intelligence, considering the innumerable factors contributing to that trait, is exponentially more difficult.
A northern Ontario beekeeper is sounding the alarm after discovering most of her bees had died earlier this year.
Famous girl group TLC is coming to Moncton in May.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Rachel McAdams has been nominated for a Tony Award for best actress in a play for her Broadway debut, while Canadian choreographers Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman earned a nod for their work on "The Outsiders."
A boycott targeting Loblaw-owned stores is gaining momentum online, with thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere for the month of May.
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is complete and the Canada Energy Regulator has given the go-ahead for the project to open.
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
A lot of heterosexual male clients are coming into my practice admitting they picked their partner without considering sexual attraction.
Ten years after creating a new model for dating apps with its 'women make the first move' feature, Bumble is opening the door to men starting conversations on its platform.
Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan's iconic Mount Fuji, the town of Fujikawaguchiko on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk to block the view of the mountain. The reason: misbehaving foreign tourists.
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Auston Matthews made a brief appearance on the TD Garden ice Tuesday.
The Vancouver Canucks will start rookie goalie Arturs Silovs as they look to eliminate the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Rolls-Royce is vastly expanding its factory in Chichester, England. The BMW subsidiary is adding five new buildings with construction planned to start next year.
On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
