ǿմý

Canada

    • Indigenous leader Phil Fontaine hopes papal apology will give him, other survivors closure

    Share

    Half a year after the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., those numbers have now grown to almost 1,400 at sites across Canada.

    Many of these schools were run by the Catholic Church, spurring calls for a formal apology from Pope Francis. But although a papal visit to Canada was planned, it was postponed just before Christmas because of the new Omicron variant and rising COVID-19 case numbers.

    The Vatican has not confirmed the Pope’s travel itinerary, or a new date for that papal meeting with Indigenous leaders from Canada. But at least one prominent delegate is still looking forward to the trip in order to close the loop on his own trauma.

    “It’s been a long time coming,” Phil Fontaine told CTV News. “And there’s an opportunity here for the Catholic Church to do the right thing.”

    Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Fontaine was the first Indigenous leader to speak publicly about the horrid abuse he suffered at a residential school 31 years ago.

    Fontaine negotiated the Indian Residential Schools settlement agreement in 2006, which later led to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

    He was also instrumental in the federal government’s apology issued by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2008, and met then Pope Benedict in 2009 when he first went to Rome seeking an apology.

    More than a decade later, he hopes an eventual second trip to the Vatican will bring about real change.

    “It’s a bit different this time from our private audience with Benedict XVI in 2009,” Fontaine told CTV News.

    “There’s been considerable pressure on the apology.”

    The 2009 trip was more “discrete,” he said, whereas this time around, there have been more public calls for a formal apology from the Catholic Church, coming from all corners of Canada.

    “Canadians have become really shocked and alarmed with the discovery of the unmarked graves, so there’s considerably more pressure on the Catholic Church to do what is right and appropriate,” he said.

    This time, 28 delegates are set to meet with Pope Francis in Rome, as opposed to the five who went in 2009.

    He added that there is pressure also for the Pope to visit Canada and deliver a public apology “on Canadian soil in one of our First Nations communities.”

    During the 2009 meeting, Pope Benedict XVI expressed “sorrow” for the abuse that residential school survivors faced while at the schools, but stopped short of a clear apology.

    Fontaine said that on a personal level, “of course I would be thrilled to have an apology from the Holy Father, as I was with the statement of regret from Pope Benedict XVI, though back then I would’ve preferred a full apology.”

    After the 2009 trip, he didn’t want to express disappointment over not receiving a full apology from Pope Benedict XVI.

    “I wanted to position myself to reassure survivors and others that the statement of regret by Benedict XVI, while not a full apology, was good for us, because there was recognition at the highest level of the Catholic Church that what we had said privately and publicly was true.

    “Now, we’re talking about an apology.”

    When the delegation meets with Pope Francis, Fontaine said his focus, apart from the apology, will be on “the TRC, the 94 calls to action, and the 10 principals of reconciliation.”

    A big part of what makes this situation different from the one in 2009, Fontaine says, is the national outrage that exploded in response to the confirmation of unmarked graves at numerous sites across the country.

    Although Indigenous communities have been speaking about the atrocities for years, Fontaine said it seemed those voices were just finally being heard in 2021.

    “When the Kamloops discovery was announced, we weren’t shocked by the discovery,” he said. “We had known for some time that there were a number of unmarked graves in different parts of the country.”

    It was non-Indigenous Canadians who seemed to wake up, he said.

    “This wasn’t a shock to us, but to Canadians, it was. Canadians were asking themselves, ‘How could this be? How could people be treated this way, in Canada?’”

    That added pressure from Canadians led to questions about the government and church records related to residential schools, as well as more pressure for an apology from the Catholic Church.

    Whether there could be records on residential schools in the Vatican archives is unknown.

    Fontaine was in a residential school for a decade starting in 1951, during which he says he endured physical and sexual abuse.

    “I don’t recall anyone dying while I was there, but the older generation, like my mother and father, an aunt of ours died in the school,” he said. “We don’t know the cause other than ‘unusual circumstances.’”

    Fontaine is hopeful for what the meeting with Pope Francis could bring.

    “I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve had many opportunities to be in a position to make a contribution to changes that our community believed were essential and necessary,” he said.

    Despite this, he noted that there is still a long road ahead in achieving reconciliation.

    “What would make people whole? What would make communities whole? Reconciliation, [but] what does it mean to our communities?” he said. “What does it mean to Canadians? We have to figure this out together, cause it’s a journey that includes all Canadians.

    “This is not a responsibility or burden that rests on the shoulders of the people that lived the experience, but on all Canadians, because this is Canadian history.”

    Part of that will be finally ending the Indian Act, Fontaine said.

    “It doesn’t have a place in our lives. It’s archaic. It’s racist. It’s the only kind of legislation in the world that is about a race of people. It just has to be repealed, [it] has to be set aside. But you can’t do that without putting something in place that is not prohibitive like the Indian Act, but is enabling legislation.”

    With the Omicron variant still too volatile to predict, it’s unknown exactly when the trip to the Vatican will happen and when the papal visit to Canada may occur. However, organizers are expecting sometime in spring 2022.  

    CTVNews.ca ǿմý

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Thousands of protesters are expected to march into downtown Vancouver on Friday, demanding more action from their government to address the growing climate crisis.

    • Members of the only organized support group for the Vancouver Canucks are feeling slighted after losing their usual space at Rogers Arena.

    • There have been more reports of a Bitcoin extortion scam seeking to exploit viewers of "adult content" in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, according to the RCMP.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • The Ford government is considering restricting Ontario municipalities from installing new bike lanes that would require the removal of lanes of traffic, a source confirms to CTV News Toronto.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Defence counsel for accused murderer John-Christopher Arrizza argues he was in an “altered state of mind” due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating, when he fatally stabbed a man at a Banff nightclub in 2022.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated after being trapped following a two-vehicle collision near a high school in the city’s south end.

    • The Ottawa Police Service Arson Unit is seeking witnesses to a fire that happened early Friday morning in a two-storey commercial building in Little Italy.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • Edmonton police say a man who was died in the river valley last weekend was fatally shot.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • A black bear that was tranquilized in a park in Dartmouth, N.S., has been released back into the wild, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • Manitoba's government says it will encourage the development of renewable energy in the province while acknowledging fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon.

    • The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has made an arrest following a fire that claimed the lives of two people.

    • Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien's Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night.

    • A tornado in Langbank, Sask. on Wednesday was the third latest in the province on record, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

    • With the municipal election fast approaching, Yorkton’s city returning officer shared details on what people need to know before voting, and what to know if they are interested in running for city council.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored at Brantford Collegiate Institute after a leak in their geothermal system.

    • Guelph resident, Susan Bard, is being remembered as a vibrant community advocate and volunteer who died doing what she loved – cycling.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

    • A gym teacher at a private Christian school in Saskatoon has been charged. Terra MacEwan, 44, is charged with assault with a weapon. A Saskatoon mother who spoke with CTV News says her autistic son was MacEwan's victim.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

    • The Elgin Community Health Hub, operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, is accepting new patients to a model where doctors are rarely seen.

    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

    • Today, the 71 year old is marking 50 years a paramedic. He said he never aspired to move into management or a desk job, he enjoys being on the road, helping patients too much.

    • Provincial police are investigating vandalism in Huntsville after the "senseless destruction" of flower displays along Main Street East.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A truck driver from Orillia is proof that saying yes to Encore can pay off in a big way.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • Windsor fire is on scene at an incident on McDougall Street.

    • The Windsor Police Service is asking for help from the public following a break-and-enter at a home.

    • The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) has declared a state of emergency in all 14 of its member First Nations due to a mental health and opioid crisis.

    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan – drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    N.L.

    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • The Winnipeg Jets have some huge holes to fill on both offence and defence this season.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

    Shopping Trends

    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.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News