Canada - March 2023

A settlement reached in January between the Canadian government and representatives of First Nations whose members were day scholars at residential schools between the mid-1800s and up until the 1990s, has been approved by a Federal Court. The settlement approved a 2.8 billion Canadian dollars payment to an Indigenous-led association that will manage the funds to implement measures to reverse loss of heritage, language and culture. The settlement is intended to address the collective harm suffered by day scholars who attended residential schools. It does not include claims over the death and disappearance of Indigenous children forced to attend these schools.  

Sources: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times, The Conversation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that an investigation will be launched into the reports of attempts by China to interfere in Canada’s federal elections. Late last year, news reports revealed that intelligence documents discussed Chinese attempts to interfere in Canadian elections. In February, further media reports indicated the Chinese government’s preference for the PM’s party to remain in power. A special panel of senior public servants with a mandate to work with intelligence officials to alert possible threats to elections released a report on 28 February in which it concluded that, while foreign governments had tried to interfere with elections, including by attempting to influence targeted officials by promoting Chinese interests, such efforts had not been successful.  

Now PM Trudeau has requested legislators from the national security committee to lead a separate investigation, consider how security agencies dealt with the threat of interference, and announced he would appoint a Special Rapporteur with the ability to make recommendations to protect democracy, including through the holding of a formal inquiry. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, The New York Times, Prime Minister of Canada