MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals’ fail to protect Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people

WINNIPEG — NDP Critic for the Status of Women, Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) is asking why the Liberal government didn’t allocate new funding in last week’s budget to implement the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Since the inquiry released its findings in 2019, the Liberals have yet to release a national action plan with targets, timelines and funding to address this ongoing genocide, and their inaction is costing Indigenous women their lives.
“Rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls have dramatically increased during the pandemic, and the Liberal government keeps stalling on implementing all Calls for Justice,” said Gazan. “Last week’s budget was yet another opportunity for the Liberals to show that they are truly committed to a plan backed by real funding to implement the Calls for Justice, but again they’re failing to do what’s necessary. They chose to give billions to big oil companies while leaving out much needed investments to make life safer for Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. This is unacceptable.”

April 13th, 2022

Liberals’ fail to protect Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people

WINNIPEG — NDP Critic for the Status of Women, Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) is asking why the Liberal government didn’t allocate new funding in last week’s budget to implement the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Since the inquiry released its findings in 2019, the Liberals have yet to release a national action plan with targets, timelines and funding to address this ongoing genocide, and their inaction is costing Indigenous women their lives.

“Rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls have dramatically increased during the pandemic, and the Liberal government keeps stalling on implementing all Calls for Justice,” said Gazan. “Last week’s budget was yet another opportunity for the Liberals to show that they are truly committed to a plan backed by real funding to implement the Calls for Justice, but again they’re failing to do what’s necessary. They chose to give billions to big oil companies while leaving out much needed investments to make life safer for Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. This is unacceptable.”

In the lead up to the budget, Gazan has called on the Liberals numerous times to include immediate, targeted and adequate funding to implement the 231 Calls for Justice. While Indigenous women are at least 4.5 times more likely to be murdered than non-indigenous women, the Liberals are showing no signs of an action plan to heed the calls of the National Inquiry into MMIWG. New Democrats are calling on the Liberals to act urgently on this matter to save lives.

“Our lives are valuable. We are not disposable,” said Gazan. “The government must implement a national action plan with timelines and resources to address this crisis. Too many families are mourning the loss of their loved-ones and waiting for answers. The Liberals must act urgently to save lives.”

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City News: Demonstrators hold rally for Hong Kong residents facing PR processing backlog

The rally is organized by the Hong Kong Pathway Alliance. Similar events are also taking place in Calgary and Toronto.

The pathway allows eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada, including people who studied or worked here, to apply for PR.

People here say they have waited for years and still do not know when their applications will be finished.

“Right now I’m stuck in limbo. It’s been a year and a half. I haven’t heard back from the IRCC regarding my application, and we’re continuously arguing with, we’re continuously hoping that IRCC sees our cases,” said Vikrambir Singh, another demonstrator.

“There’s not just me, there’s 40,000 plus applications that are stuck in limbo, and we don’t know when they’re going to get processed.”

They also point to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) processing time tool, which now suggests new applicants could wait more than 10 years for their PR.

The Immigration Minister recently told Parliament that there have been more than 46,000 applications under the Hong Kong PR pathways, and just over 13,000 had arrived.

“And the minister’s solution is, “don’t apply under the lifeboat scheme”. What is she even talking about? That scheme was specifically designed for Hong Kongers, said MP Jenny Kwan, representing Vancouver East for the NDP.

“So, it is absolutely outrageous that she would renege on the government’s promise in suggesting that the Hong Kongers should apply under a different stream. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

The federal government introduced special measures for Hong Kong residents in 2020, after China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong.

*Click image or link to read or watch the TV news story - https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/06/07/demonstrators-rally-hong-kong-pr-processing-backlog/

Toronto Star: Carney government testing use of AI in prisons to create profile reports of offenders

OTTAWA—The Canadian government is considering the use of artificial intelligence to save time creating influential assessment profile reports of offenders as they go to federal prisons, and is running a small-scale trial to test it, the Star has learned.

Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Federal Politics
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Mentioned in lengthy documents tabled in Parliament last month and confirmed by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the test run comes as the Carney government tries to ramp up AI adoption, including with billions in a national strategy released this week.

But the prison trial, which CSC says has not yet been used in real cases, is raising concerns from AI experts, criminal defence lawyers and the federal NDP’s public safety critic, who argue a widespread adoption could lead to crucial errors, exacerbate racial biases and put offenders and victims at risk.

Criminal profile reports, as they are called, are detailed “foundational documents” prepared by CSC staff during a prisoner’s intake process that identify risks and play a role in major decisions like access to programs and likelihood of parole.

Drawing from scores of official documents, they include details about an offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of their crimes, patterns of violence or behavioural, mental health and addiction issues, family and social background, trauma history, education and employment records, and even victim impact statements.

“This is what defines your offence cycle,” criminal defence lawyer Nora Demnati said of those reports. “It will have an impact on everything else that comes.”

That’s why the Carney government should slow down and consult widely, including with the CSC union, its lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before going further, said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety critic. Neither the Union of Safety and Justice Employees or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have been consulted yet, they told the Star.

Kwan warned of a multitude of legal concerns that go both ways and can have a “cascading impact”: Violating the rights of inmates if mistakes are added to reports, on one hand, or hurting victims and prison staff if crucial information is missed by the AI summaries, on the other.

“When you have those kinds of risks associated with correctional policing matters, you can imagine what the huge ramifications might be,” Kwan told the Star. “You could potentially compromise people’s legal rights.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/carney-government-testing-use-of-ai-in-prisons-to-create-profile-reports-of-offenders/article_ce33a6c9-794a-423c-884f-ace1e91872e2.html#tncms-source=login

Canadian Press: Activists call on feds to put pressure on Israel over treatment of Gaza aid flotilla

Canadian activists detained by Israel last month while taking part in an aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza say Canada isn’t doing enough to call out treatment by Israeli officials that Ottawa has called appalling.

While Israel has rejected claims of abuse, flotilla participant Ehab Lotayef said Wednesday Israeli officials beat him on the chest and ribs, put him in uncomfortable positions for long periods and slashed his hand when he tried to help a fellow detainee.

“We felt that we were let down by Canada before anybody else, to be honest, because the Canadian government knew all that was happening,” Lotayef told a news conference on Parliament Hill.

“When we needed them was when we were being tortured — and the whole world knew that that was happening.”

Activist flotillas have tried repeatedly to reach the Gaza Strip to draw attention to tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies for Palestinians. Israel has intercepted these boats, often in international waters.

Lotayef was one of 12 Canadians among 420 flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities last month. Their detention gained international notoriety when Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://cheknews.ca/activists-call-on-feds-to-put-pressure-on-israel-over-treatment-of-gaza-aid-flotilla-1328346/