Indigenous Rights
KAIROS Signs-on to letter in response to killing of Guatemalan land and life defender Ángel Estuardo Quevedo
August 8, 2018
In response to the killing of human rights defender Ángel Estuardo Quevedo on July 12, 2018 in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima, Guatemala, KAIROS has joined over 60 civil society organizations from across Canada and the United States…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Witness to Injustice: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise
August 8, 2018
Photo: This painting features an Onondaga Gustoweh (headgear) by Onondaga artist Josephine M. Cook for the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign. Posters can be purchased online. This article was written by Kaluhyanu:wes and Michelle Schenandoah and originally published in Onoñda’geh…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships: Building relationships of solidarity
July 25, 2018
Guests of the Festival of Faith were invited to participate in a workshop presented by Alfredo Barahona and Dawn Maracle that shared experiences with the KAIROS Blanket Exercise and the KAIROS project, Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Community. While…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Why this blanket exercise is now essential training for RCMP cadets
June 26, 2018
The exercise synthesizes 500 years of colonization under the observation of a local Indigenous elder. This past winter, the RCMP introduced a new educational tool at its Regina training academy: the KAIROS blanket exercise. Developed by its namesake ecumenical advocacy organization,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Blanket exercise coordinator educates non-Indigenous people about shared history of Canada
June 22, 2018
Susan Beaudin knows about the power of a blanket. The educator from Cowessess First Nation is a residential school survivor. She is also the Kairos Blanket Exercise Coordinator for Saskatchewan. In her role, she travels to different communities, institutions, and…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
New Video: Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Canada
June 21, 2018
Indigenous and newcomer communities came together in five Canadian cities for delicious feasts, cultural exchanges, and dialogue from October 2017 to March 2018. As part of KAIROS’ Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Canada project, refugees, immigrants…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice, Video Playlists & Photo Albums
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise goes to Alaska
June 21, 2018
Interest in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is growing beyond Canada’s borders In late May I traveled to Anchorage, Alaska with Lillian Underwood, an Indigenous KBE trainer and facilitator based in B.C., and my colleague, KBE Coordinator Sara Anderson, for…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Coalition welcomes House of Commons commitment to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
May 31, 2018
The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples – made up of Indigenous Nations, Indigenous peoples’ organizations, civil society groups and individual experts and advocates – is commending Members of Parliament on the adoption of Bill C-262, a private…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Bill C-262 provides principled framework for implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
May 29, 2018
Open Letter to All Members of Parliament Our nations and organizations are urging all Members of Parliament to support Bill C-262 in a non-partisan manner when it comes to a vote at third reading. The government of Stephen Harper endorsed…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS joins Burnaby Mountain Trans Mountain pipeline protest, April 28
April 25, 2018
KAIROS Executive Director Jennifer Henry to stand in solidarity with members of T’sleil-Waututh, faith leaders and people of faith (Toronto, ON) – KAIROS Canada’s Executive Director, Jennifer Henry, will join members of Tsleil Waututh, faith leaders and other people of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
KAIROS Statement: Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project
April 25, 2018
KAIROS is honoured to have been invited by members of Tsleil-Waututh to stand with them and alongside other faith leaders and people of faith in defence of the lands, waters, and climate we all share. The faith action planned for…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
Letter to the Editor: First Nations need to be at Trans Mountain negotiating table, says Lorimer
April 23, 2018
Re: “Prime Minister Trudeau’s decision to interrupt his foreign trip to help resolve Trans Mountain pipeline expansion issue a step in the right direction,” (The Hill Times, April 16). While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may have been right to interrupt his trip to bring B.C. Premier John…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
Indigenous & Newcomer Friendships wrapped up in Thunder Bay
April 5, 2018
The final of five Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships events was held on March 22 in Thunder Bay, on the traditional territory of the Fort William First Nation. Entitled Moving Forward Together, it attracted more than 200 people to Dennis Franklin…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Reflecting on the KAIROS Blanket Exercise
March 14, 2018
The KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is a tool developed in 1997 by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives in which participants learn about European colonization of Turtle Island (North America), the accompanying dispossession of Indigenous peoples (reflected by the steady removal…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
MEDIA ADVISORY: Edmonton Indigenous and newcomer communities gather for reconciliation, March 10
March 1, 2018
Edmonton event is one of five KAIROS’ Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships events in four cities and provinces (Edmonton, AB) – KAIROS Canada, in partnership with local organizations, presents Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a Just and Inclusive Community in Edmonton…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships – for a just and inclusive community
February 28, 2018
KAIROS and its partners invite Indigenous peoples and newcomers in Canada to join in a series of reconciliation events running until March 2018 entitled, Indigenous and Newcomer Friendships for a just and inclusive community. KAIROS believes Canada’s future can be…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
KAIROS stands with young Indigenous people
February 23, 2018
On February 23, the day after a jury in Winnipeg returned a not guilty verdict in the death of Tina Fontaine, people across the country are wrapping themselves in blankets in a powerful , poignant and public expression of care…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Letter to the Editor: Colten Boushie/Gerald Stanley trial proves our justice system isn’t working
February 17, 2018
Originally published on February 17, 2018 in the Saturday Star. “The acquittal of Gerald Stanley in the shooting death of Colten Boushie is a stark reminder of how much work still needs to be done to address systemic and systematic…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Recent verdict affirms the urgent need to fight racism through education
February 13, 2018
The acquittal of Gerald Stanley, who was found not guilty of second degree murder by an all white jury in the shooting death of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old man from the Red Pheasant First Nation in Saskatchewan, is a stark…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
UNDRIP bill passes second reading! Please thank your MP or urge future support
February 8, 2018
Bill C-262 passed second reading with flying colours on February 7 thanks to the efforts of Canadians who encouraged their Members of Parliament to support it. The bill will ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Un vote important sur le projet de loi relatif à la DNUDPA – demandez à votre député de l’approuver!
February 1, 2018
Le 5 février prochain, la Chambre des communes va débattre du projet de loi C-262 et passera au vote le 7 février pour décider s’il sera adopté ou non en deuxième lecture. Ce projet de loi permettrait d’assurer que les…
Post filed in: En français, Indigenous Rights
Important vote on UNDRIP bill – please urge your MP to support it!
January 31, 2018
The House of Commons will debate Bill C-262 on February 5 and vote on February 7 to decide whether or not it will pass second reading. The Bill would ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
RCMP to use KAIROS Blanket Exercise in all cadet training
December 12, 2017
RCMP instructors receive training in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise at the RCMP Academy in Regina. Photo by RCMP Academy, 2017. Written by Tali Folkins. Originally published in the Anglican Journal on December 12, 2017. Starting this December, the training of…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
MEDIA ADVISORY: All RCMP cadets to participate in powerful reconciliation exercise
December 5, 2017
RCMP Academy to use KAIROS Blanket Exercise to educate all cadets on the impact of colonization on Indigenous peoples (Toronto, ON) – KAIROS Canada is pleased to announce that the Regina-based RCMP Academy will use the KAIROS Blanket Exercise to…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
RCMP cadets at Depot Division in Regina will soon have a better understanding of Indigenous history in Canada
December 4, 2017
RCMP introducing Indigenous blanket exercise for all new cadets Photo: Sara Anderson (left), KAIROS Blanket Exercise Co-ordinator, leads a group of RCMP officers and staff through the blanket exercise. TROY FLEECE / REGINA LEADER-POST Originally published on December 4, 2017,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS Blanket Exercise wrapped into RCMP cadet training
December 4, 2017
Training educates cadets on history and experience of Indigenous people Photo: RCMP Academy instructors take part in a blanket exercise in Regina this morning. These instructors will reproduce the exercise for new RCMP cadets as part of cadet training, as of…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Federal, Provincial Governments Must Fund Treatment Facility for Mercury Poisoning in Grassy Narrows
November 28, 2017
In an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, prominent human rights and environmental organizations today are urging the federal and provincial governments to ensure people from the Grassy Narrows First Nation have access to…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights, Media Releases
Canadian government supports UNDRIP bill; action still needed
November 22, 2017
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould announced on November 20, 2017 that the Government of Canada will support private member’s Bill C-262 when it comes up for second reading on December 4 in the House of Commons. Support for C-262 was a…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
