The government of Canada continues to owe the indigenous people of the country enormous sums.
This after, among other things, legal cases won by the indigenous people. According to the latest economic summary, the debt has become almost seven times larger since Justin Trudeau became prime minister in 2015. The debt increased from eleven billion Canadian dollars to almost 76 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to 580 billion Swedish kronor, reports CBC News.
– It is a bit worrying that they have increased so much. One would think that would stop growing after the government has improved its relations with the indigenous population, says Yves Giroux, the Riksdag’s budget officer.
“We have been consistent”
But Gary Anandasangaree of the Liberal Party of Canada, minister responsible for Indigenous-State Relations, believes that progress has been made.
– I’m not surprised. I think it is part of the reconciliation process that we have started. We have been consistent in ensuring that past injuries are remedied, he says.
Lori Idlout, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, disagrees.
– This means that Canada is still carrying out its genocidal policy, she says.
Got through great atmosphere
Cindy Blackstock has for more than 30 years fought for the rights of indigenous children in Canada and won the “Children’s Nobel Prize” earlier this year.
– When a credible report comes out and it shows that there is an injustice, their first reaction should be to fix the problem, instead of fighting the victims, she says.
She was one of those who led the legal case against Canada that earlier this fall led to the country having to pay 23 billion Canadian dollars in compensation for the discrimination the state subjected the indigenous peoples to.
– If the state had done the right thing in 2000, they would not have had to pay out that money in compensation and the children would not have lost their childhood, she says.