N.B. RCMP tweets Indigenous land acknowledgment as province orders its employees to stop
The New Brunswick RCMP says it remains committed to “strengthening relationships” between Mounties and Indigenous communities, as the province finds itself in the midst of litigation involving several Indigenous groups.
On Saturday, New Brunswick RCMP sent several tweets acknowledging that the lands in which the province is situated are the unceded and unsurrendered traditional territory of the Wǝlastǝkwiyik/Wolastoqiyik, Mi'kmaq/Mi'kmaw and Peskotomuhkatiyik/Peskotomuhkati.
“We prioritize the education and awareness of all employees in fostering a change in the culture of the RCMP to attain and promote mutual respect, trust and open communication with Indigenous communities," the police service said.
The move comes two days after the New Brunswick government ordered employees to stop making territorial or title acknowledgments in reference to Indigenous lands, citing a series of legal actions and land claims initiated by First Nations.
Attorney General Hugh Flemming told reporters late Friday, the directive was in response to a lawsuit filed last year by six Wolastoqey communities claiming ownership of more than 60 per cent of the province.
The order was included in a memo issued Thursday to all government employees by Flemming.
It is common across Canada for politicians and others to begin events by stating that they are standing on unceded territories of various Indigenous Peoples.
The memo said the order covers land or territorial acknowledgments during meetings and events, in documents and in email signatures. Employees can make reference to ancestral territory but not use the terms "unceded" or "unsurrendered," Flemming's memo said.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.