Demonstrations in Ottawa and other communities protested Floyd’s killing, but they also called attention to the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old Indigenous-Black Canadian woman who fell to her death from a Toronto high rise.
Canada
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Canadian archbishop: Fight against racism needs ‘personal change of heart’
The Catholic bishops of Canada, in commenting on the protests over George Floyd’s death, are acknowledging that racism isn’t just a U.S. problem, but a Canadian problem as well.
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Nova Scotia archbishop offers condolences after largest mass shooting in Canadian history
“Such a tragic event, involving the meaningless death of so many of our fellow citizens, has shocked us all,” he said, “adding more collective suffering to an already tragic time in our province, our country and our personal lives.
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In Canada, Justin Trudeau marshals a federal response to coronavirus
Among the emergency provisions are increases to family benefits, a six-month interest-free pause on student loans and a biweekly payment of $900 for sick or laid-off workers without employment insurance or sick leave.
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Catholic and public school teachers begin to strike in the face of education cuts
The job actions, which come alongside strikes by other teachers’ unions across the province, reflect a new breaking point in relations between public educators and the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario, led by Premier Doug Ford.
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Bishops among critics of Canada’s quick changes to assisted suicide law
Archbishop Richard Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, reiterated church opposition to government-sanctioned suicide while slamming the idea that a survey is the way to address “grave moral questions.”
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Quebec to take ethics and religious culture out of school curriculum
The bishops said they welcomed the minister’s willingness to revise and enrich the content of the program, on the condition that “this will not be done to the detriment of the notions of religious culture.”
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Canadian citizens recall members of Iranian community killed in Tehran crash
The Edmonton victims were of Iranian descent, and their lives were recalled by family and friends at the memorial, which included Persian poetry and song.
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Two 2019 strike anniversaries recall Christian role in Canada’s labor movement
This year marks an opportunity for Canadian Protestants to remember a time when they were deeply embedded in the labor movement. It also marks a labor anniversary important for Catholics in Canada. In 1949, miners walked off the job in dangerous asbestos mines in Quebec.
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Tensions arise in Canada around bishops’ inquiry of Haitian group
The story sparked outrage in some Canadian Catholic circles.