Senator Yvonne Boyer

Data reveals alarming obstetric violence toward Indigenous women in Quebec | CBC News

“Nearly four years after finding at least 22 Indigenous women that had gone through forced sterilization in Quebec, a group of researchers now says that number is much higher — and they're asking the government to take its report seriously.”

“Including this latest phase, the research is now based on 132 testimonies. The total of documented cases of forced sterilization now stands at 77.”

Thank you Senator Rob Black for the invitation to have a meal hosted by the Canadian Pork Council at the annual Sparks Street Ribfest in Ottawa today! Thank you for the delicious food and good conversations.

It was great to take part in “Leadership in Uncertainty: A Discussion on Human Rights and the Role of United Nations in Old Age” at the Senate of Canada yesterday.

Thank you to the speakers for sharing their knowledge and to the Senators who organized this important event.

Beautifully said. Thank you Minister Chartrand.
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Mary Simon’s time as Governor General has now come to an end, closing a historic chapter not only for Rideau Hall but for Indigenous Peoples and for Canada itself. Appointed on July 26, 2021, and serving until 2026, she became the first Indigenous person an Inuk woman from Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik to hold this office, and her presence transformed the role in ways that will echo for generations. Throughout her tenure, she stood as a national symbol of reconciliation at a time when the country was confronting the painful truths of residential schools, and she carried Inuit language, culture, and identity into the heart of Canadian public life. She raised the profile of Inuit and Inuktitut across the country and around the world, bringing sealskin, Inuit art, and northern stories into Rideau Hall, and reminding Canadians that the North is not a frontier but a homeland. Her leadership was met with deep pride from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people, who saw in her appointment a moment of profound representation, a moment reflected in the standing ovations she received at gatherings across the country. Long before she became Governor General, she had already shaped this country through her work on Arctic policy, Indigenous rights, and Inuit self‑determination from negotiating the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, to helping entrench Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution, to serving as Canada’s first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs and helping create the Arctic Council. Her legacy is one of diplomacy, strength, and quiet resolve. We are deeply grateful for her, for the wisdom she shared, and for the example she set. Mary Simon changed what leadership in this country can look like, and she deserves our respect, our gratitude, and our recognition.

Respectfully,

Minister Rebecca Chartrand

Coming soon to Roblox: Back to Batoche, Métis history and the Michif language | CBC News

“A virtual Roblox replica of the festival is now in the making through a partnership between Maskwa Games and Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN-S).”

Last week I joined more than 300 students in the Senate for Bear Witness Day to honour Jordan River Anderson and reflect on the importance of justice and equity for Indigenous children.

But bearing witness cannot happen only one day a year. Reconciliation requires us to listen, learn, and act every day.

I was pleased to join the Accademy for Life Long Learning in Toronto as part of their Distinguished Speakers Series to discuss the issue of forced and coerced sterilization in Canada.

Everyone has a part to play in ending this horrific practice once and for all.

Today, on Red Dress Day, we remember.

This red dress hangs in the forest as a witness — to the lives stolen, the families still searching, and the silence that must never be allowed to settle again.

For Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ people — we honour you. We carry your memory. We demand justice.

Bill S228 had its first hour of third reading debate today in the House of Commons, and is very close to becoming law in Canada.

Thank you to MP Jamie Schmale for his tireless advocacy of Bill S228 and for MPs from all parties for their support of this important legislation.

It was great to see Krista Carr, CEO of Inclusion Canada and Neil Belanger, CEO of Indigenous Disability Canada at the Senate today. Both these groups do such important work and I am proud to support them.