BBC-Two arrests have been made after 10 bodies were found inside a car in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas.
The discovery came after the vehicle was left outside a historic local state governor’s office in the middle of a public square.
Officials became suspicious of the car, a Mazda SUV, and found the bodies early on Thursday morning.
David Monreal, governor of the central state, later confirmed on social media that two suspects had been detained.
“They came to leave them here in front of the palace,” he said of the crime, adding the victims were “apparently beaten”.
The Mexican security ministry confirmed they are sending assistance to help the local investigation.
Mexico has long suffered with high levels of crime and rising murder rates.
Zacatecas state has also seen a surge in violence linked to a turf war between rival drug gangs operating in the area, including incidents where bodies have been left or displayed in public places.
Responding to the discovery in a video at the scene, Mr Monreal pledged to try and tackle the problem.
“Bit by bit we will recover our peace. What we received was a cursed inheritance,” he was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying about the violence.
(CNN) Two Haitian journalists were burned alive by a gang in the country’s capital on Thursday, a source with the Haitian Security Forces told CNN.
The source said the Ti Makak gang carried out the killings in the Petion-Ville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. The motive and details of the attack remain unclear, the source said.
A third journalist managed to escape, the source added.
Haitian media outlet Radio Écoute FM confirmed that one of its journalists, John Wesley Amady, was killed in the attack while he was on assignment documenting the lack of security in the area.
In a statement to CNN Thursday, the outlet said Amady “was savagely shot and burned alive by armed bandits.”
“We condemn with the utmost rigor this criminal and barbaric act,” Radio Écoute FM said, calling it a “serious attack on the right to life.”
Radio Écoute FM has suspended operations until further notice “as a sign of solidarity with the family of the victim,” the statement said.
The attacks come against the backdrop of extreme violence and deteriorating security conditions in Port-au-Prince, with rival groups battling one another or the police for control of the streets, displacing tens of thousands of people in one of the poorest nations in the Americas.
In July last year, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise was assassinated during an attack on his private residence, leaving a power vacuum that deepened the turmoil from the violence, Haiti’s growing humanitarian crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The United States on Tuesday arrested a Colombian man for his alleged involvement in Moise’s assassination.
Pressure on London hospitals has increased over the past month, with 4,000 patients currently in hospital with Covid compared with 1,100 in early December.
The Royal College of Nursing’s director for England, Patricia Marquis, said the deployment showed the government could not deny there was a “staffing crisis” in the NHS.
“The prime minister and others can no longer be dismissive of questions about the ability of NHS staff to deliver safe care,” she said.
As of Thursday afternoon, 17 hospital trusts in England were experiencing critical incidents – about one in eight of the total.
A critical incident is declared when a trust is worried it might not be able to provide core priority services, such as emergency care. It means they can get extra help and draft staff in from other duties.
In London, there are 236 patients on ventilators – compared with 190 last month – and daily admissions are about four times higher than the beginning of December.
Vaccination rates in the capital are also running behind the UK as a whole, with 69% having had a first dose, 63% a second and 40% a booster jab.
Across the UK, 90% have had their first jab, 83% have had a second, and 61% a booster.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged people to get their vaccinations to help cut the pressure on the NHS, as he welcomed support from the military.
He said: “Once again they are stepping up to assist NHS workers who are working round the clock across the capital, helping the health service through this difficult winter period where the need is greatest.
“The most important thing you can do is get boosted now to protect your loved ones and communities from Covid-19.
Army medics and support staff have been used to support health services throughout the pandemic – they were deployed to work in Northern Ireland’s hospitals in September and were also needed in London this time last year.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Armed Forces would again be working “hand-in-hand” with NHS staff “to protect the nation from Covid-19”.
He added: “They have shown their worth time and again throughout this pandemic, whether driving ambulances, administering vaccines or supporting patients in hospital and they should be proud of their contribution to this truly national effort.”
There are 40 teams of five, with one medic and four general duties personnel, who have started work this week and will be allocated according to need.
Medics will work with patients, whereas the soldiers will be working on maintaining stocks, checking in patients on arrival, and conducting basic checks.
Paramedics in the South Central Ambulance Service will also be bolstered with 32 military co-responders, who are expected to stay with them until the end of March.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
About 10% of staff at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust are off sick
Jane Clegg, the regional chief nurse for the NHS in London, said: “We are thankful for the support of the armed forces alongside thousands of NHS staff, as they respond to the increased demands brought by Covid – ensuring continued high quality care and treatment for the many Londoners being looked after by the NHS this winter.”
Across the UK there are about 1,800 armed forces personnel supporting the NHS response to the Covid-19 pandemic, made up of regulars and reservists from the Army, Navy and the RAF.
More than 400 military paramedics are assisting ambulance trusts, with 313 in the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust and 96 in the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Another 1,000 are working on the vaccine booster programme, with 730 in England, 221 in Scotland and 98 in Wales.
The world set a record last week for confirmed COVID-19 cases, with more than 9.5 million new cases reported in a seven-day period, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The number of confirmed cases between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2 was 71 percent higher than the previous seven-day period, which tallied around 5 million new cases.
Cases for months ranged between 3 million to 5 million per week, but the highly transmissible omicron variant, first detected in November, has led to a spike in global cases.
While the number of cases has increased, deaths fell in the latest reporting week compared to the prior seven-day period.
More than 41,000 deaths from COVID-19 were reported last week, down from more than 44,000 in the previous week, the WHO found.
While preliminary studies have found omicron to be less severe than the delta variant, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has cautioned nations to not take omicron lightly.
Argentina breaks COVID-19 case record as daily infections near 100,000
BUENOS AIRES, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Argentina broke its record for COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, approaching 100,000 daily cases as it faces a third wave of the pandemic, driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
But the record of 95,159 officially confirmed cases, coming in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere summer holiday season with tourist centers full of travelers, has not translated into a similar exponential rise in COVID-related deaths, which totaled 52.
“We do not have a strong impact on intensive therapy units and less in terms of deaths,” the chief of staff of the Ministry of Health, Sonia Tarragona, told local radio station Urbana Play. “The cases are mild or moderate and they are not putting stress on the health system.”
Argentina accelerated its vaccination campaign in recent months, which started with the Sputnik V vaccine, then added AstraZeneca and Sinopharm and, later, CanSino, Pfizer and Moderna.
Tarragona said she does not know “what the ceiling for infections is going to be,” but some experts believe the true number among the country’s 45 million population is already significant.
“Today in Argentina we could be quietly at around 150,000 or 200,000 cases of new infections per day,” biochemist Jorge Geffner told Reuters TV.
He estimated that the infection peak could come in mid-January.
Neighboring Brazil had 27,267 new daily cases and 129 deaths, the government said on Wednesday. read more
Reporting by Agustin Geist and Lucila Sigal; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by John Stonestreet and Mark Porter
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Guyana Government Urges Adherence to COVID Protocols
The Guyana government urged the population to get vaccinated and adhere to the protocols put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the country recorded a significant increase in new cases and the union representing teachers called for the immediate closure of schools across the country.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking at an emergency virtual news conference, called on nationals to get vaccinated, as well as adhere to a mandatory mask-wearing amid suspicions that the more transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 is in Guyana.
“It is still critical that while you are still making up your mind whether you will get vaccinated that you adhere to a self-imposition of mandatory mask wear to minimize the viral load or your exposure,” Ali said.
Ali, who was flanked by Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony and other officials, reiterated that vaccination remains the best option against contracting the virus or becoming severely ill.
“Vaccination with booster minimizes the impact of the new variant. Some describe (the symptoms) as being mild, but those who are not vaccinated need to take additional precautions for themselves and families.”
Ali said that while there is a high positivity ratio, there has been no steep increase in hospitalization, adding “we don’t have control over the variant and how it will operate but we have control over our own options”.
President Ali said his government was keen on keeping public services functional while managing health facilities and personnel who are critical to the fight against COVID-19.
The Health Minister confirmed that 788 new cases of the virus had been recorded within the last 24hours, representing the highest number of new cases to ever be recorded in a single day, pushing the number of active cases in the country to over 2,500.
Dr. Anthony said the increase in new cases was expected as the country comes out of a busy holiday season.
“We are operating on the advice that it [Omicron] is here and we are taking action on that advice,” he said, adding “we have anticipated this, these numbers are going to double and we are seeing this happening right now”.
The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has called for the immediate closure of schools, two days after students returned for the new academic year and for face-to-face learning.
In a statement, the GTU said based on its own assessment, 65 teachers and more than 40 students have tested positive for the virus and that while at least 15 schools have been forced to close their doors, many other schools have remained open although cases have been confirmed among staff and students.
The union said based on visits to schools, there are no social distancing guidelines being followed in many classrooms as students are seated close to each other and in many cases, two students are sharing one bench.
The union is demanding that schools be closed immediately to facilitate testing and sanitizing of the school environment. It said while it understands the challenges presented by online learning and that reopening schools for face-to-face is the preferred option,
“The rate at which persons are getting sick due to COVID 19 infections has to be addressed now. The only way to preserve the lives of our children, teachers, and their families is to suspend all face-to-face engagements in schools”, the union said.
During the news conference, President Ali said public schools will remain open.
Ali said of the estimated 200 health workers who are infected with the virus, 50 are doctors, 75 are nurses and 41 are technicians.
Medical Director of the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr Fawcett Jeffrey said that seven of the 32 doctors of the obstetrics and gynecology department have been infected by the virus.
CMC
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Mexico nears 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 as cases surge after holidays
A medical staff member checks symptoms of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient in the emergency room at Metropolitano Hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
MEXICO CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Mexico is likely to surpass 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 this week – the fifth highest death toll worldwide – as infections rise after the holiday season, fueled by the Omicron coronavirus variant and largely unrestricted tourism.
Infections have more than doubled to 20,000 during the last week when many tourists visited Mexico from the United States and Canada. Eleven of Mexico’s 32 states decided not to resume in-person school classes this week with cases climbing fast.
The arrival of the highly contagious Omicron variant reversed a downturn in infections during the autumn, when the widespread application of vaccines provided relief.
Some Mexicans said people had dropped their guard as the holidays came.
“Since December, a lot of people started to go out and there are many who no longer wear face masks,” said Isauro Perez, a 53-year-old taxi driver in Mexico City. “If we don’t take care of ourselves, the government won’t take care of us.”
As of Wednesday, Mexico had registered 299,805 confirmed deaths from COVID-19, a figure that is likely significantly below the real toll, officials say.
Separate government data showed there had been nearly 452,000 deaths “linked to” COVID-19 by mid-December, and lower testing has likely helped to understate the reach of the virus.
Mexico has the highest fatality rate – deaths per confirmed cases – among the 20 nations most affected by COVID-19 worldwide, according to an analysis by Johns Hopkins University.
Laurie Ximenez-Fyvie, an expert on molecular genetics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said in the end, Mexico’s death toll would be the ultimate yardstick of how the government had performed in the pandemic.
So far, she argued, it risked suffering “absolute failure.”
According to figures from Our World in Data, a research group at Oxford University, in the week ending Jan. 1, Mexico was conducting just 0.12 coronavirus daily tests for every 1,000 inhabitants – down from a peak of 0.38 per day in mid-August.
Britain, by contrast, was doing 20.6 tests a day per 1,000 inhabitants as 2021 ended.
While parts of Europe and the United States have imposed added restrictions with the spread of Omicron, Mexico has so far resisted and tourists do not require negative tests to enter the country.
Videos of maskless travelers drinking alcohol and gathering close together while taking a charter flight to the Mexican beach destination of Cancun from Montreal in late December went viral, prompting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call for an investigation.
“It’s a slap in the face,” he said.
The surge of new cases could hit Mexico harder than some countries since it has a lower vaccination rate than the United States and much of Europe, health experts said.
Nationwide, only 56% of the population is fully vaccinated, in comparison to 62% in the United States and 81% in Spain.
But Mexicans have readily taken up vaccines, and 95% of adult residents of Mexico City are fully vaccinated.
However, the government has not rolled out its vaccination program to people below the age of 15, despite more children being hospitalized. More than one in four of Mexico’s population are aged 14 or below, World Bank data show.
Reporting by Diego Ore and Roberto Ramirez, writing by Laura Gottesdiener; editing by Grant McCool
St Kitts and Nevis wrapped up its first week of free COVID-19 testing on Thursday with hundreds of persons taking advantage of the opportunity to get tested for the virus.
This, as the daily number of active cases, continue to rise rapidly at alarming rates.
The most recent COVID-19 Situation Report issued for St Kitts and Nevis dated Wednesday, January 5, indicates 177 new cases compared to the 156 cases from the previous day. The country’s total number of active cases currently stands at 767.
Last week during an emergency National Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 briefing, Chief Medical Officer Dr Hazel Laws announced the emergence of thederation’s fourth COVID-19 wave and the first two cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Since then, the cases have been increasing, causing persons to speculate that Omicron is rampant throughout the islands.
Dr Laws also announced the introduction of the car park free COVID-19 testing. The initiative allows for persons to be tested at three sites during the week during a one-hour period.
The scheduled days are Tuesdays at the Basseterre Health Centre, Wednesdays at the Pogson Medical Center and Thursdays at the Mary Charles Hospital. Testing takes place from 6:30 am to 7:30 am at all venues on the designated days.
The car park testing has been introduced for the month of January in the first instance.
The Ministry of Health has asked persons experiencing fever, sore throat, sniffles, coughing, and those who think they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 to take advantage of the free testing opportunity.
Persons who have not been vaccinated continue to be encouraged to do so and booster shots have been made available for the fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 tests in St Kitts and Nevis usually cost in the range of $100 US dollars/ $270 EC dollars.
On Tuesday, January 4, 100 persons were tested and on Wednesday 99 persons were tested.
Barbados, The Bahamas and The U.S. Virgin Islands have all recently updated their entry requirements in response to the new Omicron variant.
In spite of drawing attention recently, they are not the only Caribbean destinations to update their Covid border regime: over the last few days, a number of countries in the region has already enforced stricter rules following an uptick in infections.
As a result, vacationers are now susceptible to updated guidelines concerning testing at points of entry and/or proof of vaccination status, which are sure to impact the busy holiday season.
Here, you will find all the recent changes that have been made to the 3 highly popular sunny getaways:
Updated Entry Rules For Tourists Arriving In Barbados
From January 7, all visitors arriving in Barbados must produce a negative rapid PCR test result within one day of arrival. Or, if preferred, a negative standard RT-PCR test taken in the 72 hours preceding the border crossing.
In a recent statement, Barbados’ Ministry of Health and Wellness said to be closely monitoring the “unfolding situation” with the new variant, giving rise to speculation more changes could be applied in the near future should the scenario worsen.
When it comes to rules that apply domestically, all persons in Barbados must wear face masks at all times in public spaces, including outdoors, unless they are exercising.
Some tourists may also be required to supply contact details when entering premises and should expect their temperature to be taken. According to CDC guidance, American travelers should avoid all unnecessary travel to Barbados in order to minimize disease risk, especially if they are unvaccinated.
Updated Entry Rules For Tourists Arriving In The Bahamas
The Bahamas are the latest Caribbean destination to update its border policy in response to Omicron. Some have been welcomed by tourists, others much less so.
Shortly after announcing a tightening of the testing regime, the archipelago has already suspended the mandatory RT-PCR requirement for vaccinated travelers, which was due to come into effect on January 7.
On the other hand, those planning to stay in national territory for longer than 48 hours will still need to present a rapid antigen test in order to be granted entry, whether immunized or not.
Passengers arriving by sea should still note that, as a result of the swift Omicron spread, a growing number of Caribbean nations are enacting restrictions on cruise passengers that may impact certain itineraries.
Lastly, all visitors aged 18 and older are also required to fill apply for a pre-departure Bahamas Travel Health Visa.
Updated Entry Rules For Tourists Arriving In The U.S. Virgin Islands
Since January 3, domestic travelers to the U.S. Virgin Islands, which include arrivals from mainland U.S. cities, must present proof of a negative antigen test or RT-PCR in order to be granted entry to the territory.
The rule applies to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, and travelers are reminded that the test must taken within 3 days prior to arrival at the destination.
Additionally, domestic travelers aged 5 and older must apply for a Travel Screening in order to enter the U.S. Virgin Islands. They should expect to include both negative test and vaccination certificate, if applicable, in the application process.
Covid cases have also been increasing across the territory, with Omicron presenting as the biggest threat to the season. Despite stark warnings, travelers of all nationalities are still welcome.
Could My Travel Plans Still Be Affected As A Result Of Omicron?
All international travelers are advised to carefully prepare for any disruption that may arise from countries imposing new testing or vaccination requirements at short notice.
Especially with Omicron, the chances of finding yourself in a difficult position after testing positive before a flight are higher than they were before.
The best advice we can give is to assure you have travel insurance that covers any Covid-related imbroglios.
We would also recommend you to check for individual country guidance, as this is an ever-evolving situation and travel rules may be eventually tightened or relaxed.
President Biden on Thursday forcefully rebuked former President Trump in an address marking the anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, accusing the former president of spreading a “web of lies” that laid the groundwork for the attack by a mob of Trump supporters one year ago.
In a lengthy address from Statuary Hall, Biden said that Trump put his own interests over those of the country and directly and forcefully disputed the former president’s false claims that Biden’s election was won with fraudulent votes.
“The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He has done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country’s interest, America’s interest, and because his bruised ego means more to him than our democracy and our Constitution,” Biden said, his voice rising throughout the speech. “He can’t accept he lost.”
Biden never directly called Trump by name, but referred to him throughout his remarks as the former president. He took on both Trump and supporters who have parroted claims the election was rigged in the fiery address, which lasted nearly25 minutes.
“The former president’s supporters are trying to rewrite history. They want you to see Election Day as the insurrection,” Biden said. “Can you think of a more twisted way to look at this country, to look at America?”
Biden described the 2020 presidential election as the “greatest demonstration of democracy in the history of this country,” noting that more Americans voted in that election than any other before it.
“No election in American history has been more closely scrutinized or more carefully counted,” he said.
Biden’s speech stood out because of his focus on Trump, who Biden at one point he described flatly as a “defeated former president.” Biden has typically avoided talking about his predecessor in his first year as president, trying to move the country past Trump and his divisive behavior. Some Democrats have argued that Biden should take on Trump more forcefully, especially as the 2022 midterms elections loom.
After his remarks, when asked why he didn’t say Trump’s name during his speech, Biden told reporters: “I did not want it to turn into a contemporary political battle.”
“The way you have to heal… you can’t pretend. This is serious stuff,” the president said when asked if calling out Trump divides more than it heals. “You got to face it. That’s what great nations do. They face the truth, deal with it, and move on.”
Biden’s first indirect mention of Trump, about four minutes into his speech, referred to what the former president was doing during the insurrection on Jan. 6.
“What did we not see? We didn’t see a former president who just rallied the mob to attack, sitting in the private dining room off the Oval Office at the White House, watching it all on television and doing nothing for hours,” Biden said.
Trump, who continues to perpetuate falsities about his election loss, was initially scheduled to participate in a news conference on the Jan. 6 anniversary but abruptly canceled those plans earlier this week.
In a statement shortly after the address, Trump accused Biden of trying to “deflect the incompetent job he is doing” as president. Trump also continued to claim that the 2020 election was “rigged” despite the body of legal evidence to the contrary.
Biden’s speech was part of a day of commemorative events marking one year since a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a violent and unprecedented attempt to prevent Congress from counting Electoral College votes that affirmed Biden’s win. Attempts by Trump and his legal allies to contest the election results in courts failed on multiple levels, including all the way up to the Supreme Court.
The day’s events took place amid continued partisan divides in Washington and across the country. While Republican lawmakers have condemned the violence, many of them have avoided calling out Trump directly for his role in spreading lies that fueled the riot.
Biden, a former long-time senator, reflected on the circumstances that unfolded one year ago when rioters stormed and defiled the Capitol, attacked police officers, and threatened the security of lawmakers, journalists, and others working there that day. Five people were killed in the wake of the riot.
“A crowd that professes their love for law enforcement assaulted those police officers,” he said, adding that over 140 police officers were injured.
Biden portrayed U.S. democracy as under threat and urged Americans to unite to strengthen democracy in order to win out against autocracies, like China and Russia. He called for action on voting rights legislation, previewing a renewed push that is expected to gain steam among Democrats in the coming days.
Biden spoke about the Capitol Police officers who lost their lives on Jan. 6 and also mentioned the reporters, cafeteria workers, and custodial workers, who were in the complex that day.
The president ended his remarks calling for unity in an optimistic tone, saying “our darkest days can lead to light and hope.”
“So now let’s step up, write the next chapter in American history. When Jan. 6 marks not the end of democracy, it’s the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play,” he said.
“I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today but I will not shrink from it either. I will stand in this breach, I will defend this nation, and I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy,” Biden said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Congress is about to show the world a very unsettled view from the U.S. Capitol: Rather than a national crisis that pulls the country together, the deadly riot on Jan. 6, 2021, only seems to have pushed lawmakers…Read More
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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd called off its Spectrum of the Seas cruise for Jan. 6 after nine guests on its Jan. 2 trip were identified as close contacts to a local Hong Kong Covid-19 case.
The contacts have tested negative but the cruise ship will return to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on Jan. 5 to test all guests and crew who must take a second test on Jan. 8, the company said.
A similar decision to cancel trips by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd was made against the backdrop of the United States reporting the highest daily tally of any country for new coronavirus infections on Monday.
“Due to ongoing travel restrictions, we’ve had to modify a few sailings and unfortunately have had to cancel,” the 17-ship strong cruise operator said, with the embarkation dates for a few canceled sailings as far out as late April.
The cruise line, which requires everyone on board to be vaccinated, has also had to cut short a 12-day round trip from Miami on its Norwegian Pearl ship, citing “Covid related circumstances.”
Police have rescued a hospital boss and his two deputies after anti-vaccination protesters laid siege to their offices in the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe.
Demonstrators against the legal requirement for health staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19 surrounded the university hospital’s administration building and locked up its managing staff on Tuesday.
Police intervened and had to protect them while escorting them out of the building, managing director Gerard Cotellon told AFP.
“I was evacuated after receiving a punch in the ribs and a huge blow to the head. I think I was unconscious for 10 seconds,” he said.
His deputy Cedric Zolezzi said his shirt was torn and he was splashed with urine while rushing towards a police vehicle. The experience was “shocking”, he said.
Back in Paris, government spokesman Gabriel Attal called the attacks “shameful, revolting, scandalous, unacceptable in a republic” and assured the managers of his “solidarity”.
The government on Wednesday declared a “state of health emergency” in some of France’s overseas territories, including Guadeloupe, because of a rise in coronavirus cases combined with a low vaccination rate there
Nobody was arrested during Tuesday’s incident, which looked like a “rugby scrum” according to a police source.
The rest of the demonstration went off calmly.
A health worker union representative, Gaby Clavier, told AFP that the protesters were demanding “the money we are owed”, after the salaries of health workers who refuse to be vaccinated were frozen.
According to the hospital’s management, only five percent of the staff there have declined Covid jabs.
Toronto, Canada (CNN) Canada announced on Tuesday two agreements totaling $31.5 billion (40 billion Canadian dollars) to compensate First Nations children who were taken from their families and put into the child welfare system and to reform the system that removed them and deprived them of services they needed.
The agreements include $15.7 billion (20 billion Canadian dollars) for potentially hundreds of thousands of First Nations children who were removed from their families, who did not get services or who experienced delays in receiving services. Another $15.7 billion is to reform the system over the next five years.
The agreements come almost 15 years after the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society brought forward a human rights complaint.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal repeatedly found child and family services discriminated against First Nations children, in part by under-funding services on reserves. Children were then removed from their homes and taken off-reserve to get those services.
Canada admitted its systems were discriminatory but repeatedly fought orders to pay compensation and fund reforms, including an appeal it filed last year.
Canada is also fighting a class-action lawsuit on behalf of First Nations children that the compensation agreement seeks to resolve.
Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday the government will drop its appeals once the agreements are finalized in the months ahead.
The reform deal includes $1,966.50 ($2,500 Canadian dollars) in preventive care per child and provisions for children in foster care to receive support beyond age 18.
Funding aimed at reform and preventive services should start flowing in April, but may not address the deep-rooted problems that the First Nation community faces, said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
“I see it as words on paper,” she told Reuters. “I judge victory when I can walk into a community and a child is able to say to me, ‘My life is better than it was yesterday.’ Nothing in these words actually changes children’s lives until it’s implemented.”
Lawyer David Sterns, representing harmed First Nations children and families, said during a news conference that this would be the largest class-action settlement in Canada’s history.
“The enormity of this settlement is due to one reason, and one reason only. And that is the sheer scope of the harm inflicted on class members,” he said.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu vowed to end discrimination against First Nations children, who are over-represented in foster care across Canada, at the news conference.
“Canada’s decision and actions harmed First Nations children, families and communities,” she said. “Discrimination caused intergenerational harm and losses. Those losses are not reversible. But I believe healing is possible.”
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