Panel finds Canada committed genocide of Indigenous peoples

An international panel of human rights experts has issued a preliminary finding that Canada has committed genocide against its Indigenous peoples. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal reached the conclusion following a week of hearings in Montreal, stating that historical Canadian policies constituted crimes against humanity with genocidal intent.

The tribunal specifically cited the country’s residential school system and policies that forced the sterilization of Indigenous women as key examples. The panel’s judgment also asserts that Canada has failed to meet its responsibilities as outlined by the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015.

The reading of the decision was an emotional moment during the hearings, with survivors present holding onto one another and wiping away tears as three tribunal members delivered the findings. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, established in 1979, functions as an international opinion court to investigate allegations of crimes against humanity and human rights violations.

The panel is scheduled to deliver its full and final judgment on September 30, which coincides with Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The forthcoming...