John Joe Sark, a member of the Mi’kmaq Nation

John Joe Sark, a member of the Mi’kmaq Nation traditional government, is petitioning the federal government to change the name of the Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst historic site near Charlottetown, saying it’s an insult that a national park in Prince Edward Island is named for a military general who wanted to kill Aboriginal people with smallpox. Sark wants the name of General Jeffery Amherst removed from the park name, reports the Canadian Press. Amherst’s goal was to eradicate Aboriginal peoples. He supported using blankets infected with smallpox to kill them.

Ontario Reginal Chief Isadore Day said the recently announced cultural competency training for all public service employees is a positive step in terms of fulfilling Truth and Reconciliation action items and signals the Ontario government is standing firm in its political accord with the Chiefs of Ontario.

“I welcome this training and hope our renewed relationship through the Political Accord and the TRC action items spur further progress with the Ontario government,” said Day. “Everyone in Canada needs to be aware of, and understand, the history and current priorities of the Indigenous peoples of this country, not only within the schools but in the halls of the public sector where many vital decisions are made on our behalf,” reads a press statement.

The training is designed to help develop policies and programs to redress the legacy of residential schools, advance reconciliation with Indigenous communities and make a real difference in the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Key components of the sensitivity training will be focused on violence against Indigenous women and girls, the impact of residential schools, the history of colonization and the role of treaties signed between the Crown and First Nations.