First Nations coalition rejects recommendation to lift Sen. Beyak's suspension

A coalition of First Nations chiefs and residential school survivors is rejecting a new recommendationto lift Sen. Lynn Beyak's suspension from the Senate.

The group says Beyak's recent anti-racism training undermines and disregards calls from Indigenous Peoples to remove her from the upper chamber.

Last week, the Senate ethics committee tabled a report recommending Beyak's suspension be lifted now that she has taken anti-racism training and has apologized for posting derogatory letters about Indigenous Peoples on her website.

The coalition sent a letter to the team that led Beyak's training, which determined she "has learned (and) was willing to learn" about racism against Indigenous peoples following a four-day, virtual education program in May.

The group says this education program was an inappropriate process because it offered no involvement or input from First Nations and residential school survivors in Beyak's home region of northwestern Ontario.

The group, which includes several First Nations grand chiefs and regional chiefs, says it does not accept the apology Beyak gave last month and insists she must resign.