Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman Thinks CFL Edmonton Eskimos Should Change Their Team Name

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Nov, 2017 11:22 AM
    Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman thinks the CFL Edmonton Eskimos should change their team name.
     
    "I think there’s an opportunity to have a more inclusive name," he said. "That's ultimately a decision for the team, though."
     
    Bowman, who is Metis, said he respects the Edmonton CFL organization but would prefer a different name.
     
    The Eskimos said in a statement that it uses the name with "pride and respect."
     
    "At this point in time, we are actively engaged in listening to the conversation that people are having around our name. Those conversations are ongoing and we are keenly listening to all input including from our loyal season seat holders and fans."
     
    The team also said if Bowman has an opinion he'd like to share with it, he should do so.
     
    The Eskimos are facing the Blue Bombers in the CFL western semi-final on Saturday in Winnipeg.
     
    It's not the first time there have been calls for the Edmonton team to change its name.
     
    Andre Talbot, the retired 2004 Grey Cup champion who played for the Toronto Argonauts but spent his final season in 2010 with Edmonton, said that changing the team name would be a small, but positive gesture.
     
    "We have to honour the aboriginal communities of our great country and respect the fact that the name is deemed offensive and oppressive to these communities," Talbot said in an interview in 2015.
     
    "Sports organizations need to be community building organizations. And if we're isolating and offending part of that community, then our particular organization or league is not doing its job."
     
    Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which represents Canada's 60,000 Inuit, said in 2015 that it wasn't right for any team to be named after an ethnic group.
     
    He called the term Eskimo a relic of a past in which Inuit people had no control over their lives or even what they were called. He said he would be offended if someone called him Eskimo.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    With 650 Yazidis Now In Canada, Officials Say Target Of 1,200 In Sight

    With 650 Yazidis Now In Canada, Officials Say Target Of 1,200 In Sight
    OTTAWA — A promise to resettle 1,200 people who escaped torture and persecution at the hands of Islamic militants is within reach by the end of the year, immigration officials said Tuesday.

    With 650 Yazidis Now In Canada, Officials Say Target Of 1,200 In Sight

    Experts See Some Relief For Vancouver's Tight Housing Market By Late 2018

    Experts See Some Relief For Vancouver's Tight Housing Market By Late 2018
    VANCOUVER — A real estate association watching Metro Vancouver's tight and costly housing market predicts conditions should begin to ease by the third quarter of 2018.

    Experts See Some Relief For Vancouver's Tight Housing Market By Late 2018

    Vancouver Warns Homeowners To Fill In Forms On Empty Homes Tax Or Risk Fine

    Vancouver Warns Homeowners To Fill In Forms On Empty Homes Tax Or Risk Fine
    Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is warning homeowners if they fail to declare their property status by Feb. 2, they will face the city's empty homes tax plus a $250 fine.

    Vancouver Warns Homeowners To Fill In Forms On Empty Homes Tax Or Risk Fine

    Jagmeet Singh Sets Sights On Opioids, Pushes Trudeau To Legalize All Drugs To Tackle Crisis

    Jagmeet Singh Sets Sights On Opioids, Pushes Trudeau To Legalize All Drugs To Tackle Crisis
    OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider decriminalizing all illegal drugs in an effort to combat Canada's escalating opioid crisis..

    Jagmeet Singh Sets Sights On Opioids, Pushes Trudeau To Legalize All Drugs To Tackle Crisis

    Abbotsford Police Officer Killed Identified As John Davidson, A 24 Year Veteran

    Abbotsford Police Officer Killed Identified As John Davidson, A 24 Year Veteran
    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — A British Columbia police officer who died in the line of duty has been identified as a constable with 24 years of experience who was also active in his community.

    Abbotsford Police Officer Killed Identified As John Davidson, A 24 Year Veteran

    At Least Two Police Officers Injured In Abbotsford, B.C., Suspect In Custody

    At Least Two Police Officers Injured In Abbotsford, B.C., Suspect In Custody
    The Incident Occurred Near Mount Lehman Road And Fraser Highway Shortly Before Noon

    At Least Two Police Officers Injured In Abbotsford, B.C., Suspect In Custody