First Nations march on Parliament as part of National aboriginal Day
Rally comes just days after Tories celebrate ‘improved relations’
OTTAWA — Less than 48 hours after Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt congratulated himself and the government for their work to improve relations with aboriginals, about 150 members of those communities descended on Parliament Hill to celebrate National Aboriginal Day and lament the state of those relations.
The march started on nearby Victoria Island — site of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s infamous hunger strike — and proceeded to the Hill, where numerous speakers including NDP Leader Tom Mulcair commemorated the occasion.
Mulcair said “the NDP will work to create a relationship from nation to nation,” then turned to face the prime minister’s office and said over there, they “idle full time.”
The Idle No More movement’s presence was felt Friday, though the tone of the event was decidedly less political and more a rally for unity.
While the rel at ionship between aboriginals and the Conservative government appeared to reach a new low during the winter’s Idle No More protests, Valcourt believes positive change has been achieved.
“Our government and aboriginal peoples are aligned in our goal of seeing the gaps between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people closed when it comes to living standards, quality of life and economic opportunities,” he said.
Conservatives passed five pieces of legislation concerning aboriginals in 2013.
“These laws are historic achievements,” Valcourt said.
But none of that legislation was on the radar at Friday’s rally.
Instead, participants spoke about changes to the Navigable Waters Act, which exempts some waterways from federal protections.
“The first to suffer (from those changes will be) First Nations,” Mulcair said.