Unifor joins with Aboriginal peoples across the country in recognizing June 21st, Aboriginal Peoples Day - the summer solstice that has for centuries been recognized as a day to celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and their heritage.
It is also a day to reflect on the history of colonialism, to take a critical look at its on-going legacy, andto re-commit ourselves to righting the wrongs of both the distant and recent past.
We recognize that indigenous rights are inalienable. On June 21st this year our focus is on unfulfilled treaty obligations, on education rights for Aboriginal children and teens, and on the failure of oursociety to ensure even the basic safety and dignity of Aboriginal women.
Our union recognizes the strength and determination of our Aboriginal sisters and brothers in their on-going fight for social, economic and environmental justice – a fight that we proudly join. For us, it is also a day to express our solidarity and educate ourselves on the tremendous diversity of Aboriginal cultures, languages, traditions, self-governing structures, and political priorities.
Canadian unions have a critical role to play in the struggle for decent housing, good jobs, ecological sustainability, accessible education, healthcare and childcare – challenges that are amplified for Aboriginal Peoples. We have a responsibility to lend our voice to the call for solutions to the social and economic problems that plague Aboriginal peoples both on and off-reserve. We have a role to play in demanding governments address the legitimate grievances of Aboriginal Peoples – the longest-standing grievances in our history.
We are all treaty people. Treaties signed between settler governments and Aboriginal peoples represent a commitment to protecting the economic self-sufficiency and cultural independence of Aboriginal Peoples. As party to these treaties, we must demand that our government fulfill these commitments on our behalf.
Unifor salutes the “Idle-No-More” movement for their persistence in raising consciousness and bringing all of our attention to our joint responsibility to respect treaties. Treaties, like collective agreements, are only as strong as the resolve of those who fight to defend them and the communities that stand behind them.
Treaties, like collective agreements, are a tool giving voice to the powerless and the oppressed – they allow us to stand, as a community of interests, toe-to-toe with those who wield the greatest power and influence. When we strengthen our collective resolve to uphold treaty rights, it must be with the same spirit and determination we use to defend our union contracts.
First Nations, Métis and Inuit must have control of education and have the requisite funding to use education as a tool for equality. Education is a treaty right. After denying for years that there was any inequality in government funding for native education, the Harper government finally admitted that there was a gap to close.
This year the federal government first proposed and then withdrew The First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act. The Act was to raise the cap on annual increases to native education from 2% to 4.5% - a move that would still fall short of attaining equality in education between native and non-native children and youth. While we urgently call for an end to the cap, we support Aboriginal
communities in their on-going dialogue to ensure that policies put in place not only rectify inequality in the funding formulas but place control of education spending and delivery in the hands of Aboriginals’ peoples.
The legacy of patriarchal colonial policies in the Indian Act includes the on-going economic and social oppression of Aboriginal women. We will continue to raise our union voices in support of a long overdue national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women.
Today on National Aboriginal Peoples’ Day, Unifor demands that the federal government take meaningful and measurable steps to develop a real plan of action – working with Aboriginal communities and leadership – to address critical issues including violence against Aboriginal women and girls, access to education and jobs, skills development, health care, housing and access to safe drinking water. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the federal government’s formal apology to the survivors of the infamous residential school system will only carry meaning when the First Peoples, Métis and Inuit share the riches of Canada, their homeland.
On this Aboriginal Peoples’ Day, we celebrate the rich heritage of all First Peoples, we acknowledge the challenges, and we commit ourselves to the work that lies ahead – work that we must do together, in solidarity.
In solidarity,
Vinay Sharma
National Director,
Human Rights Department
