Posted: Friday, 19 June 2009

The Canadian Governments Indian and Northern Affairs website describes June 21, National Aboriginal Day in Canada as one of eleven special days Canadians are invited to join in a cultural campaign to celebrate distinctive communities within Canada.

The eleven celebratory day stretch begins with National Aboriginal day on June 21, followed by Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24, then Multiculturalism Day June 27 and concludes with Canada Day July 1.

The number eleven is coincidental with June 11, 2008 - when the federal government issued its formal apology to the survivors of the infamous residential school system. And just eleven days ago, the Assembly of First Nations marked the one year anniversary of the apology by organizing a national day of reconciliation to remind Canadians and this government the apology called for the establishment of a new standard of behaviour toward Aboriginal people.

That new standard requires governments to cease discriminatory treatment of Aboriginal peoples such as was experienced by Sharon McIvor. The McIvor case pointed out the Indian Act discriminated against the descendants of Indian women who married non-Indian men when compared with the descendants of Indian men who married non-Indian women. After years of legal battles with Canadian governments, it was timely to celebrate a judicial victory when this government announced it would no longer oppose a favourable ruling by the British Colombia courts that supported Sharon McIvor's legal challenge for non-discriminatory treatment of the children born to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal couples.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) urges all its 3.2 million members to join in celebrations of events taking place across Canada today - National Aboriginal Day. And on this day, the CLC urges its members to renew labour's commitment to continue the collective struggle to establish in practice a new standard of behaviour to Aboriginal people that will end the persistence of Aboriginal poverty; inadequate access to drinking water and unjust participation rates in the workforce.

June 21 is a day to celebrate the unique and diverse Aboriginal communities spread across the country - and it is a day to strengthen our collective solidarity to ensure that justice and fairness becomes a daily reality for all Aboriginal peoples.

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