National Day of Action

On behalf of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, I want to state that we do not support the National Day of Action.

There are many pressing issues that face the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and we think public education - actually informing and doing a better job as leaders of educating Canadians, and the politicians who govern them of our issues is the best means to achieve this goal.

We are concerned that protests will only shed a negative light on Aboriginal peoples and will not truly serve to educate Canadians. Do you believe Canadians will have a better understanding of our issues after this day?

We know that many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people will participate in organized marches across the country and that is every individual Canadian's right to do do so and we support the right to peaceful protests.

However, we hope that all protests will be conducted in a civil and respectful manner and more importantly, that people, property and the affairs of Canada's business community are not adversely affected or impacted in any way. In any event, we wish all Canadians, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike a happy and safe Canada Day weekend!