Native leaders are calling for peaceful demonstrations tomorrow, fearing that whatever public support there is for aboriginals will dry up quickly if the day is marred with violence.
Their call follows threats from Mohawk hard-liner Shawn Brant, right, who has promised to block Highway 401 and the CN Rail line near Deseronto, Ont., in protest.
The national day of action is designed to bring attention to natives' living conditions and the decades of government inaction on hundreds of land claims.
There are 134 native communities in Ontario and each one is expected to mark the day in its own way.
OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino, left, told the Toronto Star that people like Brant will be "dealt with" accordingly, but he added the protests are expected to be trouble free.
"I believe that First Nations and aboriginal leaders across this country are making great progress ... and I would hate to see Mr. Brant or anyone else destroy that progress that is being made," Fantino said.
Besides land claims, the backdrop is the Conservative government's decision to kill the Kelowna Accord, which was signed in November 2005 under the previous federal Liberal government and sought to improve education, employment and living conditions on First Nations reserves over a 10-year period.