Along with and in support of Indigenous People, UHEW is seeking, this June 21, action to align with the pretty words the federal government has uttered in support of Indigenous struggles for justice.
We seek it because:
- five years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, only 12 of its 94 recommendations have been completed.
- there are still dozens of Indigenous communities without safe drinking water, despite the government’s pledge to fix this by March 2021
- the federal government is still fighting Jordan’s Principle in court.
We understand that for Indigenous People, the discovery of the mass grave at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School are an affirmation, rather than a revelation. Nevertheless we see in the display of this genocidal horror the power to stir even the most shiftless cabinet minister — minsters who departing MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq said would never consider putting themselves in her place — to act.
We seek justice for Indigenous people because we know, as Mumilaaq Qaqqaq told parliament:
People in power have choices, and they consistently choose priorities that uphold systems of oppression, leaving babies sick in moldy homes, parents missing their passed-on children, because these powerful individuals don’t think change is worth the money.
If you seek these changes too, PSAC is holding a webinar June 23 on how we can work as allies with Indigenous Peoples. The panel will discuss how allies can best support decolonization and sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples. Register here.
