Today CUPE Ontario celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day in recognition and commemoration of the history, achievements, and diversity of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
This day is also about the power of resistance: the strength and courage of Indigenous communities who have withstood and survived, despite the massive weight of colonialism and the power of government after government enacting policies of assimilation.
This continues today, under the current Ford PC government. It is pushing ahead to develop thousands of kilometers of protected green space, rushing to give permissions to mining corporations to extract minerals, and other violation, while completely ignoring their obligation to consult and reach consensus agreement with Indigenous communities in our Province.
On this day, the Indigenous Council of CUPE Ontario also makes special recognition of CUPE National’s Water is Life campaign, which features a video from the council’s own Dawn Bellerose.
CUPE Ontario urges members and local leaders to show solidarity with Canada’s Indigenous people and their heritage, traditions and resilience by signing the Water is Life pledge and by exploring the specially prepared materials and resources available from CUPE National, including a new face sheet that addresses the theme of environmental racism.
