On June 21st—National Indigenous Peoples Day—we recognize and celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. As you spend your day drumming, dancing, and celebrating your rich cultures, we reiterate our call for all levels of government to make reconciliation more than an empty promise and reaffirm our solidarity with your struggle for self-determination, access to…
Our organizations are deeply disappointed that the federal government has failed to take decisive action to guarantee that survivors of mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows will get the medical care they need and deserve. Although the federal Indigenous Services department had announced that Minister Seamus O’Regan would sign a memorandum of understanding with Grassy Narrows…
TORONTO, ON – CUPE Ontario and the CUPE Ontario Aboriginal Council call on MPPs to pass Bill 76, which would ensure that Ontario’s laws comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Bill 76 was introduced by Sol Mamakwa, MPP for Kiiwetinoong and the NDP Critic for Indigenous Relations and…
CUPE Ontario members stand in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and activists at the Unist’ot’en Camp defending their territory and the environment against big oil and right-wing politicians. Last month, TransCanada Coastal GasLink sought an injunction directing hereditary chiefs to remove the gate at Unist’ot’en Camp, allowing its agents to build a pipeline through their…
(December 10, 2018) Across Canada and as recently as 2017, Indigenous women report being forcibly or coercively sterilized. Some women were incorrectly told the procedure is reversible. Others were separated from their babies until they consented to a tubal ligation. Forced and coerced sterilizations of Indigenous women are a result of systemic violence and discrimination…
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, which raises awareness about the residential school system and its traumatic, inter-generational impact on Indigenous peoples in Canada. On this day, we reflect on the legacy of residential schools, which were the primary instrument in a policy of cultural genocide instituted by the Canadian government. Orange Shirt Day was…
2018 marks the 22nd anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day, held annually on June 21st. Today we recognize and celebrate the contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We salute their strength and courage in the face of attempts to erase their cultures and express our gratitude for their stewardship of the environment over generations. We…
Today, March 22, is World Water Day. Public drinking water and wastewater services are fundamental human rights. Yet these rights are currently denied to many Ontarians. That’s why CUPE Ontario is working with labour and community allies to secure clean and safe public water services for all. Contaminated water and a lack of adequate…
CUPE Ontario and its Aboriginal Council wish to express our heartfelt sorrow and condolences to the family of Colten Boushie, his friends and all Indigenous peoples. The killing of Colten Boushie and the failure to convict the person who killed him is another stain on Canada’s justice system and how it deals with Indigenous peoples.…
The following delegates from the Racial Justice and Human Rights Conference 2017 were elected to the respective committees for a two year term: Aboriginal Council Dawn Bellerose, Local 1880 Larry Giffin, Local 3798 Miaco Kuzyk-Hildebrand, Local 4207 Racial Justice Yetti Atilola, Local 1750 Joy Davis, Local 4400 Michael Gordon, Local 1483 Rebecca Jegeshar, Local 79…
