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Boozhoo, Sago, Aanii:
Happy Aboriginal Day. We ask the Creator to bring you all together with your friends and families.
We hope that everyone will join together with the Aboriginal communities in Ontario for a Day of Celebration, Learning and Fun. It is a day when we can share our traditions and our teachings and we want all to join us.
We hope that everyone has a beautiful day and remembers that all people should be treated equally.
To all your relations,
CUPE Ontario
Aboriginal Council
National Aboriginal Day: A History
First proclaimed in 1996, National Aboriginal Day on June 21 is a day of celebration where all nations within Canada recognize the important contributions that First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have made to Canada.
Aboriginal groups across the country have events planned to celebrate June 21st.
While June 21 is a day of celebration, we must not forget that Aboriginal peoples and their communities across Canada are currently involved in actions aimed at increasing awareness of Canadians to the reality that many Aboriginal peoples live and work in conditions that are below any acceptable standard for a civilized country. Governments have failed to provide for the basic necessities such as safe water, health care and economic sustainability for many communities.
The inability of governments to recognize that these necessities are fundamental rights of citizenship has lead to many frustrations.
We recognize that for Aboriginal rights to be achieved and respected we must work with our newly formed councils to pressure governments to participate in meaningful negotiations with Aboriginal peoples, and to raise awareness to —Aboriginal issues within CUPE and our communities.
