Thanks-for-nothing-day

Hi Friends
Lets talk about respect. Respect for the nation to nation dealings we have with each other. Respect for, and the upholding of the Constitution. Respect for the First Nations in their struggle to assume their rightful place in this country.

When governments run roughshod over the rights of citizens, and carry out a campaign of disinformation against the few, this is what can, and has, led to unrest, ethnic cleansing, civil wars and anarchy in extreme situations.


In the sixties, with a liberal government under P.E.Trudeau.
Canada was making it presence known on the world stage as a peace keeper, and a haven to the disenfranchised. We were proudly multi-cultural, yet the government of the day still sought to assimilate the first nations populations with a little piece of legislation known as the white paper.


This was answered by a young first nations man named Harold Cardinal who wrote a paper of his own dubbed the red paper. After this was put forward, the Liberals shelved the white paper proposition. Small victory. Then in 1982 the Constitution was brought home with section 35 guaranteeing aboriginal and treaty rights. Looked upon as a significant victory. Twenty-five years on still not being implemented...


First Nations communities across the country are suffering unspeakable woes. Who but the most callous among us can look into the face of a child and shrug off the pain and sorrow you see there? When ever I see the leaders of these communities begging for help, or read of the loss of lives to suicide in these communities or hear of the missing women or the disproportionate amount of incarcerated native men and women from these communities, I can only wonder 'where is your compassion for your fellow man?'


We as a country have just celebrated that most native of holidays...Thanksgiving. How many native communities had much to be thankful for do you think?

debra