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'A spirit of oneness and solidarity with all Aboriginal peoples on this national day.'
- James Clancy
Ottawa (20 June 2006) - National Aboriginal Day will be celebrated across the country once again on June 21, a day first proclaimed in 1996 as an annual occasion to recognize the diverse cultures and outstanding contributions to Canada of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Collectively the groups make up the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. The date of June 21 was selected for several reasons, including the fact that it coincides with the summer solstice.
In 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day to be celebrated on June 21. In 1995, a similar recommendation was made by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. It called for a National First Peoples Day to be designated.
Also in 1995, a national conference of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, known as The Sacred Assembly, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canada.
The first National Aboriginal Day was proclaimed the following year by then Governor General Romeo LeBlanc. It is now part of a series of "Celebrate Canada" days beginning on June 21 and followed by St-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27 and Canada Day on July 1.
June 21 celebrates the achievements of all Aboriginal peoples, including art, language, reverence for the land, Aboriginal epistemology and spirituality.
"The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) joins in a spirit of oneness and solidarity with all Aboriginal peoples on this national day," says NUPGE President James Clancy.
"We are committed as a national union to working in partnership with Aboriginal workers and Aboriginal communities to combat systemic racism and to improve access to jobs, health care, housing, child care and education," Clancy says.
"We are proud of the Aboriginal workers who are members of our union and we look forward to strengthening and deepening our common bonds and to forging new relationships in the future." NUPGE
More information:
• National Aboriginal Day - Celebrating 10 Years
• National Aboriginal Day - events across Canada
• B.C. is again cutting its native court worker program
• Scholarship for Aboriginal Canadians (NUPGE Scholarships)
• The campaign to free Leonard Peltier
• BCGEU affirms solidarity with Aboriginal Canadians