Passage of Human Rights Protective Legislation
A Fitting Memorial For Fallen Aboriginal Women
(December 5, 2007 – Ottawa, ON) Eighteen years after the senseless killing of fourteen young women at l'Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989, Canada’s youngest national Aboriginal leader is calling on federal Opposition parties to affirm the protection of fundamental human rights for Aboriginal women, and for the development of clear and specific policy platforms on women’s issues.
National Chief Patrick Brazeau of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples is calling for federal opposition parties to begin to set clear, measurable and sustainable targets for programs and services specifically developed for Aboriginal women. More importantly, the National Chief is calling for Members of the Opposition to end their resistance to the passage of Bill C-21, which seeks to protect First Nations citizens’ fundamental human rights.
On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women we must stop and reflect on the troubling realities Aboriginal women deal with in this country every day. There are missing and murdered Aboriginal women who must never be forgotten. There remains systematic discrimination through prescriptive legislation such as the Indian Act and Bill C-31, which dictates who gains Indian status and who does not, and continued, purposeful efforts to exclude First Nations women and children from the most fundamental protection of human rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act”, said the National Chief.
“In the face of this, it’s high time that Canada’s public policy was driven by a commitment to developing strong, confident and healthy Aboriginal women, and through this, improve overall wellness in the community,” said the National Chief.
In the run-up to the next election, Brazeau is calling on federal politicians to commit to specific endeavours to ensure that Aboriginal women must be afforded no less than the same rights as all other members of Canadian society.
In particular, the National Chief decried the tactics of the Opposition parties to stall the passage of legislation that seeks to repeal Section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, and finally ensure that the fundamental rights of First Nations peoples receive the same measures of protection as do all other Canadians.
In its efforts to champion the cause of human rights protection for First Nations citizens, the Congress has been staging a series of community consultations across the country with grassroots Aboriginal peoples. Feedback from the meetings paints a bleak picture in respect of the continued violation of the rights of Aboriginal women. “These women feel they have no appropriate mechanisms in place to deal effectively with their complaints and that there is an urgent to need to deal with this problem through the repeal of section 67 of the Human Rights Act,” said National Chief Brazeau.
Chief Brazeau was emphatic in his call for measures to improve Aboriginal women’s’ lot in life. “It’s high time that the Opposition moved past political rhetoric and tabled their respective plans for concrete measures to ensure the safety and well being for Canada’s Aboriginal women. Canadians deserve to know where the Opposition stands in terms of respecting Aboriginal women’s right to justice, peace and safety,” said Chief Brazeau.
The National Chief concluded, “ Strong women are the backbone of strong communities. On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, I respectfully submit that the men and women on the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal affairs do right by the memory of Canada’s fallen women, and move to pass Bill C-21 without delay.”
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For further information, please contact:
Al Fleming
Director
Public Affairs
613-747-6022 (office)
613-867-8696 (mobile)
al@abo-peoples.org
