"Now is the time for Government to support legislation recognizing Indigenous peoples' history and their role in founding Canada--and to celebrate their survival, their youth & arts & way of honouring the land, the animals, and each other. Now is the time to live up to our promises, to ensure clean water & the necessary health & educational services, and to put an end with concrete steps to systemic discrimination and harassment of Indigenous peoples." - Denise Giroux

"If we are to give a true account of ourselves as a nation, we must speak the truth. In order to heal the many wounds that have been inflicted upon Canada's Indigenous peoples over the past four hundred years or so, let's start the next 150 years off with an honest rendition of our historical roots. From there, any new legislation will be predicated on a firm foundation of mutual respect, understanding and appreciation for what each of the three founding peoples bring to this table we call Canada. " - Elaine Ward

"Now is the time to live up to our promises, to ensure clean water & the necessary health & educational services, and to put an end with concrete steps to systemic discrimination and harassment of Indigenous peoples--like we saw in the ridiculous display by the "Proud Boys" (military personnel!!) in Nova Scotia this past weekend or, even worse, racist killing of the kind occurring in Thunder Bay--innocent students whose bodies are turning up in the river or targeted murder by an 18 year old (throwing a car hitch!) at a woman merely walking on the street." - Denise Giroux

"Now that Canada is poised to begin healing some of these losses and building a culture rooted in these values which were considered "uncivilized" for so long, it is also time to recognize that these same things were here already. Our First Nations, through our own healing and through reconciliation and collaboration, can help Canada to become more equitable, safe, sustainable, and .... civilized!" - Rose H

We are happy to report that Canadians are continuing to call on the Canadian government to put forward legislation clearly establishing Indigenous Peoples's status as Founding Nations of Canada.  One of the most powerful actions Canadians are taking is using our Letter-to-the-Editor tool. This powerful tool allows Canadians to successfully publish dozens of letters in Canadian newspapers, an effective and innovative way to call on the Canadian government to turn Recognition to Action.

We are happy to report that Canadians are continuing to call on the Canadian government to put forward legislation clearly establishing Indigenous Peoples's status as Founding Nations of Canada.  One of the most powerful actions Canadians are taking is using our Letter-to-the-Editor tool. This powerful tool allows Canadians to successfully publish dozens of letters in Canadian newspapers, an effective and innovative way to call on the Canadian government to turn Recognition to Action.

Q: What myth about Canada most irks you?
A: That Canada was founded by two nations: the English and the French. What about the Mi’kmaq, who opened their doors, who shared their food, their knowledge? What about the military alliances our people formed with European settlers? We are allies of the Crown.

Q: Do we need to begin recognizing in meaningful ways the Indigenous role in the creation of this country?
A: We do. We made huge contributions to this country. The biggest is in sharing the land and resources. People need to see that, understand that. Indigenous people should be viewed as the founding peoples of this land.

Read the whole story on the Macleans website.

Read the full Story here on CBC

We all learned in school that Canada came about because a group of men met in tiny Charlottetown  IN 1867 and invented the British North America Act. 

Article copied from the Toronto Star. 

It should come as no surprise that when Canada gives itself a party to celebrate 150 years of “Canadian history,” many Indigenous people feel a sense of indignation. The question that now faces us as a country is “what can we do to show that we have learned from the past, and how do we go forward on a different basis?”