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Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner made the following statement for National Aboriginal Day.
Today, June 21, is National Aboriginal Day. On behalf of the Green Party of Ontario I want to thank all Aboriginal people – the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis – for your contributions to our communities, province and country.
I want to commend Aboriginal leaders for taking action on important issues affecting everyone now and in the future. I especially want to thank the recent the Idle No More movement for raising awareness on critical challenges facing our communities. All Ontarians can draw inspiration from the Idle No More movement and the fight for the health of our communities, environment, and water.
I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of First Nation leaders to protect natural heritage, community well being and especially clean water for present and future generations.
It’s also important to acknowledge the challenges indigenous communities face. It is unacceptable that half of Canada’s status First Nations children live in poverty. We must take action to ensure indigenous communities have access to high quality health care, education and economic opportunities. It is essential that we settle land claims and improve living conditions in indigenous communities.
National Aboriginal Day is a day for thanks and recognition of First Nations in Ontario and their inspiring leadership towards protecting and celebrating our water, land, and cultural heritage.