New Name Given To National Day Of Action

New Name Given To National Day Of Action

Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 13:23

An official with the Assembly of First Nations says the decision to rename this year’s national Day of Action was partially made due to public perception.

Wayne Courchene is the senior aide to National Chief Phil Fontaine.

Courchene says when people hear the term “Day of Action”, they often associate it with confrontations and roadblocks.

He says this year’s event has been renamed a “Day of Reconciliation” and will fall on the one-year anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology to residential school survivors.

Former FSIN chief Perry Bellgarde is running to replace Fontaine as national chief.

Bellegarde says he doesn’t care what the new day is called, as long as it helps bring attention to the living conditions many First Nations citizens currently find themselves in.

The National Day of Reconciliation will be held on June 11th.