Unions Push For Improved Treatment Of Aboriginals

Unions Push For Improved Treatment Of Aboriginals

Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 13:33

Four of the largest unions on the continent are pushing the Canadian government to improve its record on Aboriginal rights.

Today in Ottawa, representatives from CUPE and PSAC will join officials from the Canadian Postal Workers Union and the United Steelworkers in a united stand.

The rally is already being called “Sorry is Not Enough — Stand Up for Aboriginal Human Rights.”

NDP critic Jean Crowder says it’s encouraging to see such prominent members of the mainstream public calling on Ottawa to do better.

“The time has come when we need to collectively stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder, to right these wrongs. I mean, we’re cited (negatively) in the international community for the treatment of First Nations, Metis and Inuit, and I think non-Aboriginal Canadians want to see that stop,” Crowder says.

She adds that discrimination against Aboriginal women is just one of the many issues that needs to be addressed.