KAIROS calls on government to implement UN declaration

OTTAWA - Hundreds of people from across Canada joined indigenous and church leaders June 20 in a colorful march through downtown Ottawa, displaying hand-painted banners urging Ottawa to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Organized by KAIROS, an ecumenical, church-based social justice organization, the marchers called for concrete action to address the poverty and inequality faced by indigenous peoples.

“It’s clear that Canadians want action on indigenous rights and on the Declaration,” said KAIROS executive director Mary Corkery.

Anglican National Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald said the UNDRIP provided an “urgent challenge and opportunity” to Canada in how it “applies basic human rights to the unique situation of indigenous peoples.”The document provides the “tools” to address some of the misery caused by Canada’s past relations with them, he said.

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada executive director Cindy Blackstock highlighted the underfunding of child welfare, educational and other essential services.

“Reconciliation means not saying sorry twice,” she said, referring to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s historic apology June 11, 2008 in the House of Commons.

Each First Nations child receives $2-3,000 less per year in education funding, Blackstock said. Many leave home to go to school hundreds of kilometers away at a young age, she said. Others attend schools in deplorable condition, full of mold or infested with snakes or rats.

Families receive less government support, pushing much higher numbers of First Nations children into foster care, she said.

“The churches in Canada have a long-standing commitment to seeking right relationships with indigenous peoples,” said Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Susan Johnson.

Church members and other Canadians can support the UNDRIP goals by committing themselves to learning about the reality of Canada’s indigenous peoples and the document’s justice framework, she said.