For

Immediate Release

Friday, January 4, 2013 (Toronto, ON), In response to the Prime Minister of Canadas commitment to meet with First Nations leaders on January 11th 2013, many leaders are still reluctant to breath easy about what the process is and how it will affect future political relations between the Crown and First Nations in this country. Chief Isadore Day, Serpent River First Nation Chief says that in these early hours of the Prime Ministers announcement, the key concern that he has is about Chief Spence and her health and will she agree to this offer from Prime Minister Harper? I trust that Chief Spence and her team will make the right decision. I commend and appreciate what she has done to raise these issues for Indigenous People and for the country of Canada, says Day. Over the passed three weeks chiefs from across Canada have been mobilizing and helping coordinate on-the-ground demonstrations and supporting the grass roots movement #IdleNoMore. Despite the reality that there are gaps between First Nation leadership and the organizers of this movement, there have been great strides in building and managing good relations. I extend the utmost respect and appreciation for the #IdleNoMore movement and the founders, continues Day. He says that this has been a consistent attitude and that the actions of many Chiefs and their Councils to be a part of this movement prove it. He has recently proposed that a #DividedNoMore concept be contemplated to deal with the obvious gaps that do exist between the grass roots and the First Nation leaders. We as Indigenous Peoples in this country must continue to build unity in the hours and days ahead. If we as First Nation leaders have been taking notice of these significant times that are upon us, we will recognize that the people are saying change is needed and that the rights of First Nations people must see affirmative action. This must be the bottom line in a meeting with the Prime Minister. There are many complex matters that will need to be discussed says Chief Day; among them, the current legislative attacks on First Nations, the Indian Act and its genocidal manifestations and longstanding grievances about treaties in this country. He concludes, if this meeting is to be successful we should not end up with outcomes that have typically been seen in meetings like last years Crown-First Nations Gathering this has merely been a year of proactive disengagement and this truly is not honoring treaties in this country and it brings long-reaching impacts to issues like poverty and social impacts on Our People.

Chief Day says that he will be returning back to his community and calling for a meeting to update, discuss and mobilize key strategies for communication, inclusion and delivery of applicable concerns on behalf of his community. He like many other Chiefs across Canada must now ensure that this work remains a bottoms-up approach to making decisions in key political assemblies. He cautions that any bids from the Assembly of First Nations to leave out the grass roots during this process will not only hurt the organization, it will perpetuate challenges that First Nation leaders have been dealing with on the ground for weeks since this movement began. -30-