June 21^st is Aboriginal Solidarity Day.  It is an important day to recognize and honor the first peoples of this land, the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.  It is a day for us to remember that a great deal of the ground we walk on is Aboriginal land.   It is a day for us to remind ourselves that Aboriginal people played a fundamental role in the founding of Canada and Quebec.   It is a day for us to celebrate the many contributions of Aboriginal people.

It is also a day to recognize the appalling treatment of Aboriginal people.

• Aboriginal people are ranked at the 63rd level of the United Nations international living index, while at the same time living in the ninth richest country in the world.
  
• The unemployment rate for Aboriginal people is significantly higher than it is for non Aboriginal people.  
• Statistics show that Aboriginal people consistently earn less than non-Aboriginal people.   For example, Aboriginal men earned an average of $15,000 less per year than non- Aboriginal men.   Aboriginal women earned approximately $8,000 less per year than non-Aboriginal women.

Canada Post and other employers have contributed to these appalling statistics by failing to hire reasonable numbers of Aboriginal workers.   The Federal government’s Employment Equity report on Canada Post shows that despite ongoing pressure the number of Aboriginal workers at Canada Post is still unacceptably low.

Under the provisions of Appendix HH of the Urban Operations Collective Agreement, CUPW and Canada Post are working on strategies to increase the number of Aboriginal Workers.   This is a step in the right direction.

On June 21, 2008 let’s celebrate Aboriginal Solidarity Day by telling our employers that if they really want to honour the contributions and heritage of Aboriginal people, they can increase their efforts to hire more Aboriginal workers.

We also need to tell Stephen Harper and the federal Conservative government that we are embarrassed and outraged that Canada was one of the four countries to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in September 2007.

June 21^st is a moment in time for us to recognize and honour the important contributions of Aboriginal people’s original and central place in this land, in our communities and in our workplaces.

June 21^st marks a day when workers can stand together with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in peaceful solidarity to call upon our governments to walk the way forward on an honorable path that will truly improve the quality of life for those who lives are intimately connected with the land.

The Union has produced a poster to commemorate Aboriginal Solidarity Day. The Spirit Bear, also known as the Kermode Bear, is featured on the poster.   See your local executive member or shop steward for a copy and participate in solidarity events in your community.