Aboriginal students protest cuts to social spending

Page 3

Pouring rain and icy temperatures didn't dampen the spirits of

Aboriginal students who protested against social spending cuts on

Parliament Hill on May 11.

The students were among 200 people from across Canada who converged on

Ottawa to protest against the Canada Health and Social Transfer. The

CHST will cut federal transfer payments to the provinces by $7 billion

over two years, resulting in cutbacks in everything from education to

health care. A solid contingent from various Aboriginal groups lent a

strong voice to Aboriginal concerns at the rally.

"The cuts being implemented...are going to have a devastating effect on

Aboriginal people's health, education and social well being," said Renee

Shilling, the National Aboriginal Students' Representative for the

Canadian Federation of Students.

"It's our future at stake and we're not going to just sit by and watch

it be destroyed."

Organizers called it the "On To Ottawa Trek" in honor of another famous

protest of the same name: In 1935, during the Great Depression,

thousands of unemployed men marched onto Parliament Hill to demand jobs

and the creation of social programs.

Representatives from over 30 student councils, women's groups and labor

organizations took part in this most recent demonstration, which was

organized by the student's federation.

The Aboriginal Student's Constituency of the federation called on Prime

Minster Jean Chretien and Indian Affairs Minster Ron Irwin to act on the

Liberal party's election promises, including the removal of the funding

cap on the Aboriginal study curriculum, the initiation of a

comprehensive health policy, and the involvement of Aboriginals in

policy and budgetary decisions.

"I think the government is trying to run away from its obligations to

the Aboriginal people and dishonor the treaties that were signed," the

28-year-old man said. "I think if they do that, none of our students

are going to be able to afford to go to college or university."

Inuit Tapirisat, the Assembly of First Nations, the Algonquin Nation,

the congress of Aboriginal People, and the Aboriginal Nurses Association

of Canada Endorsed the event.

"I just want to start by saying that this (Parliament Hill) is unceded

Algonquin territory," a rally organizer said at the opening of the

event, garnering loud cheers from the crowd.

Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, urged

the crowd to fight the CHST and said the right to post-secondary

education must be protected for Aboriginal youth.

He also referred to the arrest of seven Aboriginal students after a

sit-in the previous day. The students briefly occupied the Indian

Affairs office in Hull, Que. to protest the CHST and demand action on

college and university funding for Aboriginal students. They were

charged with public mischief and released on bail pending a July 3 court

date.

Mercredi called the arrests "an unfortunate incident" and said the AFN

would pay the students' legal costs because "its the least we can do for

them."

The arrests added an ironic twist to a federation press release sent

out the day before the sit-in.

"Denying access to post-secondary education is by far the most

oppressive measure that the government can take, "Renee Shilling stated

in the release. "Especially when they're more than willing to pay the

astronomical costs of keeping Aboriginal people in jail."