CAP to IPAC: What’s in a name?

On March 8 at the 2nd Annual Creative Leaders Symposium in Ottawa, National Chief Dwight Dorey announced that the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples name will change to the Indigenous Peoples’ Assembly of Canada.

“We’ve decided after much deliberation and thought, that the term Indigenous was a much more inclusive name for the Congress, one that resonates with today’s international standards and is reflective of what we stand for,” said Dorey. “It’s clear that Indigenous is a more contemporary term and more inclusive since it identifies peoples in similar circumstances in all countries with a colonial history.”

The Congress purports to represent more than 70 per cent of Indigenous people live off-reserve, including Métis, status and non-status Indians, and Southern Inuit Indigenous People living off-reserve.

In a press statement from the Congress, it states that the term Indigenous gained prominence when used to describe Aboriginal peoples in an international context, such as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues. In the coming weeks, IPAC’s visual appearance, the website and social media sites will change along with all communication materials.

“I was extremely happy with the crowd’s enthusiasm when I made the surprise announcement,” concluded Dorey. “This name change will certainly assist us to identify ourselves in Canada and the world stage.”