NDP statement for National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023

Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh issued the following statement:

“National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across the country.

On this day, we recognize Indigenous peoples' strength and ability to hold on to cultures and languages. Institutional barriers, the lack of federal action, and the devastating ongoing legacy of colonialism and genocide remain an everyday experience of Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous justice in Canada requires less symbolic gestures and more action. That work needs to start with the federal government implementing all the Calls to Action from The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). It is completely unacceptable that four years after this inquiry, this Liberal government has only completed two of the 231 Calls for Justice, and more than half haven’t even been started.

This year, the NDP pushed all parties, of all political stripes, to unanimously recognize the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people crisis as a Canada-wide emergency. We called on the Liberal government to create a Red Dress alert—a system to alert the public when an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing to save lives. While the Liberals say they support this initiative, they have yet to allocate the necessary funding to create it.

The increase in extreme weather across the country means that the government must act and build the infrastructure Indigenous peoples need to stay safe. Furthermore, many Indigenous communities remain without clean drinking water. This is an appalling Liberal failure that must be rectified.

Among the many broken Liberal promises, includes a mercury care centre at Grassy Narrows, which was made three years ago. 90 per cent of the community is poisoned by the mercury in their water. The NDP is calling on the Liberals to stop delaying the construction of the mercury care centre for Grassy Narrows.

On this National Indigenous Peoples Day, New Democrats renew our commitment in the fight for justice for First Nations, Inuit and Métis across the country.”