The beginning of an even greater journey

March 28, 2013

James Harper, Vice-President (Youth) – Several Cree youth endured a 1,600 kilometre journey through the worst of winter with the hope of a more prosperous future for the next generations of Indigenous peoples. They began their trek from their home community of Whapmagoostui First Nation in Quebec, and finally reached their destination at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 25th anticipating the government to hear their voices and commit to further action.

However, there was very little response from the Harper government who failed to acknowledge their voices.

Prime minister Harper clearly demonstrated his lack of interest in protecting the future of Indigenous peoples by choosing to have a photo op with the Panda bears at the Toronto Zoo instead. Through Harper’s (in)action, it was a major disappointment; however that didn’t stop the Nishiyuu from making their voices heard. It is quite profound when youth take such initiative and strive for something they believe in– only for their actions to go unnoticed by the Harper government. But what further stands out is the fact that these particular Indigenous youth have no specific demands, and come in a very non-confrontational way, carrying only a message of unity and rebuilding the relationship in a very positive way.

If they were non-native children that marched 1,600 kilometres to show that they can make a better country, they would roll out the red carpet for them” Charlie Angus stated in an interview with CBC, which is a statement I found to have very disturbing truth to. Regardless of any political viewpoint, these are heroic youth that are trying to make a difference in defining Canada, which I think the Prime Minister should have made every effort to greet and respect their commitment to such determination.

Justin Trudeau, Member of Parliament for Papineau and critic for Post-Secondary Education, Youth, and Amateur Sport, had the chance to meet with the youth today, to which he tweeted “The Journey of Nishiyuu shows commitment to a better future for FN communities. Let’s equal that with real engagement.” I think this shows an optimistic future and even more significantly, proved to the Indigenous youth that their efforts didn’t go unnoticed by government. “We’re dealing with a control freak government. Maybe if the members who are unhappy dressed up like pandas the prime minister would pay them some attention,” Bob Rae said in response to PM Harper’s inaction.

Throughout the whole #IdleNoMore movement, it has become quite a common trend for the Harper government to have very little response to this very fundamental cause – which isn’t just an indian problem; but one that impacts all Canadians alike. Despite this, the voices of the Indigenous peoples have only gotten stronger, which was evident through the extraordinary efforts made by the Nishiyuu. What’s important to realize is that the youth have a strong desire to maintain their traditions, language and culture, which is another significant message they carried throughout their journey– one that I cannot even begin to comprehend.

The Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada wholeheartedly supports these young people. The power of the messages they carried were profound and wise and are an inspiration to us all.

*Note 1: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views of and/or official policy of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Commission and/or the Liberal Party of Canada*
*Note 2: The blog was published in the language it was received*