Canada: Aboriginal Issues Missing From Election Campaign

Aboriginal issues are missing from the agenda in this year's federal election campaign. Shawn Atleo is the British Columbia regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations an he is frustrated to see issues like the environment and the economy dominating the election, while federal party leaders are ignoring the issues that matter to Canada's aboriginal population. "It's very difficult to talk about the economy in places like B.C. without talking about title and rights issues and negotiations," he said. "It's difficult to talk about health without considering that First Nations health issues are a top issue in this country." The aboriginal community is the most vulnerable to changes in the environment, whether it's the shifting patterns of caribou herds or the devastation of fishing stocks. "And yet nowhere have we been able to see early on in the election any mention of First Nations issues," he said. The Assembly of First Nations has launched a campaign, called "Vote '08, Change Can't Wait,". The campaign aims to encourage the aboriginal community to become involved in the election and raise the profile of First Nations issues. Sept. 29 is a national day of action for Canada's aboriginal people to raise the profile of First Nations issues. The Conservative government apologized in June to former students of the residential school program, nevertheless, Atleo said there is still work to be done heading into the future. "Now, we want to talk about the action that must be taken, the true reconciliation that needs to occur," he said. "No longer can we just be pushed aside and ignored … an apology is just a beginning so we can't allow for a campaign to go on and not raise our voice and say, 'A campaign that does not include a focus on the No. 1 social justice issue in this country needs to change,'" Atleo said.