Weeks after the horrific events of September 11, National Chief Matthew Coon Come addressed members of the Canadian Bar association to remind them of the tragic suffering faced by Native people in Canada on a daily basis. The head of the AFN spoke about the unusually high numbers of Natives facing unemployment, health problems and lack of services as compared to non-Native Canadians.
Referring to a report that indicated one in five Canadian children live in poverty, Coon Come pointed out that “this tragedy is suffered disproportionately by Aboriginal children – six out of every 10 Aboriginal pre-schoolers in Canada live in dire poverty.” He also said that, “Unemployment in many of our First nations communities is as high as 90 percent.” The unemployment rate for Canada as a whole has been roughly seven percent over the past year and the National Chief suggested that if any other group in the country were to suffer a rate as high as 90 percent “it would be a national emergency.”
“Aboriginal peoples in Canada are dying of poverty-related diseases such as tuberculosis and diabetes at rates far higher than Canadians overall. We have much shorter life expectancies. Our babies are more than twice as likely to die at birth.”
“Our roads are mostly unlit, not paved and have no sidewalks. Few of our communities have libraries. Many lack adequate sanitation, clean drinking water and proper recreational facilities.”
Of all the grievances, the worst, according to Coon Come, is that as a result of “grinding poverty, hopelessness and despair, our Aboriginal youth are killing themselves in epidemic numbers.”
The National Chief has received a fair amount of criticism over remarks he made at the recent Racism Conference in Durban, South Africa. The Canadian government saw Coon Come’s statements as inflammatory and unhelpful to finding reasonable solutions to the situation. For his part, Coon Come will use any opportunity to advocate on behalf of the human rights that are the due of Native people.
“Addressing the appalling social and economic conditions of Aboriginal peoples cannot be discretionary,” Coon Come said. “The perpetuation of our chronic suffering – which threatens our viability as peoples – cannot be justified by the government of Canada on any currently foreseeable grounds. We cannot yet again be asked to remain patiently at the back of the Canadian bus.”
