Human Rights

Aboriginal Solidarity Day June 21

Aboriginal Solidarity Day was declared in 1982 by the Assembly of First Nations, then known as National Indian Brotherhood, as an assertion of the right of Aboriginal Peoples to control their lands and resources.

Much remains to be done in the struggle for equity for Aboriginal Peoples from coast to coast to coast. 

June 21, Aboriginal Solidarity Day, is a time to re-affirm our Union’s commitment to solidarity with Aboriginal Peoples in the struggle to improve their social, economic and political conditions.  Together with our Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis members and their communities, the PSAC is committed to fighting poverty, discrimination, racism, and lack of access to housing, child care, health care, and so many other struggles. 

At the same time, we honour and celebrate the achievements of the many Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis Brothers and Sisters in our Union, and their contributions to making our Union stronger and more inclusive. The establishment of the PSAC’s National Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis Network is an important step forward in enabling our members to advance their issues within our Union and beyond.

Here are other highlights of the actions and victories that PSAC has undertaken together with our Aboriginal Brothers and Sisters:

• A historic agreement between the PSAC and the Dene Nation to jointly explore work-related and labour-relations issues facing Dene workers.
• Union organizing in Aboriginal communities, including the recent certification of the BHP Billiton Diamond Mine in the North.  Currently, one in three workers in the Northern territories is a member of PSAC.
• Gains through collective bargaining that recognizes the rights and traditions of Aboriginal workers.
• Fighting for Aboriginal rights in the courts, including cases of racial discrimination against Aboriginal workers.
• Support for campaigns, such as the campaign to free Leonard Pelletier, a Native American unjustly being held in a U.S. jail.

There is still much that needs to be done to advance the rights of our Aboriginal Brothers and Sisters, but together with our Aboriginal members, our Union will continue to be part of the struggle to improve the conditions and lives of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.