Harper government uses rhetoric to ‘alarm the public’ against Indigenous rights, Bellegarde tells UN – APTN
April 27, 2015
OTTAWA–The Harper government uses inflammatory rhetoric to “alarm the public” against Indigenous rights, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde said during a speech Monday at the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City.
Bellegarde’s speech focused on how nation states, including Canada, continue to try and dilute the impact of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Domestically, Bellegarde said the Harper government is using misleading rhetoric against a private member’s bill, C-641, introduced by Cree NDP MP Romeo Saganash to ensure federal laws comply with the declaration.
“Government statements of C-641 follow a pattern when spokespersons are addressing the rights of Indigenous peoples. While claiming to support Aboriginal rights, the rhetoric is designed to alarm the public. Little regards is accorded to accuracy or justice,” said Bellegarde.
