On Monday April 18th, Indigenous families and allies occupied the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) office in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. They demanded immediate actions to address the crises of suicide and poverty in Attawapiskat and issued this statement. The occupation ended on April 23rd, after the ministers of INAC and Canadian Heritage agreed to meet with the group in May.
In the spirit of Chief Dan George, love, peace and resistance, we stand in solidarity with all Indigenous children across Turtle Island who suffer with the effects of genocide.
The children are crying, the children are dying, and colonialism is to blame; but as parents we must be accountable to those young ones around us. Occupy INAC Vancouver has heard the cries from the children of Attawapiskat and parents with their children have come together in solidarity to denounce the unacceptable treatment of Indigenous children and youth across this country.
The children of Attawapiskat amplified the cries of all Indigenous children across Canada and Occupy INAC-Vancouver stands in solidarity with them. Keep resisting, keep loving, and keep speaking your absolute truth because you are being heard.
All My Relations, Occupy INAC Vancouver