At 12:30 noon Thursday February 22 Lawrence Gladue, President of Frontiers Foundation and Member of the Order of Canada was interviewed on CBC national TV about the homelessness crisis in Canada, which hurts aboriginal Canadians most of all. Mr. Gladue, a Cree Metis from northern Alberta and formerly a senior policy analyst for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) played a leading role in developing the Rural and Native Housing Program for twenty years until it was axed by the Mulroney government. Mr. Gladue, who lost his own mother and sister in a Metis shack fire in Faust, Alberta, pleaded for immediate federal government attention to the Third World conditions endured by first Canadians.

Meanwhile a crowd gathered in the cold at the structure enclosing the eternal peace flame, for a demonstration jointly organized by Frontiers Foundation / Operation Beaver and New Frontiers Aboriginal Residential Corporation / Project Amik. The demonstration featured ten symbolic doors labeled “Secretary of State”, “Indian Affairs”, “Hon. Joe Fontana”, “Privy Council”, “Human Resources and Social Development”, “Heritage Canada”, “Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI)”, “Urban Aboriginal Strategy”, “Revenue Canada”, “Prime Minister’s Office” i.e. all the doors Frontiers and Project Amik have knocked on mostly in vain for nearly forty years, while doing what Canada is supposed to be all about.

“Billy Buckpasser” and “Steven Stonewaller” represented with humorous but shocking accuracy the bureaucratic impenetrability endured by Frontiers for decades and NFARC for nearly four years.

New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton hosted the Demonstration and spoke powerfully about Canada’s homelessness and also commended Frontiers and New Frontiers for actually doing so much about it WITH SO LITTLE HELP FROM OTTAWA. Jack then introduced the demoskit cast: Lawrence Gladue Frontiers President, Shelley Charles NFARC President, Marco Guzman Frontiers Executive Director, Charles Catto Frontiers Founding Director and NFARC Sec-Treasurer, Rhonda Dickemous Frontiers VP, and Roland Niganobe Project Amik Superintendent – all playing themselves. Yuma Hester and Steve McPhail played Billy Buckpasser and Steve Stonewaller. Gladue and LaytonOne of the best lines was Marco’s response to the bureaucrats’ claim that Privy Council has no money. Shortly after our appeal to them they found ninety million “to study voluntarism”. “But none to DO ANY” replied Marco. With ninety million $$ Operation Beaver could have completed eighteen hundred R2000 homes like the model on display (built in Almonte, 40 Kms. NW from Ottawa). Following the demonstration, Hon. Maria Minna, MP for Beaches East York spoke to the group and assured everyone that MP Michael Ignatieff, Deputy Leader of the National Liberal Party, would soon personally visit Project Amik in East Toronto to discuss ways of assisting our cause.

Meanwhile Charles Catto and others urged everyone to contact their MPs, the PM and most of all Hon. Monte Solberg, MP and Minister of Human Resources and Social Development who holds the Housing and Homelessness file, appealing for priority attention and action on Canada’s #1 national social problem, generating help from Jim Flaherty’s huge surplus for Frontiers Foundation, Project Amik and similar groups.

David Hookimaw and his Ojibwa Cree Drum and Singers performed an Honour and Welcome song for the occasion and were presented with ceremonial tobacco by Marco Guzman.

Contact the Hon. Monte Solberg at Solberg.M@parl.gc.ca with copy to:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
at Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
and Hon. Jim Flaherty at
Flaherty.J@parl.gc.ca