My letter to Leona Aglukkaq

Dear Mrs. Aglukkaq,

My name is Damian Abrahams, I am from Haida Gwaii and am living in Edmonton. I am a First Nations father of a rambunctious three year old and am working on completing my Arts degree, convocation is next May. I will be the second member of my family to graduate with a university degree, the first being my naani (grandmother) who has her Master's in Education.

I am writing, pleading with, you to re-examine your role in the future of your people, and all your relations across Canada. First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people are in the cross hairs of Harper and his madness. He is aiming to take us out at the knees. He's already begun by chopping critical funding to grassroots organizations such as the National Aboriginal Health Organization, Stolen Sister's Awareness, the AFN, and many other that ensure that our people move forward, that we move away from mere survival and into living and even thriving.

I am afraid. I am afraid that Harper will break a promise made to our people many many years ago, long before you or I were even thought of. You see, Canada thrives because of that promise. Canada thrives at the expense of our suffering through, well, you know our history. I am afraid that through his actions, Harper will succeed where his predecessors have failed, to fully acculturate my people into the mainstream. In the words of the $10 man, John A. Macdonald, he will remove the indian problem. As much as I would like for my people to not rely on the Indian Act or the treaties, we are too far entrenched in them for us not to.

I feel betrayed. Betrayed that the Harper government would even consider cutting funding to grassroots organizations, let alone actually doing it. We are not weeds. Does he not know how far those organizations go to help our people? Or does he? I fear the latter the most. The National Aboriginal Health Organization for example housed the Lead Your Way! National Aboriginal Role Model Program. Every year NAHO sent out Aboriginal youth, the role models, to varying communities who needed a boost in confidence. I was one of those role models. Every community I visited, 16 in all, I saw children who wanted to be doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, computer software geniuses. They truly believed they could reach those heights. As the years went by those dreams were extinguished by, well, life. The Role Models came and rekindled those dreams. But Harper thought that was a bad idea I guess.

As I stated, I am writing to encourage you to re-evaluate your role in all of this. Please, for your people, for mine; for your children, and mine; for your grandchildren, and mine, make the right choice and choose not to take part in the Harper agenda.