FORIMMEDIATERELEASE

January10,2012

INVIATIONTOPRIMEMINISTERHARPERANDTHEGOVERNORGENERALSTILLSTANDS

OTTAWA,ON: TheAssemblyofManitobaChiefs(AMC),ManitobaKeewatinowiOkimakanak(MKO)andSouthern

Chiefs Organization (SCO) reconfirm theircommitment tomeetwithboth the PrimeMinisterand theGovernor

GeneralonJanuary11,2013attheDeltaOttawaCityCentreBallroom. Thisinvitationtomeetstillstandsfroman

earlierinvitationfromtheChiefsofAMC,MKO,SCOalongwithChiefsfromacrossCanada,andtheywillwaitforthe

arrivalofthePrimeMinisterandGovernorGeneraltobothattendthemeetingatthesametime.

TheFirstNationsleadershiphasmaintainedtheirpositionforthelastweekthatboththePrimeMinisterandthe

GovernorGeneralweretobe inthesameroomatthesametimetodiscusshowtoresettheFirstNation–Crown

relationship.

“FirstNationscontinuetoextendthisinvitationandweshallseewhetherornotthePrimeMinisterandtheGovernor

GeneralwishtobridgethatwidegulfthatexistsbetweentheHarpergovernment’sobjectivesandtheobjectivesof

FirstNationsleadershipacrossthiscountry.Iftheydonotshowup,wewilltaketothestreetswithourpeople,with

ourdrumsandoursongs.Thatiswherethepoweris”saidAMCGrandChiefDerekNepinak.

MKOGrandChiefDavidHarpersaid, “the30MKO FirstNationsofnorthernManitobahaveonce againcalledon

PrimeMinisterStephenHarperandGovernorGeneralDavidJohnstontourgentlymeetwithChiefTheresaSpence,

ElderRaymondRobinsonandElderJosephJeanSock.PrimeMinisterHarperandGovernorGeneralDavidJohnston

havetohearandrespondtothevoicesofthegrassrootsIndigenouspeopleinCanadawhicharesayingwithone

voice,‘enoughisenough’.”

SCO Grand ChiefMurray Clearsky stated: “To have both the PrimeMinister and GovernorGeneral attend our

requestedmeetingwillgiveapowerfulmessagetous,theirTreatypartnersthatthereis‘honourinthecrown’butto

refusewillsendthecountermessagetotheCanadianpublicthattheyhavenohonour,norrespectfortheruleoflaw

andinternationalagreements,andtheircorporateagendawhichgoesagainstthegreatergoodoftheirnation,their

citizensandtheenvironment.”

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Forfurtherinformationpleasecontact:

SheilaNorth-Wilson GeraldMcIvor BrennanManoakeesick

Assembly of ManitobaChiefs SouthernChiefsOrganization ManitobaKeewatinowiOkimakanak, Inc.

(204)805-1759 (204)391-6001 (204)795-0449

snorthwilson@manitobachiefs.com gerald.mcivor@scoinc.mb.ca brennanm@mkonorth.com