AIAI CALLING ONTARIO GOVERNMENT TO STOP PROPOSED CUTS TO ONTARIO WORKS
For Immediate Release:
June 12, 2012
London, ON –The Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI) urges the Ontario government to stop the proposed cuts to the Ontario Works program.
Despite their election pledge of eliminating poverty, the provincial government is proposing drastic cuts to one of the most underprivileged segments of the population, comprised of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
Grand Chief Gordon Peters will be presenting to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs today at 3:30PM. “It is a disgrace that I have to make a presentation on why the proposed cuts to Ontario Works should not proceed. Since the Harris cuts of 22%, our Peoples are already disadvantaged and this Bill proposes to save a few dollars by taking it from the poorest of the poor.”
Support from all parties in Ontario is being sought for anyone who believes in the principles of equity and reconciliation. The AIAI has requested a meeting with NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath to discuss her parties’ position on the Bill.
While Member Nations of the AIAI have collected data that will demonstrate the immediate financial impacts on their communities, the larger issue of long-term damage is hard to fathom. Deputy Grand Chief Denise Stonefish states, “We know the hardest hit of the proposed changes in our communities will be children and we simply cannot express the lasting consequences that will be initiated with the continuation of the proposed cuts.”
While the AIAI can appreciate the need for cost savings, it simply cannot be done on the backs of the underprivileged. A meaningful dialogue is required with First Nations and the Ontario Government to set a course that will create opportunities for a better quality of life.
The AIAI is mandated as a political territorial organization to defend and enhance the Indigenous and Treaty rights of its eight member First Nations. Visit them online at www.aiai.on.ca , https://twitter.com/#!/aiai_comms , www.facebook.com/aiai.pto , www.youtube.com/user/AIAIAdmin .
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For more information, please contact: John Jones, Communications Coordinator - AIAI at 519-434-2761 or jjones@aiai.on.ca .
