A wonderful occasion

"Historic day for the Mi’kmaq people ...what a wonderful way to take us into the New Year."

So writes Frank Russell in a letter to the Western Star today.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated in the Dec. 1 edition of The Western Star, for more than half a century the Mi’kmaq people of Newfoundland were among the ‘forgotten people’, that never stopped fighting for recognition, and now at least that title can be cast aside.

As most of the readers of the letters to The Western Star know, over the years I have written many, many letters on this very important issue.

I also knew, one day justice would prevail for the Mi’kmaq people.

It does my heart good to see the issue of recognition will soon be resolved. And, that the Mik’maq people of Newfoundland will soon have their rightful identity as status Mik’maq.

The long battle, the rebirth of the Mi’kmaq people have been a long and hard one and there are still a lot of other issues to be resolved.

I only hope, that we can learn to work together, put our differences aside, put our principles before our personalities and move forward as First Nations people with care and respect for each other.

As full status Mi’kmaq, new revenue will be coming into this province.

Both native and non-native people will prosper.

We all have to think about our children and try and better their tomorrow, leave some kind of a legacy behind that they are Mi’kmaq, not the ‘forgotten people’.

After all we are all God’s children, who deserve nothing less.

God bless.

The Mi’kmaq agreement, the provincial Aboriginal affairs minister says, "is a welcome milestone", "a historic day", "acknowledgement from the Government of Canada", "a positive step forward".

And the agreement, Mr. Russell states, means that "new revenue will be coming into this province."

Given the province's heartfelt support for the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland, and given that the entire premise of Williams Government, its entire reason for existence, seems to be to to achive "self-respect", even "autonomy", one federal grant, one federal job, one federal transfer payment at a time, why doesn't Danny Williams believe that the Labrador Metis Nation's members are at least as Aboriginal, at least as worthy of their own milestones, historic days, acknowledgements, and positive steps, as the Mi’kmaq people?

If he won't do it for the principle of the matter, why wouldn't he do it, as seems to be the case with the Mi’kmaq, for the revenue?

After all, "principle converts to cash for the bottom line for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador."

The Word of Our Dan. It is written.