Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples: Presentation by Co-Chairman Georges Erasmus

File contains a presentation by Commission Co-Chair Georges Erasmus during the first public meeting of said Commission. Erasmus spoke about how Chief Thunderchild viewed the need to hold on to Aboriginal land rights, and how this was still important in the nineteen-nineties. Erasmus also outlines how he views it as fitting that the Committee should convene in Winnipeg due to its historic legacy, and discusses the need for both an affirmation of Treaties and Self-Government, as well as the need for a new Nation to Nation relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the rest of Canada. Erasmus also Discusses the history of Aboriginal disenfranchisement in a variety of spheres with relation to Canada and the need to rectify such problems. States that as a starting point the general public must be educated as to the issues facing Aboriginal Canadians, and harmful stereotypes must be addressed. discusses demographics and the importance of Aboriginal youth taking part in the life of the country, rather than being alienated from it. The presentation ends with a discussion of the importance of looking to the future and creating hope, as opposed to excessively focusing on the past.