Press Release / Dave Courchene, President / Manitoba Indian Brotherhood / Winnipeg, Manitoba. - 26 June 1969.

This press release expresses the Manitoba Aboriginal organization's "bitterness, frustration and anger" with the Federal Government's "White Paper." Courchene calls for meetings with Aboriginal leaders in Manitoba to present alternatives from the "cultural genocide" he believes will occur if the "White Paper" becomes law.

Historical note:

The Federal Government's "White Paper," "Statement of Government of Canada on Indian Policy, 1969," fanned the flames of the Aboriginal land claims movement in British Columbia. The White Paper rejected the concept of special status for native people within Confederation - they should have the same rights and responsibilities as other Canadians. The government argued that Aboriginal and treaty rights were irrelevant in today's society; the important issues demanding attention included economic, educational, and social problems.