Private donations About us Useful Links Membership Annual Conference 2000 Jason Knockwood Jason Knockwood thanked the assembly. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples is an advocacy organization formed to protect the interests of the 800,000 Indian people who live off reserve. He advised that this is a growing number. He said that he is Micmac but that all people are included in the Congress. He spoke about giving the younger generation something to be proud about.
Aboriginal people experience discrimination, personal barriers and a lack of social services.
The Congress has told the government that issues affecting Aboriginals with disabilities must be part of the national agenda. He said Aboriginal people have to deal with governments other than their own, and for that reason Aboriginal people are organized and the Canadian government should realize this. With support from the national organizations, it is a fight worth fighting. He advised that the National Secretariat on Aboriginal Disabilities has only one employee and he felt that this was not sufficient.