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March 31st, 2016

NDP STATEMENT ON THE TRAGEDY IN PIKANGIKUM

NDP critic for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Charlie Angus made the following statement:

“On behalf of my colleagues in the New Democratic Party I offer my deepest sympathies for the community of Pikangikum that suffered a tragic house fire killing three children and six adults. This nightmare is one more of a long list of needless tragedies that should serve as a wake-up call for change.

But, so far change has been too slow in coming. And so this terrible fire moves beyond tragedy to national scandal. How is it possible in a country as rich as Canada to leave communities such as Pikangikum in such dire circumstances that they have no running water, no fire hydrants and no fire station?

Too many Indigenous communities in the north lack the basic infrastructure to offer safety and security to families. This must change.

The days of shrugging off tragedies or tinkering with Band-Aid solutions must end. Sympathy and condolences must be wedded to a concrete commitment to establish proper fire services in every community in Canada. It must be tied to a commitment to end the fourth world living conditions that have limited the futures of so many Indigenous people in this great country called Canada.”

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