Longhouse not a protest of Canada 150 but celebration of time immemorial: elder
FREDERICTON — A traditional longhouse has been erected near the New Brunswick legislature, with a First Nations elder saying it’s not to protest Canada 150 but to educate that indigenous people were present long before Confederation.
Alma Brooks of the Wolastoq Grand Council says the temporary structure on the Fredericton riverfront is a place of teaching and “a chance to celebrate time immemorial.”
“It’s not a protest. Hopefully it will be a way of opening the door a crack for discussions around many long term issues that have been ignored,” she said Friday.
She said she was pleased that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that protesters who erected a teepee in Ottawa ahead of Canada 150 celebrations on Saturday had a right to be there.