Wed 6 Aug 2008
OTTAWA
–Thirteen-year-old Shannen Koostachin has been nominated for the
International Children’s Peace Prize for her fight to get a
school built in her impoverished Cree community of Attawapiskat.
Earlier this spring, Koostachin gained national attention when she
challenged Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl over his refusal to
honour a federal commitment to build a school in Attawapiskat.
NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) says Koostachin has
inspired young people across Canada to fight the second-class treatment
of on reserve children.
Cindy Blackstock of the First Nation’s Child
and Family Caring Society nominated Koostachin for the award that is
overseen by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
“The Children’s
Peace Prize is given to children who have made a significant
contribution to advancing children’s rights,” said Angus. “The
government of Canada seems to have forgotten that the right to a proper
education is a fundamental human right. But Shannen isn’t content to be
treated as a second-class citizen. She has emerged as an inspiring
young leader who is waging a fight that has international
significance.”
Last month, Shannen and three other
Attawapiskat students put the government of Canada on notice that they
intend to challenge Canada at the upcoming review of Canada’s
obligations under the UN Rights of the Child Convention.
“Minister
Strahl told me he had other priorities than building a school. Maybe he
thinks we will just lose hope and give up,” said Koostachin “But I was
always taught by my parents to stand up and speak for what I believe
in. I told him the children won’t give up. We will keep moving forward,
walking proud in our moccasins until we are given justice.”
The
nomination package for Shannen Koostachin includes numerous supporting
letters from education associations, First Nation organizations and
individual teachers in both the separate and public boards of Ontario.
