Media Advisory - Assembly of First Nations to Convene Special Chiefs Assembly - December 5-7 in Ottawa, ON - "Our Languages, Our Land, Our Future"

OTTAWA, Dec. 4, 2017 /CNW/ - First Nation leaders, Elders, Women, youth and citizens from across the country are set to gather next week for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA), to be held at the Westin Ottawa from December 5-7. Chiefs and delegates will gather under the theme "Our Languages, Our Land, Our Future" to discuss key priorities and set strategies for the coming year.

The SCA Grand Entry will take place Tuesday, December 5 at 8:30 a.m. AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde will deliver his opening address at approximately 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 5.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett and Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould will speak on Tuesday following the National Chief's remarks.

National Chief Bellegarde will have media availability at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 5. 

On Wednesday, December 6, Minister of Indigenous Services Jane Philpott will speak to delegates.

On Thursday, December 7, the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will be discussed and Chief Commissioner Marion Buller of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will address the Assembly.

First Nations delegates will address a number of priorities including First Nations education, child welfare, health, the environment, housing and infrastructure, community safety and policing, languages and the proposed Indigenous Languages Act,  and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A provisional agenda is available on the AFN website at:
http://www.afn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17-11-20-2017-SCA-Agenda_eng.pdf

The main plenary of the SCA will be webcast on the AFN website at www.afn.ca 

There is no cost to accredited media to attend and media can register onsite but are encouraged to register in advance through the AFN Communications contacts on this advisory.

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nation citizens in Canada.  Follow the #AFNSCA on Twitter @AFN_Updates.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations

Jamie Monastyrski, Press Secretary - National Chief's Office, 343-540-6179 (cell), [email protected]; Alain Garon, Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-292-0857 (Cell), [email protected]; Michael Hutchinson, Communications Officer, 613-299-6330 (cell), [email protected]