'It's still pretty rampant': National Indigenous chief discusses discrimination

The chief of a national organization dedicated to representing the issues of off-reserve, Mtisand non-status Indians is in the midst of a visit of Newfoundland's west coast, as part of a cross-Canada grassroots tour.

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Dwight Dorey,the head of the Indigenous Peoples' Assembly of Canada, formerly known as the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, said talkingwith the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band ties into his organization's objectives.

"Because basically they're a landless band, and it goes with a lot of the priorities of the organization in trying to help people better the lives of Indigenous people who reside away from reserves," Dorey told CBC Radio's The Corner Brook Morning Show.

Doreysaid Qalipu members are just some of the hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people who live off reserve, who he estimates make up 75 per cent of Canada'sIndigenous population of 1.4 million.

Discrimination 'still rampant'

Dorey chaired a public meeting in Corner Brook Thursday night to hear more of Qalipu members' experiences, challenges and concerns.

"There's quite a broad range. Here it's about, what are the benefits, what are the entitlements? People are interested in things like better health care, education opportunities.Hunting and fishing rights is a big question," he said.

Dorey has noticed a common thread through the grassroots meetings, no matter the location.

"The big issuethat keeps coming up,sadly, is discrimination. It's still pretty rampant," he said, adding theQalipu experienceof finally being recognized in 2011 by the federal government as a band,has been no exception.

"When you havepeople who have not grown up with their cultural identity, and have lost it, a lot of that is because of discrimination in the past."

However, Dorey applauded local efforts to reconnect with the past.

"We're finding people are taking pride in who they are, their heritage," he said.

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Doreyalso preached patience with the complicated, contentious and long-running evaluation of Qalipu memberships, in which thousands of applicants are still awaiting word of their status.

"It's probably something to be expected ina process like this," he said, adding that no applicant that meets all the qualifications should be denied.