June 21, 2026
Today we mark National Indigenous Peoples Day. We honour First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We recognize workers, land defenders, knowledge keepers, and community leaders.
We name the truth. Colonization displaced nations from their lands. Residential schools and state violence caused lasting harm. Governments continue to act without consent. Many communities still live without safe drinking water. This is not history. This is now.
Indigenous workers and their families face barriers across Ontario in health care, education, housing, employment, and the justice system. These barriers reflect systemic racism and ongoing colonial policies.
The labour movement joins Indigenous peoples in the fight for justice. We support Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. We affirm the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and demand its full implementation into Ontario law. We join Indigenous land defenders. We support Indigenous activists who protect land, water, and future generations. We follow Indigenous leadership. We respect the right of Indigenous communities to make decisions about their lands and futures.
Ten years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, most Calls to Action remain unfulfilled. The Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls remain unmet. Delay is a political choice. The impact is real.
The Ontario Federation of Labour demands:
• Full implementation of all 94 Calls to Action
• Full implementation of all 231 Calls for Justice
• UNDRIP enacted into provincial law
• Clean drinking water in every Indigenous community
• Free, prior, and informed consent on all land and resource decisions
• An end to laws and policies that override Indigenous rights
We oppose laws and policies that place corporate interests above Indigenous rights. We reject resource extraction projects without consent.
Indigenous, Black, and Racialized communities face the highest impacts. Grassy Narrows continues to face water contamination. Northern communities face wildfires and displacement.
Environmental racism is real. Workers must respond. Workers and unions have a role.
You can build power in your workplace and union. You can influence bargaining, policy, and public action.
Ask yourself:
• Who benefits when Indigenous rights are ignored?
• Who carries the harm?
• What role do you play in change?
Here is what action looks like:
• Show up in solidarity with Indigenous-led struggles
• Support Indigenous campaigns and community calls
• Push your union to adopt equity and anti-racism plans
• Demand employers respect Indigenous rights and sovereignty
• Build relationships with local Indigenous communities
Indigenous rights are worker rights. Climate justice is worker justice. Racial justice is worker justice. These struggles are interconnected. We must organize, mobilize and join collective action to win change.
On June 21, we must do more than mark the day. We must act, build power, and move forward together with Indigenous peoples across Ontario. Nothing about Indigenous Peopleswithout Indigenous Peoples.
