A simple, meaningful act for First Nations children on Valentine's Day

I got this from Amnesty International:

http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1770&ea.campaign.id=25009&ea.url.id=200752&ea.campaigner.email=4PH318B4QP8bTUURO9nMPBFFMe9grgD0&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

This year on Valentine's Day, Have a Heart for Indigenous Children in CanadaLet's help put Indigenous children on equal footing 

	Send a polite message urging Canada to close the gap in funding and services for First Nations children

Dear Tracy,

Every child has the right to grow up safely at home, to get a good education, be healthy, and be proud of who they are.

It’s hard to imagine anyone disagreeing.

Yet year after year, First Nations children in Canada live without these basic rights.

For most children in Canada, health care, education and family services are funded through the provincial or territorial governments. But for First Nations children on reserves, these same services are funded by the federal government.

Numerous studies - including reports by the Auditor General - confirm the Federal government provides less funding per child for services First Nations children on reserves than the provinces provide for children in their jurisdictions.

This is despite often higher costs of delivering such services in small and remote communities, and the greater need experienced by many First Nations communities.



This is why Amnesty International supports the annual February 14th Have a Heart Day campaign – a call out for ordinary people across Canada to demand an end to this fundamentally unjust situation. 

<< Please click here to send a polite message to Prime Minister Stephan Harper, urging the federal government to work with First Nations to ensure a Canada-wide solution that finally closes the gaps in funding and services for First Nations children. >>

Tracy, as one of our valued online activists, I hope you will join this Valentines action for the rights of First Nations children in Canada, and give your support to the "Have a Heart Day" campaign.

The "Have a Heart Day" campaign is led by the First Nations Child and Family Caring, a non-profit organization led by Dr. Cindy Blackstock that advocates for the rights of First Nations children. 

You can also visit Amnesty's website to listen to a 5 minute video to learn more about this important human rights issue in Canada, or visit the Have a Heart Day website for more information and to send an e-Valentine to the government.

Thank you for helping ensure that every child has the right to a safe and healthy home.

Sincerely,



Alex Neve
Secretary General
Amnesty International Canada

P.S. This year, the National Film Board will mark Have a Heart Day by streaming the extraordinary new documentary about First Nations youth activism called Hi-Ho! Mistahey. The documentary has been made available for us by the NFB in its entirety for the next few days. Click here to view.