By Jonathan Spicer
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada cares less and less about the"third-world" living conditions faced by many of its nativepeoples, protesters said on Thursday in the second annualaboriginal National Day of Action.
"The Canadian government turns around and tells foreignersthat are coming to this country that native people in Canadaare very well taken care of -- that they have money, that theyhave houses, that that have jobs," said Gary Wassaykeesic fromthe Mishkeegogamang Indian reserve in northwestern Ontario.
"But in all reality, when you go into your own backyard,you're going to find third-world conditions."
Natives' frustrations have grown in recent years over theissues of poverty, health care and living conditions on many ofthe country's reserves. Increasingly, there have been roadblockades and standoffs between native protesters and police,and sometimes violence.
But Thursday's National Day of Action was peaceful, policesaid, unlike 2007, when protesters east of Toronto shut downCanada's busiest highway.
"There's no violence. We're trying to get our messageacross without breaking windows or smashing cars," Wassaykeesictold Reuters on the sidelines of the march through Toronto,where obvious signs of support from onlookers were scarce.
More than any other group in Canada by far, aboriginalsface poverty, crime, and poor health and housing. Unemploymentand suicide levels are also highest among natives, especiallyon the remote reserves that dot the country's north.
Asked why conditions are still so bad for aboriginals,federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl told reporters inOttawa: "There's lots to do, I admit that, and I don't claimthat it's all done."
He added: "All these things are expensive, they've got tobe done, and we're working through a list of priorities."
A theme at this year's protest was the effect that miningand forestry have had on native land, with damage from theextraction of resources leading to clashes between business,government and aboriginal communities.
"A lot of non-native people don't understand our issues.They think we're just a bunch of radicals or terrorists," saidMaria Swain, who is from Ontario's Grassy Narrows reserve,about 200 km (120 miles) east of Winnipeg.
"They don't understand our spirituality and our connectionwith the earth."
In Ottawa, a crowd of around 1,000 people, led by drummersand dancers in traditional colored dress, held a protestoutside the main Parliament buildings to air their grievances.
Phil Fontaine, head of the Association of First Nations,complained that while Ottawa was going to spend billions ofdollars on new tanks, planes and ships for the armed forcesover the next 20 years, it could not find the money to improveaboriginal schools.
"It's shameful, absolutely shameful," he said.
(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editingby Rob Wilson)
