National Aboriginal Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

National Aboriginal Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "National Aboriginal Day is a Canadian day of recognition of the diverse cultures and outstanding contributions to Canada of the First Nations, Inuit and M�tis, who are collectively known as Aboriginal peoples in Canada. It was proclaimed in 1996 by then Governor General of Canada Rom�o LeBlanc to be celebrated on June 21 of every year.

The day of June 21 was selected for several reasons. In 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day to be celebrated on June 21. Slightly more than a decade later in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended that a National First Peoples Day be designated. Also in that same year a national conference of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people chaired by Elijah Harper titled The Sacred Assembly called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canada. Lastly, June 21 coincides with the summer solstice."