Indigenous Day of Canada

Totem poles - a symbol of the culture of the indigenous lives of the province of British ColumbiaOn June 13, 1996, Governor-General Romo LeBlanc declared June 21 to be Indigenous Day. The Royal Proclamation stated that “...the indigenous people of Canada have been and are of value to Canadian society and should each year celebrate and celebrate the contributions they make and recognize the different cultures of the indigenous people of Canada.”

Together with national indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada has chosen June 21 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, because for generations indigenous people have celebrated their culture and heritage on this day, it is also the summer solstice – the longest day of the year.

Today, Canada is proud to recognize the unique achievements of indigenous people in areas such as agriculture, the environment, and the arts.

In 2003, in Regina, the capital of the Canadian prairie, a unique university was opened specifically for the indigenous people of the country - The First Nations University of Canada. It offers study programs on three campuses: Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. The prototype of FNUC was the Indian United College of Saskatchewan, which already existed since 1976 as part of the University of Regina.