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"Since Confederation in 1867, First Nations have been subject to repeated attempts by the Government of Canada to forcibly assimilate us and erase our identities," the Assembly of First Nations says in a statement explaining why it has called for a " National Day of Action " on Friday.

"Still, we survive today as distinct peoples."

"[However,] it is time for action," the statement adds.

AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine is calling for a National Day of Action on Friday and wants Canadians at large to join aboriginals in Ottawa for a peaceful walk to raise awareness of native poverty.

But debate rages among the many factions of Canada's aboriginal population about whether this is strong enough action.

Hardlines such as Ontario Mohawk Shawn Brant have threatened to cripple the Canadian National Railway main line between Toronto and Montreal as well as Highway 401.

Two months ago, roughly 100 reserve residents parked a school bus on the same line to protest against the presence of a gravel quarry on what they claim is Mohawk land.

The blockade was dismantled only when CN obtained an injunction. Mr. Brant faces several charges and a CN lawsuit in connection with that disruption.

"The next time we come out, it's going to be harder, it's going to be longer and it's going to have an impact on this economy that Canada can't imagine at this point," Mr. Brand said earlier this week. "We have had enough."

Earlier, a Manitoba band threatened to blockade a critical transportation link to highlight its claims. The Harper government settled that dispute by giving the band some additional land.

Mr. Fontaine has issued clear warnings to more militant aboriginal protesters.

He says anyone who breaks the law in protesting against native poverty should expect to run afoul of police. But he also urged police not to clamp down on those protesting peacefully as part of the long-scheduled day of action.

"Freedom of expression and freedom of association are constitutional rights, and people have a right to demonstrate, to protest," Mr. Fontaine said. "And if they so wish to engage in civil disobedience, they can, as long as they're prepared to accept the consequences."

So what's the argument in favour of the National Day of Action? What does the AFN hope to achieve?

We are pleased that National Chief Fontaine was online earlier today to address those issues and to answer questions from the readers of globeandmail.com.

Your questions and Mr. Fontaine's answers appear at the bottom of this page.

Mr. Fontaine is Anishinabe from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba.

From the beginning as a First Nations Youth activist with the Canadian Indian Youth Council, he has been an advocate for First Nations rights.

In 1973, Mr. Fontaine was elected Chief of his community for two consecutive terms. Upon completion of his mandate as Chief of Sagkeeng, Mr. Fontaine and his family moved to the Yukon territory where he served as the Regional Director General with the federal government.

In 1980, Mr. Fontaine returned to Manitoba to complete his degree in political science at the University of Manitoba. Upon his graduation, he worked for the Southeast Resource Development Council as a Special Advisor to the Tribal Council, which was followed by his election to the position of Manitoba's Vice Chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

While Chief of Sagkeeng, his belief in the autonomy and treaty rights of First Nations resulted in the establishment of Canada's first locally controlled education system, Child & Family Services, and the first on-reserve Alcohol Treatment Centre.

In 1991, Mr. Fontaine was elected Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and served for three consecutive terms. Working together with Manitoba's First Nations communities, Mr. Fontaine was instrumental in the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord.

In 1997, he was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Following his first term as National Chief, Mr. Fontaine was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission. In May 2003, Mr. Fontaine resigned from his appointment with the ICC in order to run for the national chief's position again. In July 2003, he was re-elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Royal Military College in 1999 and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brock University in 2004. He was made a Member of the Order of Manitoba in 2004.

Mr. Fontaine is closely connected to his culture and traditions and is fluent in the Ojibwe language. He is also the proud father of two children and a Mishoom to five grandchildren.

Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.

Please also be advised that we will not be publishing comments on this Q&A in the interests of furthering a thoughtful discussion of this controversial issue. If you wish to make a comment on the AFN "National Day of Action," please click on the "Related Articles" in the left-hand column of this page.

Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Welcome, National Chief Fontaine, and thanks for joining us today to take questions from the readers of globeandmail.com on the AFN's "National Day of Action" tomorrow.

There has been a fair bit of controversy over this plan — with threats of blockades in spite of your plea for peaceful actions only — and countercalls for police action to prevent such disruptions.

Let's start by asking you to outline what the AFN's purpose is in calling for the National Day of Action and what you hope to achieve from it.

AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine: The June 29th National Day of Action is about education and awareness.

First Nations people in Canada are faced with a crisis situation. Approximately 100 First Nations communities operate under boil-water advisories. The Auditor General described the First Nations housing conditions as a national crisis. There are 27,000 First Nations children in state care. We face some of the highest suicide rates in the world -- with some children young as eight years old taking their own lives.

The situation is completely unacceptable.

This is taking place right here in Canada — a country that is one of the richest in the world.

We want Canadians to know the facts.

First Nations have a plan to address these issues. It is a plan that was approved by the former Prime Minister [Paul Martin], all premiers and territorial leaders in November 2005 in Kelowna, B.C.

We invite all Canadians to join us in urging the government to take action now and to work with First Nations to fix the poverty that too many of our communities live in.

You can fill out a postcard to Prime Minister Harper. Or sign the online petition at www.afn.ca

Or you can applaud companies like Canadian Pacific Rail — who plan to halt more than 300 freight trains across the country at 2 p.m. EDT tomorrow [June 29th] for one minute as a show of solidiarity.

The time for action is now.

John MacDougall, Iqualuit: The scrapping of the Kelowna Accord is every bit as much a violation of trust as the scrapping of the Atlantic Accord.

Why hasn't Chief Fontaine spoken out like [Newfoundland] Premier Danny Williams and called Harper's rejection of Kelowna for what it is — a betrayal of the people!

Phil Fontaine: Hello, John, and thanks for the question.

Tough talk with a consistent approach — negotiation over confrontation — produces results. People are listening.

I have been speaking out across Canada — both publicly and at the negotiating table &!51; about the crisis facing First Nations people and about how the agreement we negotiated with all Premiers, Territorial leaders, and the previous Prime Minister in Kelowna was an important step to addressing the crisis situation.

We respect the tenacity of Premier Williams and we see him as a strong ally in encouraging the Government of Canada — regardless of its political stripe — to live up to its commitments, including those made to First Nations people.

David Guy, Toronto: Mr. Fontaine, I understand your people are frustrated over the pace of land-claim settlements and that the government does have a huge backlog of such issues.

What do you consider a realistic way of dealing with this amount of claims? What's fair to current Canadian taxpayers and Canada's native people?

Thank you for your time.

Phil Fontaine: You are right that the backlog of land claims is unacceptable.

Our current estimate is more than 900 unresolved claims, representing a financial liability to Canada of between $2.6 billion to $6 billion.

Leaving these claims to languish is holding back First Nations in their efforts to build their economies, employment and achieve self-sufficiency.

You may be aware that on June 12 the Prime Minister and I announced we would embark on a new process to create a fair and independent approach to resolving First Nations claims.

Right now, the federal government acts as judge and jury in claims against itself. In future, we will have an independent tribunal staffed by judges. As well, there will be a fast-track process for smaller claims, which account for roughly half of the backlog. The new process will be supported by additional funds to support claims resolution.

Mediation and negotiation will be key features of the new process.

This process will be developed in partnership between First Nations and Canada. That's a good model for addressing many of our outstanding issues.

The creation of this independent body must take place with the input of First Nations people and we have committed to the Prime Minister that we will be at the table to help achieve the goal of having the tribunal up and running by early 2008.

Henri Chevillard, Winnipeg: We were never given an opportunity to say whether we wanted to be Canadian citizens or not. We were never given the opportunity to enjoy the riches of our lands. We were never given the opportunity to be free! We are still under the Indian Act, without even having a say on our own self-determination.

This is unjust! This is genocide! The systemic destruction of a culture!

Why should we be happy when our resources are being stolen to support a country that doesn't support us?

If we decided that we wanted all of our unceded territory — all of our territory where the treaties have been breached, all of our resources, our share of the revenue from the resources that were taken from our lands — and if we took back all of the above and formed our own country, then we would be thankful.

At present we cannot be thankful for the meagre crumbs we are getting from our lands. We cannot be thankful for the human rights abuses inflicted on us. We cannot be thankful for the destruction of our lands.

Sometimes, when people make comments saying we should be thankful for what Canada is giving us, they should think about what we have given Canada and what Canada has taken.

Phil Fontaine: Henri, your comments reflect the true frustration that I hear from our people almost every day as I travel this country.

We all feel this frustration and anger knowing that our ancestors had a very different vision of the Canada of today, knowing that our children deserve far better and most importantly knowing that our communities and our families are owed fairness and respect.

We are working to change this. This is what the National Day of Action is all about.

Paul Pedersen, Ottawa: Mr. Brant will sure make his point if he once again blockades the VIA Rail line and worse Highway 401, tying up not only commuters on their way to cottage country, but those willing to join in a march with other aboriginals on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Do you not agree that antagonising the public by such blockade tactics will be counter-productive when the aboriginal community needs all the public support it can get to resolve the issues?

Phil Fontaine: The Assembly of First Nations has called for a National Day of Action to be about education and peaceful demonstration. We believe in negotiation, not confrontation.

At the same time, I understand the frustration that exists among too many of our people.

Such isolated activities do not reflect the position of the Assembly of First Nations, or the many First Nations across the country that have organized peaceful and positive events that are inclusive of all Canadians.

The real story here is not about conflict. It is about the many events that are taking place across the country which, combined, make for one of the largest rallies ever held in Canada.

We have an unprecedented critical mass of support for justice and fairness for First Nations. We have already received pledges of participation from various organizations, corporations, unions, church groups, and ordinary Canadians.

Our people have a right to protest, as do all Canadians.

The Assembly of First Nations has never resorted to illegal activities, or anything beyond the rule of law, to advance the causes of FN people.

Of course, the best way to prevent problems of a disruptive nature is for First Nations and Canada to show that we are working together for a better future, and to give our people hope.

Since the National Day of Action was passed by resolution by the Chiefs in Assembly last December, the intent has always been to have a peaceful day of education and awareness in order to create a common rallying point for all Canadians to show their support and solidarity for First Nations people.

Robin Steel, M'Chigeeng: National Chief Fontaine, it is obvious that the current government has only one speaking line for First Nations issues: $10 billion. Unfortunately, most Canadians seem to have bought into that because it is a staggering amount of money.

Could you explain to us how much of that money really goes to communities?

Phil Fontaine: Boozhoo, Robin. Thanks for the question.

I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight. The reality is this number is not correct.

Minister Prentice himself admitted that only $5.2 billion actually goes to communities and other organizations.

This does not go solely to First Nations, but based on departmental numbers, we estimate that our communities receive about 82% of that funding. So, communities receive about $4.2 Billion in funding. They also get another $1.6 to $1.7 billion in services from Health Canada and other departments.

I want to make it clear that this money is for the basic government services, including housing, healthcare and education.

But that is not money that First Nations have control over.

And this is important, because the implication of throwing around these figures is that it is misspent or squandered somehow.

So, let me repeat that our communities control only about $4.2 billion and we have more than 763,000 citizens for whom we are responsible. Our Chiefs are managing for our people at a poverty level and these figures — which Indian Affairs can confirm — demonstrate that.

The more important fact to note is that while funding for these same services in the provinces and territories have increased at rates as high as 10 per cent, our funding has been capped at 2 per cent for the past 10 years. Yet our populations have been growing at a faster rate than any other segment of the Canadian population.

If you want to talk big numbers, the three levels of government in this country spend more than $500 billion on services for other Canadians.

J.T., Toronto: History is full of abuses of all sorts of people around the world. It is unfortunate, but we can't change the past, and blackmailing a new generation for the crimes of their forefathers is not a reasonable solution either.

The problem that currently exists in native communities I have seen (mostly on the West Coast) is that there is a culture within the communities that encourages people not to succeed, to the point that they are called apples and shunned when they try and change their lives. No amount of money or program spending will work if this culture persists.

Mr. Fontaine, I know your job is to try and convince the taxpayers to spend more on you and the groups you represent, but the answer isn't the transfer of even more money.

If you truly want break the cycle of poverty, the culture that promotes it needs to end, which will likely also mean the end to the reserve system, allowing individual ownership, and the pride that comes with it.

Phil Fontaine: Thanks for your question, JT.

You are correct in saying there is a "culture" that exists in our communities that encourages our people not to succeed.

That culture is the federal Indian Act which has imposed a culture of dependency on too many of our people.

For too long, we have been impacted by harmful government policies that we had no say in creating.

The Indian Act, combined with restrictive government policy, is the reason why First Nations are unable to reach a level of positive economic sustainability.

We are denied access to natural resources on our traditional lands. Our waters are polluted. Our houses are moldy. Access to quality health care is compromised. The list goes on.

We are a proud People. We want to work, to live in good homes, to drink fresh water, and to have our children grow up to be happy, healthy and educated.

Once we eliminate the poverty gap, First Nations will be able to reverse this terrible trend and contribute to Canada's economic growth.

Ross Smith, Toronto: Chief Fontaine, I truly admire your courage in speaking openly about your early experiences, and your commitment to open dialogue and a conciliatory approach in inter-governmental relations.

As a non-Aboriginal Canadian, I am outraged and appalled at the lack of meaningful action on improving the living conditions of this country's original inhabitants.

I will be standing in solidarity with you tomorrow, but I know that's not nearly enough.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this: Is there a role for activist non-Aboriginal Canadians in the movement for Aboriginal rights and justice? I get the feeling that First Nations and others are divided on whether we should be speaking out with them. Thanks.

Phil Fontaine: Thank you very much for your kind words of support for myself and First Nations peoples.

There is absolutely an important role for non-Aboriginal Canadians in our quest for justice and recognition of our rights.

In fact, this is what tomorrow's National Day of Action is about — reaching out to all people in Canada to stand up for a better life for First Nations peoples.

The many events taking place tomorrow across the country are inclusive of non-Aboriginal people, and the comments I hear from First Nations citizens and leaders all endorse the idea that this is a national issue.

This poverty crisis is everyone's issue. I said today at a press conference that the real story about the Day of Action is not division or disruption, but the tremendous show of support we are receiving from all Canadians. This gives me hope for a better future.

The government cannot ignore the will of the people that elected them. Let's channel our energy into action. When we stand together, we stand stronger.

I thank you for your commitment and please continue to encourage your friends and colleagues to stand with us tomorrow on June 29th.

A. Canuck: I say cut a deal — abolish the Indian and Northern Affairs Department and start paying your taxes like everyone else. Enough of the cake and eating it too.

Phil Fontaine: Thank you for the comment.

During our history, treaties were signed by First Nations people, whereby we agreed to share the riches of this land and recognize one another as peoples with the right to live our own lives.

More recently, we struck an agreement with all premiers, territorial leaders, the federal government and Aboriginal leaders in Kelowna that set out a 10-year plan for positive and progressive change.

All that is required is for the federal government to honour and implement these deals because, as I'm sure you'll agree, a deal is a deal, a promise is a promise.

Ultimately, we do want to see the disappearance of the Indian Act. This is one way First Nations can move towards taking control of their own lives, and creating their own opportunities.

The fact is, too many of our children go to bed hungry.

It is time take action to improve the lives of First Nations and all Canadians.

Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Thank you, National Chief Fontaine, for joining us today to take questions from the readers of globeandmail.com on the AFN's "National Day of Action."

In particular, we appreciate the fact that you stayed 90 minutes, instead of the hour originally planned to answer even more questions.

To our readers: We're sorry that even with the 30-minute extension we could not get to all of the several dozen questions submitted.