Indigenous Affairs offices closed due to protest over mental health service
A small group of protestors setting up camp outside the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) office in Regina were met with locked doors on Monday morning.
The camp-out is an extension of a protest on Friday to call attention to the suicide and mental health crisis on many reserves across Canada.
The office was also closed for the day on Friday. A note on the door both days gave no specific explanation, but apologized for the inconvenience and directed people to call a 1-800 number for assistance.
“It seems they think that we’re getting ready to storm their offices, but we’re actually not at all interested in being inside,” explained organizer, Robyn Pitawanakwat. “We want to bring attention to the issues and I think that we can do that best from out here.”