Prime Minister Stephen Harper should clarify a motion that recognizes the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada to ensure it does not trample upon the status of Canada's First Nations, an aboriginal leader said Monday.

Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told CBC News the AFN is concerned about the motion expected to be voted upon by MPs on Monday night.

Phil Fontaine said on Monday he would like to see the motion amended to clarify what it means for the First Nations.
(CBC)

The motion was proposed last week by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to thwart a motion by the Bloc Québécois on the same issue but which lacked a reference to Canada.

"It is our hope that when parliamentarians rise to speak to this issue that they will state very clearly that they recognize the unique status and unique rights of First Peoples and that this motion in no way is designed to diminish those rights," he said.

"Any action that elevates the status of one segment of Canadian society over another is completely wrong. There is a real appreciation in Canada that we don't do nation building in this way."

Fontaine said the Aboriginal Peoples have rights enshrined in the Constitution and the AFN would like the motion to be withdrawn and amended so that it clarifies its impact on First Nations and their constitutional rights.

He said the AFN is concerned that the motion reinforces the outdated notion that Canada is made up of two founding peoples, with two official languages, that was promoted by the Meech Lake Accord, an attempt by the federal government to bring Quebec into the Constitution. The accord died in 1990 when the Newfoundland and Manitoba legislatures refused to pass it.

Fontaine said he recognizes that the Québécois have their own distinct culture and language in Canada, but that position should not supersede the culture and languages of First Nations, which are also nations within a united Canada.

"What is unfortunate about this motion is the omission of any reference of first peoples. We should not be seen as peoples of a lesser status than others in Canada, including the Québécois," he said.

The motion has the support of the Conservatives, most Liberal MPs, the New Democrats and the Bloc.

With files from the Canadian Press