National aboriginal group seeks federal response to nutrition experiments on children

Angry leaders from the Assembly of First Nations want a federal response to research that says nutritional experiments were conducted on unwitting, hungry aboriginal children in the 1940s.

Grand Chief Shawn Atleo (AT’-lee-oh) says the revelations in a Canadian Press story are dominating conversations at an assembly meeting in Whitehorse.

He says the assembly is drafting an emergency resolution demanding that Ottawa acknowledge that aboriginal children are still hungry.

The AFN leaders say the Harper government should stop fighting the assembly’s attempts to eliminate food security for aboriginal people.

The chiefs say the prime minister should put the words of his historic 2008 apology to aboriginal people in action.

A spokeswoman for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt has said the current federal government was shocked by the findings.