Bannock lady challenges Gord Steeves, wife to help homeless
Aboriginal activists upset with Lorrie Steeves' 'drunken native guys' Facebook comments
Warning: Coarse language.
Winnipeg's Bannock Lady is issuing a challenge to mayoral candidate Gord Steeves and his wife Lorrie.
Althea Guiboche is inviting the couple to help her feed the homeless after Lorrie Steeves' Facebook post about "drunken native guys" surfaced Friday.
Lorrie Steeves apologized for her comments in a short email to media Friday.
Guiboche said Saturday Steeves' apology isn't good enough.
"Come and help me feed some of those people you called down," Guiboche said. "You know, I personally wouldn't want to go through what it takes to wind up on the street and keep surviving on the street."
Guiboche, who is known as the Bannock Lady because she regularly hands out food to Winnipeg's homeless, said she will be at the corner of Dufferin Avenue and Main Street Sunday at 3 p.m.
Guiboche said if the apology is sincere, Steeves should back it up with action.
"That's just completely abhorrent that somebody would post comments like this and then try to be professional after [by saying] 'Oh I'm sorry I said that.' No. No. It's too late for 'sorry.' You said it. It's out there."
Gord Steeves has been silent on his wife's comments since they surfaced Friday.
Aboriginal youth activist condemns remarks
Meanwhile, others in Manitoba's aboriginal community are weighing in on Lorrie Steeves' "drunken native guys" comments.
Michael Champagne is a Winnipeg activist who works with aboriginal youth.
He said there's no place for such remarks.
"I think it's unfortunate that a mayoral candidate's partner chose to use really, really disrespectful terminology to talk about the aboriginal community in this city," he said. "I think there are a lot of strengths that are present in the aboriginal community that aren't being acknowledged as often as they should be."
Champagne said the comments perpetuate an image of First Nations people that is out of date.
"I believe a lot of the negative stereotypes that are currently being perpetuated, especially from comments such as this, have no place in politics today and that's why young people like myself are getting involved," he said.
