Manitoba aboriginal leader Raymond Robinson has called off a complete hunger strike after five days without food or water.
Robinson, a Grand Elder from Cross Lake, made the announcement on his personal Facebook page Tuesday morning and addressed the media from the steps of Parliament Hill in the afternoon.
A supporter live-tweeted Robinson’s announcement, in which he said he wanted to “walk to the sunset and have a quiet life.”
Click through the gallery below to read statements from Robinson’s press conference.
Later in the day, a photo was shared on Twitter of Robinson enjoying his first meal in nearly a week.
Robinson said last week the hunger strike was an attempt to stop changes to federal funding for First Nations people. He vowed not to eat or drink until Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed to a meaningful meeting with aboriginal leaders.
“I’m going all out this time,” he said.
Robinson lost 45 pounds last year after he joined Chief Theresa Spence in a liquid-only diet to promote aboriginal demands.
Though Robinson did not meet with Harper this time, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt spoke with him on Friday.
In a statement, Valcourt described the meeting as “frank but positive and focused on the need to work together to make progress on the treaty relationship and living conditions on reserve, particularly in the areas of education, housing and economic development.”
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