Downie Indigenous Partnership

Gord Downie has formed a partnership with a prominent aboriginal leader to encourage corporate Canada to do more to promote dialogue and reconciliation with aboriginal people. 

The Legacy Room initiative, announced today in Halifax, is the brainchild of Assembly of First Nations regional Chief Morley Googoo, who represents Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Googoo says the plan is to encourage companies, particularly those in the hospitality sector, to designate special rooms where aboriginal issues can be discussed and reconciliation can become a reality. 

Downie, frontman for the Tragically Hip, is scheduled to perform in Halifax tonight as part of his ``Secret Path'' solo project. 

The tour honours 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died in 1966 after running away from a residential school near Kenora, Ont. 

Proceeds from the ``Secret Path'' album and graphic novel will be donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. 

(The Canadian Press)