In response to the OP:

Even if what Harper said were true, it would have come across as tactless and arrogant. Now as for the indigenous people's being invisible, tell me about it. I've read a few books discussing French and English Canadians ad nauseum with not a mention of the First Nations. Two examples that come to mind are Lament for a Notion by Scott Reid MP and Sorry I don't Speak French by Graham Fraser, now the Commissioner of Official Languages. In neither case do the First Nations even exist. I remember e-mailing the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO)awhile back asking about its opinion of the First Nations in Ontario, and the response was that that assosiation's mandate is to defend the French language in Ontario but had nothing against other language communities defending their rights. Well, if we think about it, it's clear that millions of French Canadians are far more capable of defending their rights than a few thousand First Nations. Granted, this applies even more so to the English-speaking Community. Canadians for Language Fairness is so focussed on French and English that First Nations don't even cross their minds and even react to them as a pseky nuisance. So yes, teh First Nations are invisible to many across Canada.