Protesters assemble for Harper visit (6 photos)

About 50 protesters have gathered outside Algoma's Water Tower Inn ahead of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's scheduled speech there tonight in support of Conservative incumbent Bryan Hayes.

A variety of election issues were represented at the rally, including the environment, education costs, citizen privacy, and First Nations treaty rights.

"We want to send Stephen Harper a message that a lot of Canadians are upset with him and we would like to see him go away. Why does he think it’s OK to oppress First Nations People?" said Tyrone Souliere, one of the protest's organizers.

"Why does he think it’s OK that the majority of Canadians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, but First Nations people fall to the bottom in terms of health care, education, employment, etcetera? We would like to know why he’s not doing something about that."

Souliere, who also heads the organization Rally the First Nations Vote which is encouraging First Nations people to register to vote in the October 19 federal election, said the federal government could address poverty on reserves by not blocking the flow of resource revenue to First Nations.

SooToday journalists are on hand for Harper's remarks and will have more on the Prime Minister's visit.

(PHOTOS: Protesters gather outside in preparation for Stephen Harper's visit. Donna Hopper/SooToday)