All Things First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)
- Thread starter UberCree
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 22
- Points
- 430
I think I may have a bit of reading to do...
http://www.bloorstreet.com/200block/sindact.htm
Henderson's Annotated Indian Act
The Indian Act is the main piece of federal legislation governing Status Indians and the Reserve system in Canada.
Annotated with comments by legal scholar Henderson.
http://www.bloorstreet.com/200block/sindact.htm
Henderson's Annotated Indian Act
The Indian Act is the main piece of federal legislation governing Status Indians and the Reserve system in Canada.
Annotated with comments by legal scholar Henderson.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
On a related issue, our govt has just requested 30 patrols from NorForce (northern surveillance units) to help keep alcohol out of aboriginal communities, to make sure kids go to school and to stop child abuse. An interesting use of the military...
- Reaction score
- 7,229
- Points
- 1,360
Yrys said:
Not to mention things like The First Nations Reporting Guide (FNRG) National Template (en francais ici).
Also, when you consider the Indian Act (DOJ version here), take a look at the bottom of the page for all the regulations governing all sorts of things, like Indian Act elections, Band Council Procedures, and estates, to name just a few.
- Reaction score
- 7,229
- Points
- 1,360
Don't know about "blockades" in Quebec, but it doesn't look like protests there will be zero, either....
http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2072
The First Nations of Quebec Will Take Part in the "National Day of Action"
Posted 2007/6/28 11:34:02
QUEBEC, June 28 - Contrary to the information broadcasted yesterday on RDI and on CBC's Website, the Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador wish to specify that they will participate fully in the "National Day of Action" on June 29th. As stated in the June 21st Press Release, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) wish to remind the population that it supports wholeheartedly this day which is intended to raise public awareness in Quebec and across Canada, on the key issues which the First Nations are confronted with.
The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is the regional organization representing the Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.
For further information: Alain Garon, Communication and Information Officer, AFNQL, (418) 842-5020, Cell.: (418) 956-5720
http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2072
The First Nations of Quebec Will Take Part in the "National Day of Action"
Posted 2007/6/28 11:34:02
QUEBEC, June 28 - Contrary to the information broadcasted yesterday on RDI and on CBC's Website, the Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador wish to specify that they will participate fully in the "National Day of Action" on June 29th. As stated in the June 21st Press Release, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) wish to remind the population that it supports wholeheartedly this day which is intended to raise public awareness in Quebec and across Canada, on the key issues which the First Nations are confronted with.
The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador is the regional organization representing the Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.
For further information: Alain Garon, Communication and Information Officer, AFNQL, (418) 842-5020, Cell.: (418) 956-5720
midget-boyd91
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 230
Benny said:
And it has had an interesting kick back already: I have heard within the last day or two that an aborigine tribe may/is boycotting travellers from climbing Uluru.
We need a government with the spine of a pre-political-Trudeau or a Preston Manning, or ... to strongly correct an uncompleted aspect of the Enlightenment:
Indians are Human Beings and Canadian Citizens
Jim Prentice made a tiny step in that direction that human rights and modern Canadian divorce rights would also apply to Indians.
But we need the full-court-press on this: no more barbarian privileges, no more crappy but free housing, no more free but stinky water, no more discount liquor, no more monopoly on gambling, smuggling, etc.
Phil Fontaine will certainly cry "Genocide" on a proposal of "Indians are People", but 50 years from now, Indians will celebrate a National Holiday "The Day We Became Human Beings"
Canada is seething with opportunity, particularly if you can pass the first couple of hurdles on the Affirmative-Action principle, but the notion that you can get free- heart-transplant, insulin, Viagra, hi-def-wide-screen, 3000 sq-ft ranch-style, annual Jamaican Cruise, ... from a traditional economic activity of seal hunting ... Well No! Seal-hunting might have fed the kids in 1600, but if you want a rum-cocktail in Bermuda, then learn how to read, multiply, and use a computer just like the rest of us. Otherwise, get used to a spot in the zoo beside the Polar Bears.
Indians are Human Beings and Canadian Citizens
Jim Prentice made a tiny step in that direction that human rights and modern Canadian divorce rights would also apply to Indians.
But we need the full-court-press on this: no more barbarian privileges, no more crappy but free housing, no more free but stinky water, no more discount liquor, no more monopoly on gambling, smuggling, etc.
Phil Fontaine will certainly cry "Genocide" on a proposal of "Indians are People", but 50 years from now, Indians will celebrate a National Holiday "The Day We Became Human Beings"
Canada is seething with opportunity, particularly if you can pass the first couple of hurdles on the Affirmative-Action principle, but the notion that you can get free- heart-transplant, insulin, Viagra, hi-def-wide-screen, 3000 sq-ft ranch-style, annual Jamaican Cruise, ... from a traditional economic activity of seal hunting ... Well No! Seal-hunting might have fed the kids in 1600, but if you want a rum-cocktail in Bermuda, then learn how to read, multiply, and use a computer just like the rest of us. Otherwise, get used to a spot in the zoo beside the Polar Bears.
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 430
The houses may be free, however having built some and stuccoed others, they are not crappy at the start.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 160
If they are Canadian citizens, then why are they not held to the same laws as the rest of us, and put in jail when they put up a blockade, I know if I or any other non native did that, we would be hit with a batton and spend a night or two in the can! What if an Asian (say Chinese) were to put up a blockade (on a railroad that some of there kin might have died working on) just to get a more money or recognition for their part in building this nation? I am sorry for what has happened to the natives in the past, but to say you want to do this blockade to bring your plight to the eyes of Canadians, C'mon you are tresspassing on Federal land and should be dealt with accordingly! You are not opening our eyes, you are just Pi$$ing us off!! I had a friend that was a cadet in Ipperwash (what he told me, and maybe some of you can confirm this) but he was saying that while at camp one summer, a group of Natives was driving around shooting guns, "protesting" saying it was there land etc.. Now what if one of them had shot a kid? I know in the end an OPP member shot a native, but you never do hear about when they were shooting!
Rant over!, beging beasting....
Rant over!, beging beasting....
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/06/17/4268111-cp.html
Highlights are mine, to show plain and simple these are the actions of a TERRORIST, and this IS DOMESTIC TERRORSIM. This sob Brant is agitating for a violent confrontation, and is taking steps to ensure it happens. Why is this scumbag still free? We have thrown people in the clink on terrorsim charges, and they haven't done half the crap this asshole has done (not to say they are innocent or guilty, but to show, the huge double standard out there). This is sickening and pathetic, that our governments allow this crap to continue on. So far Fantino's all bark and no bite. And so much for equal rule of law.
Highlights are mine, to show plain and simple these are the actions of a TERRORIST, and this IS DOMESTIC TERRORSIM. This sob Brant is agitating for a violent confrontation, and is taking steps to ensure it happens. Why is this scumbag still free? We have thrown people in the clink on terrorsim charges, and they haven't done half the crap this asshole has done (not to say they are innocent or guilty, but to show, the huge double standard out there). This is sickening and pathetic, that our governments allow this crap to continue on. So far Fantino's all bark and no bite. And so much for equal rule of law.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
10 Biliion a year SHOULD pay for all the clean water and sanitation required. Problem is waste and corruption in the FN biz. Has Sheila Fraser ever been turned loose on this ministry? FN need some honest leaders with courage and vision, not the same bunch of entitled crooks and bagmen.
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 430
http://ago.mobile.globeandmail.com/generated/archive/RTGAM/html/20070628/wxcowent28.html
Thursday, June 28
Trapped in the aboriginal narrative
Margaret Wente
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
All across the land, native leaders are beating the drums for tomorrow's National Day of Action. The point of the protests, they claim, is to "educate" the rest of us about the terrible conditions endured by aboriginals. "Poverty among Canada's first nations peoples rivals Third World conditions," explains Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. "It's this country's dirty little secret."
If so, it's the worst-kept secret in the world. You'd have to be brain dead not to be aware of the poverty of the reserves, the awful housing, the bad water, the sickness, the suicides, the hopelessness. People have grown weary of this story because it never changes. Kashechewan and Davis Inlet and Pikangikum all blur together. Those poor children, they say. And then they change the channel.
Everyone is trapped in the narrative we've constructed to explain it. The Europeans arrived, wiped out most of the natives, stole their land and tried to stamp out their culture. All the dysfunction of aboriginal communities stems from the original sins of the conquerors. Only the restoration of their land and culture (plus more money) will restore their dignity and fortunes.
We now have a vast Indian industry of chiefs, government bureaucrats, lawyers, consultants and academics that is heavily invested in this narrative. Many of these people are well-meaning. They are also the chief obstacles to change, because their remedies make the problems worse.
"Dependency spending programs don't work," says Clarence Louie, chief of the Osoyoos band in B.C. "The only real solution is the economy, stupid." Chief Louie is a rare voice of dissent. Instead of talking about tradition and spirituality, he talks about economic development. The Osoyoos band used to be like the others - dependent on government handouts, crippled by social problems and nepotism. Today, it owns nine businesses, including the award-winning winery Nk'Mip Cellars.
Calvin Helin, from the Tsimshian Nation in B.C., is another unpopular guy. He wrote Dances with Dependency, a call for native self-reliance. Aboriginal communities don't need ancient wisdom and more handouts, he says. They need entrepreneurs. "We don't live in a bubble, and we have to become economically integrated into the system to look after ourselves."
Unfortunately, these voices of reason are all but drowned out by those who insist that participating in the free-market economy is a sellout to the white man's ways. Nowhere is this "sellout" message stronger than among the academic elites who peddle fuzzy visions of a communal, egalitarian, back-to-the-land utopia where first nations peoples will be healed and once again live in harmony with the land and each other.
Whether you're in Canada, Australia or New Zealand, the dominant narrative is always the same - and so is the dysfunction and degradation of aboriginal communities. Last month, a Maori named Alan Duff came to Canada to blow up that narrative. He wrote the book that formed the basis for Once Were Warriors, the heartbreaking movie about the dark side of modern Maori life.
"Political correctness is your enemy! White academic liberals are your enemy!" he told a Winnipeg audience. "They tell us indigenous people that we ought to go back and live as our ancestors lived. They want you to return to your past. But they're not going to do that. They're teaching their children your ceremonies. They're teaching them the modern tools of technology, and how to get mortgages."
The so-called wisdom of the elders is another problem. "Our elders often suggest we go back to how things were. They have no notion or concept of what the modern world is about, nor of what young peoples' aspirations are."
Mr. Duff knows that native kids are doomed unless they acquire the two essential keys to modern life: literacy and an education. That's why he founded the program Books in Homes, which has placed millions of books in the hands of Maori children. He also refuses to soft-pedal, excuse or explain away the familiar pathologies that afflict many of his people - the drunkenness, the wife-beating, the child abuse. To the men, he says: Stop strutting! Stop giving us endless speeches about yourselves! Start doing something for your families and your children!
It's called self-empowerment. And nobody can give it to you.
[email protected]
Thursday, June 28
Trapped in the aboriginal narrative
Margaret Wente
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
All across the land, native leaders are beating the drums for tomorrow's National Day of Action. The point of the protests, they claim, is to "educate" the rest of us about the terrible conditions endured by aboriginals. "Poverty among Canada's first nations peoples rivals Third World conditions," explains Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. "It's this country's dirty little secret."
If so, it's the worst-kept secret in the world. You'd have to be brain dead not to be aware of the poverty of the reserves, the awful housing, the bad water, the sickness, the suicides, the hopelessness. People have grown weary of this story because it never changes. Kashechewan and Davis Inlet and Pikangikum all blur together. Those poor children, they say. And then they change the channel.
Everyone is trapped in the narrative we've constructed to explain it. The Europeans arrived, wiped out most of the natives, stole their land and tried to stamp out their culture. All the dysfunction of aboriginal communities stems from the original sins of the conquerors. Only the restoration of their land and culture (plus more money) will restore their dignity and fortunes.
We now have a vast Indian industry of chiefs, government bureaucrats, lawyers, consultants and academics that is heavily invested in this narrative. Many of these people are well-meaning. They are also the chief obstacles to change, because their remedies make the problems worse.
"Dependency spending programs don't work," says Clarence Louie, chief of the Osoyoos band in B.C. "The only real solution is the economy, stupid." Chief Louie is a rare voice of dissent. Instead of talking about tradition and spirituality, he talks about economic development. The Osoyoos band used to be like the others - dependent on government handouts, crippled by social problems and nepotism. Today, it owns nine businesses, including the award-winning winery Nk'Mip Cellars.
Calvin Helin, from the Tsimshian Nation in B.C., is another unpopular guy. He wrote Dances with Dependency, a call for native self-reliance. Aboriginal communities don't need ancient wisdom and more handouts, he says. They need entrepreneurs. "We don't live in a bubble, and we have to become economically integrated into the system to look after ourselves."
Unfortunately, these voices of reason are all but drowned out by those who insist that participating in the free-market economy is a sellout to the white man's ways. Nowhere is this "sellout" message stronger than among the academic elites who peddle fuzzy visions of a communal, egalitarian, back-to-the-land utopia where first nations peoples will be healed and once again live in harmony with the land and each other.
Whether you're in Canada, Australia or New Zealand, the dominant narrative is always the same - and so is the dysfunction and degradation of aboriginal communities. Last month, a Maori named Alan Duff came to Canada to blow up that narrative. He wrote the book that formed the basis for Once Were Warriors, the heartbreaking movie about the dark side of modern Maori life.
"Political correctness is your enemy! White academic liberals are your enemy!" he told a Winnipeg audience. "They tell us indigenous people that we ought to go back and live as our ancestors lived. They want you to return to your past. But they're not going to do that. They're teaching their children your ceremonies. They're teaching them the modern tools of technology, and how to get mortgages."
The so-called wisdom of the elders is another problem. "Our elders often suggest we go back to how things were. They have no notion or concept of what the modern world is about, nor of what young peoples' aspirations are."
Mr. Duff knows that native kids are doomed unless they acquire the two essential keys to modern life: literacy and an education. That's why he founded the program Books in Homes, which has placed millions of books in the hands of Maori children. He also refuses to soft-pedal, excuse or explain away the familiar pathologies that afflict many of his people - the drunkenness, the wife-beating, the child abuse. To the men, he says: Stop strutting! Stop giving us endless speeches about yourselves! Start doing something for your families and your children!
It's called self-empowerment. And nobody can give it to you.
[email protected]
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
Well I was going to bitch and complain with the rest of you but all the good stuff has been said already. Take a gander at the "warriors". The only thing bigger than their numbers is the girth of their considerable paunch's. This rag tag group of wannabe,s are an insult to law abiding citizens and again we let these people break the law at their pleasure. Enough. I'm so pissed my hands are shaking.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Armed native protesters block Ontario highway, railway line
Warrant issued for leader
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=80f830b1-f459-4b54-a9d5-50d281784ec5
Published: Friday, June 29, 2007 Article tools
DESERONTO, Ont. -- The Ontario Provincial Police took action early this morning against Mohawk protesters with blockades at major provincial highways and a railway line by issuing an arrest warrant for the protest's leader.
A warrant was issued for Shawn Brant, 43, of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, for mischief and breach of recognizance relating to blockades at Highways 401 and 2. Three Via Rail passenger trains were also turned away near Deseronto as part of a "national day of action."
Const. Sandra Barr said this morning that Brant was not in custody, and could not say when the warrant would be executed.
"We're assessing the situation continually, and if something new comes to light in regards to the warrant, it will be acted on," Barr told CanWest News Service. "Things to this point have been peaceful, which is appreciated both by us, and I'm sure, the demonstrators as well. We're hoping it will remain peaceful.
"We respect lawful, peaceful protests, but we're not going to tolerate criminal activity, and that's where the arrest warrant stems from," she said, noting the warrant was based on a bonfire at Highway 2.
Protesters warned they had guns at the ready as they blocked the highways and trains Thursday night.
Just before midnight, protesters dressed in army gear moved in on Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway that connects Montreal and Toronto, hours after nearby Highway 2 was also blocked.
Four lanes of Highway 401 - two eastbound and two westbound - were closed after police confirmed the protesters' intentions and addressed the situation.
"The 401 was shut down simultaneously between OPP and natives," Brant said.
"It was OPP who shut it down in a pre-emptive manner in anticipation of a move we were making towards the 401. We're the type of people who do what we're going to say and they took it seriously and decided to pre-empt that." Protesters also forced the three trains - two from Ottawa, one from Montreal - to stay in Kingston, Ont. All trains were en route to Toronto.
A Via Rail official said the Crown corporation was arranging buses to transport the more than 400 stranded passengers.
Via had already announced it was cancelling its Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa routes today, affecting 5,000 passengers booked on 24 different trains.
Earlier Thursday, Brant headed the procession as members turned away traffic on Highway 2 - an alternate route to Highway 401.
Several men and women dressed in army gear, some with bandannas covering their faces, accompanied a white rusted-out school bus down the highway.
One angry motorist was confronted by several protesters as he turned around at the blockade. "Move your f---ing car," a protester yelled at the motorist through a loudspeaker.
"You won't see any photos of us waving guns around, but it's certainly something we have access to," said Brant.
The protests had been set to begin at midnight today, with OPP advising motorists throughout the early morning hours of road closures related to the protest in more rural areas of Wahta and Alderville.
The Assembly of First Nations' plea for public support will see more than 100 events planned from coast to coast.
The Tyendinaga Mohawk administration has not officially sanctioned the blockade. About 2,100 of the band's 7,600 members live on the reserve. Many protesters are expected from other First Nations communities and non-native organizations.
"It certainly won't be the overwhelming majority of our people," said R. Donald Maracle, chief of the Bay of Quinte Mohawks.
"There's the risk of backlash. The danger is there could be a lack of support for First Nations issues if the public is inconvenienced."
Maracle said he doesn't expect violence, expressing surprise at reports the blockade members plan to arm themselves for possible confrontations with police.
He added the council planned to distribute information pamphlets to re-routed highway traffic, detailing their disputes over claims and program funding.
Brant, meanwhile, said he expects to incur the wrath of angry motorists as the Mohawks block the two key highways on the first day of a long weekend.
But he pointed out the group's rotating series of protests targeting the economy do far more to raise awareness about poverty and the slow pace of land claims than rallies and marches.
"I'm not being cold and callous, but I think that this whole situation should be seen as a disgrace on the Canadian public, certainly over the past number of years. We actually have more (community) support than last time. We're excited about it."
The Canadian Pacific Railway has agreed to bring 300 trains to a stop for one minute at 2 p.m. ET today in a symbolic act of solidarity with First Nations.
Meanwhile, OPP commissioner Julian Fantino said native people have the constitutional right to protest and he doesn't want police actions to escalate demonstrations into confrontations.
"We're certainly in a position where we want to demonstrate goodwill," he said. "We certainly do not want to become the cause of conflict."
Fantino's conciliatory tone suggested, however, that the OPP is not about to storm any barricades to immediately attempt to dislodge demonstrators.
"There's always a time when enough is enough. We will certainly negotiate diligently, we'll talk to the extent that we can. But we will also deal with lawbreaking for what it is. It may not be immediate," said Fantino.
"We're very mindful of what can happen and so our response will be measured. It will be thought out. And it will be one that under the circumstances will be justifiable."
As Mohawks took a hard-line approach, Phil Fontaine, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, pleaded for peaceful protests.
"The only way we can get the government to act in a responsible and appropriate way is to reach out to Canadians and we are trying to do it in the most respectful and peaceful way possible," Fontaine said earlier. "That is what June 29 is about.''
Fontaine met with RCMP officials prior to the demonstrations to sign a protocol intended to make sure things stayed calm during the protest. He said the pact would help keep a good relation between police and protesters.
"If they so wish to engage in civil disobedience, they can - as long as they are prepared to accept the consequences. I think we have to be very careful that those rights are not denied to one segment of the Canadian population.''
In April, tensions over unresolved land claim issues prompted Mohawk protesters to blockade one of Canada's busiest rail lines between Montreal and Toronto. Protesters parked an old school bus on a stretch of CN-owned rail, located near Deseronto, in the two-day standoff just west of Kingston.
The standoff paralyzed rail traffic between the country's two most populous cities, and resulted in a lawsuit worth millions filed by CN against the organizers.
The protest also disrupted thousands of weekend travellers driving on Highway 401, Ontario's busiest highway. The highway is also one of Canada's main trucking routes.
While the demonstrations were non-violent, event organizers hoped the economic consequences would force the provincial government to resolve ongoing land claims in the region. Mohawk tribes claim substantial parcels of land around Lake Ontario are their ancestral home lands. An ongoing dispute in nearby Caledonia, Ont., over a planned housing development erupted into violence between protesters and police late last year.
The OPP have closed the 401 between Highway 41 and Highway 37 in Napanee. Both east and westbound lanes are closed due to the blockade.
Travelers traveling westbound to Toronto are being directed by police to exit at Highway 41 north to Highway 7, west to Highway 37 and travel south.
Travelers eastbound to Montreal or Ottawa are being directed by police to exit at Highway 37 north to Highway 7 and south on Highway 41.
With files from the National Post, Winnipeg Free Press and Ottawa Citizen
Warrant issued for leader
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=80f830b1-f459-4b54-a9d5-50d281784ec5
Published: Friday, June 29, 2007 Article tools
DESERONTO, Ont. -- The Ontario Provincial Police took action early this morning against Mohawk protesters with blockades at major provincial highways and a railway line by issuing an arrest warrant for the protest's leader.
A warrant was issued for Shawn Brant, 43, of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, for mischief and breach of recognizance relating to blockades at Highways 401 and 2. Three Via Rail passenger trains were also turned away near Deseronto as part of a "national day of action."
Const. Sandra Barr said this morning that Brant was not in custody, and could not say when the warrant would be executed.
"We're assessing the situation continually, and if something new comes to light in regards to the warrant, it will be acted on," Barr told CanWest News Service. "Things to this point have been peaceful, which is appreciated both by us, and I'm sure, the demonstrators as well. We're hoping it will remain peaceful.
"We respect lawful, peaceful protests, but we're not going to tolerate criminal activity, and that's where the arrest warrant stems from," she said, noting the warrant was based on a bonfire at Highway 2.
Protesters warned they had guns at the ready as they blocked the highways and trains Thursday night.
Just before midnight, protesters dressed in army gear moved in on Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway that connects Montreal and Toronto, hours after nearby Highway 2 was also blocked.
Four lanes of Highway 401 - two eastbound and two westbound - were closed after police confirmed the protesters' intentions and addressed the situation.
"The 401 was shut down simultaneously between OPP and natives," Brant said.
"It was OPP who shut it down in a pre-emptive manner in anticipation of a move we were making towards the 401. We're the type of people who do what we're going to say and they took it seriously and decided to pre-empt that." Protesters also forced the three trains - two from Ottawa, one from Montreal - to stay in Kingston, Ont. All trains were en route to Toronto.
A Via Rail official said the Crown corporation was arranging buses to transport the more than 400 stranded passengers.
Via had already announced it was cancelling its Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa routes today, affecting 5,000 passengers booked on 24 different trains.
Earlier Thursday, Brant headed the procession as members turned away traffic on Highway 2 - an alternate route to Highway 401.
Several men and women dressed in army gear, some with bandannas covering their faces, accompanied a white rusted-out school bus down the highway.
One angry motorist was confronted by several protesters as he turned around at the blockade. "Move your f---ing car," a protester yelled at the motorist through a loudspeaker.
"You won't see any photos of us waving guns around, but it's certainly something we have access to," said Brant.
The protests had been set to begin at midnight today, with OPP advising motorists throughout the early morning hours of road closures related to the protest in more rural areas of Wahta and Alderville.
The Assembly of First Nations' plea for public support will see more than 100 events planned from coast to coast.
The Tyendinaga Mohawk administration has not officially sanctioned the blockade. About 2,100 of the band's 7,600 members live on the reserve. Many protesters are expected from other First Nations communities and non-native organizations.
"It certainly won't be the overwhelming majority of our people," said R. Donald Maracle, chief of the Bay of Quinte Mohawks.
"There's the risk of backlash. The danger is there could be a lack of support for First Nations issues if the public is inconvenienced."
Maracle said he doesn't expect violence, expressing surprise at reports the blockade members plan to arm themselves for possible confrontations with police.
He added the council planned to distribute information pamphlets to re-routed highway traffic, detailing their disputes over claims and program funding.
Brant, meanwhile, said he expects to incur the wrath of angry motorists as the Mohawks block the two key highways on the first day of a long weekend.
But he pointed out the group's rotating series of protests targeting the economy do far more to raise awareness about poverty and the slow pace of land claims than rallies and marches.
"I'm not being cold and callous, but I think that this whole situation should be seen as a disgrace on the Canadian public, certainly over the past number of years. We actually have more (community) support than last time. We're excited about it."
The Canadian Pacific Railway has agreed to bring 300 trains to a stop for one minute at 2 p.m. ET today in a symbolic act of solidarity with First Nations.
Meanwhile, OPP commissioner Julian Fantino said native people have the constitutional right to protest and he doesn't want police actions to escalate demonstrations into confrontations.
"We're certainly in a position where we want to demonstrate goodwill," he said. "We certainly do not want to become the cause of conflict."
Fantino's conciliatory tone suggested, however, that the OPP is not about to storm any barricades to immediately attempt to dislodge demonstrators.
"There's always a time when enough is enough. We will certainly negotiate diligently, we'll talk to the extent that we can. But we will also deal with lawbreaking for what it is. It may not be immediate," said Fantino.
"We're very mindful of what can happen and so our response will be measured. It will be thought out. And it will be one that under the circumstances will be justifiable."
As Mohawks took a hard-line approach, Phil Fontaine, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, pleaded for peaceful protests.
"The only way we can get the government to act in a responsible and appropriate way is to reach out to Canadians and we are trying to do it in the most respectful and peaceful way possible," Fontaine said earlier. "That is what June 29 is about.''
Fontaine met with RCMP officials prior to the demonstrations to sign a protocol intended to make sure things stayed calm during the protest. He said the pact would help keep a good relation between police and protesters.
"If they so wish to engage in civil disobedience, they can - as long as they are prepared to accept the consequences. I think we have to be very careful that those rights are not denied to one segment of the Canadian population.''
In April, tensions over unresolved land claim issues prompted Mohawk protesters to blockade one of Canada's busiest rail lines between Montreal and Toronto. Protesters parked an old school bus on a stretch of CN-owned rail, located near Deseronto, in the two-day standoff just west of Kingston.
The standoff paralyzed rail traffic between the country's two most populous cities, and resulted in a lawsuit worth millions filed by CN against the organizers.
The protest also disrupted thousands of weekend travellers driving on Highway 401, Ontario's busiest highway. The highway is also one of Canada's main trucking routes.
While the demonstrations were non-violent, event organizers hoped the economic consequences would force the provincial government to resolve ongoing land claims in the region. Mohawk tribes claim substantial parcels of land around Lake Ontario are their ancestral home lands. An ongoing dispute in nearby Caledonia, Ont., over a planned housing development erupted into violence between protesters and police late last year.
The OPP have closed the 401 between Highway 41 and Highway 37 in Napanee. Both east and westbound lanes are closed due to the blockade.
Travelers traveling westbound to Toronto are being directed by police to exit at Highway 41 north to Highway 7, west to Highway 37 and travel south.
Travelers eastbound to Montreal or Ottawa are being directed by police to exit at Highway 37 north to Highway 7 and south on Highway 41.
With files from the National Post, Winnipeg Free Press and Ottawa Citizen
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
theres nothing i can say about this situation that won't violate the paper I just signed upon completing my enrollment interview. That being said, they as a goup have never had my support, and contiuing with these antics, I seriously doubt they will get anyones.
Imagine the police reaction if any other group did this. Lets say the marijuana party halted the 401 and demanded that the government legalize pot? how fast would the cops start busting heads then? I'm for rallys and protests, as long as they do not interfer with another persons freewill rights.
Honestly, I've driven the 401 and it can be brutal in the regualr traffic jam. I am surprised that people have not mowed down the protesters with their cars. Toronto drivers aren't exactly peaceful. they are intolerant and ready to road rage! I only hope that the police actually do what they are supposed to, and get these people out of the way of traffic before someone gets injured or killed.
I'm done with the whole subject. Over and over we see the same comments made on this matter. Nothing ever gets accomplished and at the end of the day we are exactly the same. I have a feeling that even if we granted all land claims, and kept throwing money at them, there would still be something else. Just like a spoiled child, it would never be enough. Argh I'm done :deadhorse:
Imagine the police reaction if any other group did this. Lets say the marijuana party halted the 401 and demanded that the government legalize pot? how fast would the cops start busting heads then? I'm for rallys and protests, as long as they do not interfer with another persons freewill rights.
Honestly, I've driven the 401 and it can be brutal in the regualr traffic jam. I am surprised that people have not mowed down the protesters with their cars. Toronto drivers aren't exactly peaceful. they are intolerant and ready to road rage! I only hope that the police actually do what they are supposed to, and get these people out of the way of traffic before someone gets injured or killed.
I'm done with the whole subject. Over and over we see the same comments made on this matter. Nothing ever gets accomplished and at the end of the day we are exactly the same. I have a feeling that even if we granted all land claims, and kept throwing money at them, there would still be something else. Just like a spoiled child, it would never be enough. Argh I'm done :deadhorse:
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 110
Couldn't we fix the whole problem if we dismantled the reserve system and made everyone go out and get a job like every non native person has to?
There wouldn't be water problems, housing problems, or suicide problems and then we wouldn't have a bunch of yahoo's blocking the bustiest highway in the country.
There wouldn't be water problems, housing problems, or suicide problems and then we wouldn't have a bunch of yahoo's blocking the bustiest highway in the country.
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
formerarmybrat23 said:
No need to imagine, all one has to do as look at all the confrontations between Toronto Police and OCAP. Anytime OCAP has tried squating, protesting etc in the last few year, they were shutdown immediately. This was mostly during Fantino's tenure as TPS chief. Now as OPP head honcho he does nothing except help the terrorists, and mouth platitudes about enforcing the law. His actions both past and present confirm that, if your non-native you will have dozens up dozens of police officers descend upon them to break up your little occupations/protests/squats. If your Native you get a warrant for "mischief" isssued for your arrest (that will be excuted at a mutually convient time I am sure), at the worst :
Wow, way to show the terrorist your serious Fantino. Pathetic!
