Algonquins blockade Highway 117 for second time
The Barriere Lake struggle continues, as today Algonquins blocked Highway 117 again:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081119093411350
"Kitiganik/Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / - This morning at 7:30am, Barriere Lake community members of all ages and their supporters once again peacefully blockaded highway 117 outside their reserve, demanding that Quebec and Canada send in negotiators rather than resort to police violence. During the Algonquin's first blockade on October 6th, 2008, Quebec police used tear gas and "pain compliance" techniques against a peaceful crowd that included Elders, youth, and children, arrested nine people, and hospitalized a Customary Councillor after hitting him in the chest with a tear-gas canister, drawing criticism from international human rights groups, the Chiefs of Ontario, and the Christian Peacemakers Team."
Wish them great success, and I would urge all Canadians to write a ltter to both Harper and Charest, expressing extreme disapproval, and urging them to uphold agreements signed. One should also contact Mulcair and Layton and get them to act on this, too.
"To avoid their obligations, the federal government has deliberately violated our leadership customs by ousting our Customary Chief and Council," said Matchewan. "In what amounts to a coup d'etat, they are recognizing a Chief and Council rejected by a community majority. The Quebec government is cooperating with the federal government because they are using the leadership issue as an excuse to bury the 1991 and 1998 Agreements they signed with our First Nation."
In November 2007 the legitimate leadership of Barriere Lake had issued a ban on new forestry operations in the Trilateral Territory until Quebec implemented their agreements, but the province and forestry companies have used the leadership change as an opportunity to cut new logging roads [in preparation for logging operations] without permission from the legitimate Barriere Lake representatives.
On March 10th, 2008, for the third time in 12 years, the Government of Canada interfered in Barriere Lake's internal customary governance. They rescinded recognition of the Customary Chief and Council and recognized individuals whom the Barriere Lake Elder's Council says were not selected in accordance with their Customary Governance Code.
"The federal government pretends this is simply an internal issue," says Marylynn Poucachiche, another Barriere Lake spokesperson on-site. "But we can only resolve the situation if the federal government appoints an observer to witness a new leadership selection that is truly in accordance with our Customary Governance Code, promises to respect the outcome, and then stops interfering in our internal affairs."
In 2007, Quebec Superior Court Judge Rejean Paul issued a report that concluded that the current faction recognized by the federal government was a "small minority" that "didn't respect the Customary Governance Code" in an alleged leadership selection in 2006 [2]. The federal government recognized this minority faction after they conducted another alleged leadership selection in January 2008, even though an observer's report the government relied on stated there was no "guarantee" that the Customary Governance Code was respected [3].
Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
Mulcair does not have an email so here is the phone number
(613)
995-7691
Layton.J@parl.gc.ca
Jean Charest link to form
I have already done so.
___________________________________________________________ "watching the tide roll away"
Shoot them all!
And to rub it all in, such lazy, uncreative trolls have snapped up babbler member numbers under 200!
When I read about the police violence against peaceful protestors as reported in in the OP I really want to lash out in anger. I am glad the protestors have more self-restraint than I do. (I realize this adds nothing substantive to the discussion -- sorry).
some one should tell "laytonsucks" that the stormfront forum is down the hall and to the right.
It's natural that people will take action if the government or the law moves too slow to keep up with the times. We'll see plenty of blockades and it's a good thing. It the government's job to settle land claims ASAP and honour the treaties. And that is just to bring us up to the present.
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why is it that polling booths look like cattle chutes?
is there an update/ recommendeded sites for regular updates on this? i can't seem to open the link above at present,thx.
i know of barriere lake solidarity, tyendinaga support, mohawk news, are there others that are recommended ? Makwa, i'd like to know your views particularly, if you have a chance, thanks.
of course i can always just phone community spokes there.
So it's OK to break the Law?
After the moderators ban this piece of shit I hope they will disclose all personal information about it to its ISP so its account can be terminated.
If you are reading this, you have just proved once again how annoying signatures/tag lines are. Support their abolition.
thanks for the alert M. Spector.
this is really sick. moderators please.
It's bad enough he was "buffa". Did he have to be "buffa AGAIN"?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Our Demands Most Moderate are/ We Only Want The World! -James Connolly
Just wait until I'm back as Buffa2
LOL
To the Moderators/Staff of Babble;
I found the original comments which were posted at #9 last night to be highly offensive, and yes, obviously against the Law. Please direct me, as a new registered user, to the protocol section here at Babble which outlines procedures in such a circumstance, or others where some writers were verbally abusive to other babblers. This is unacceptable.
Another option is for Babble to shut the site down during times when a Moderator is not available.
Thanks for your response, when you're able. You could post it here, or to my email address, which I think you have in the registration process.
Thanks for your help,
Leigh
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Quebec judge imprisons Algonquin Chief for two months for peaceful protest: Crown asks for one year to send "clear message" to impoverished community
Kitiganik/Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / - On Thursday December 4th a Quebec judge sentenced Barriere Lake Acting Chief Benjamin Nottaway to forty-five days in jail, in addition to fifteen already served in pre-trial detention, for participating in peaceful blockades intended to draw attention to violations of Barriere Lake's rights by the Canadian and Quebec governments.
Barriere Lake has been demanding that Canada and Quebec honour signed agreements and that Canada appoint an observer to witness and respect the outcome of a new leadership selection in accordance with Barriere Lake's Customary Governance Code.
"It's shameful that the government of Quebec would rather throw me in jail than fulfill their legal obligations by implementing signed agreements," said Acting Chief Nottaway, a father of six who passed his twenty-eighth birthday in jail last Thursday. "Meanwhile, the Government of Canada continues to interfere in our internal affairs while trying to wash its hands of responsibility for this situation."
Nottaway was charged with three counts of mischief and breach of conditions stemming from March blockades on Barriere Lake's access road and a November blockade on highway 117 outside the community's reserve in Northern Quebec. Another blockade in October was violently dismantled by Quebec riot police, who used tear-gas on a crowd that included Elders, youth, and children. More than 40 members of the community of 450 have been charged for these actions.
"Quebec has now joined the company of Ontario, which put the leaders of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation and Ardoch Algonquin First Nation behind bars for peaceful protest. It seems like the provinces' preferred method for dealing with our rights is to use the police and the courts to punish us until we forget about them," said Marylynn Poucachiche, a community spokesperson who was arrested during the November blockade.
Crown Attorney France Deschamps asked Judge Jules Barriere for a sentence of 12 months, saying a "clear message" was required "to make sure Nottaway has no desire to do this again, and to discourage the group – because his supporters are waiting to hear what happens here." Judge Barriere noted that the Crown's request was "partly illegal," as 6 months is the maximum possible sentence for summary convictions. But he agreed with Deschamps that a prison sentence was necessary, saying it was "important to pass a clear message to the community."
"The only message the Canadian and Quebec governments are sending is that they are willing to criminalize our community and split apart our families in order to avoid implementing precedent-setting agreements and respecting our leadership customs," added Nottaway.
Barriere Lake wants Canada and Quebec to uphold signed agreements, dating back to the 1991 Trilateral Agreement, a landmark sustainable development and resource co-management agreement praised by the United Nations and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Canada has been in breach of the agreement since 2001. Quebec signed a complementary Bilateral agreement in 1998, but has stalled despite the 2006 recommendations of two former Quebec Cabinet Ministers, Quebec special representative John Ciaccia and Barriere Lake special representative Clifford Lincoln, that the agreement be implemented.
On March 10th, 2008, the Canadian government rescinded recognition of Acting Chief Benjamin Nottaway and his Council and recognized individuals from a minority faction whom the Barriere Lake Elder's Council says were not selected in accordance with their Customary Governance Code. On March 2nd and 3rd, community members had set up blockades on their access road to prevent members of this minority faction from entering the reservation, anticipating the Canadian government would try to illegally interfere in Barriere Lake's internal customary governance for the third time in 12 years.
In 2007, Quebec Superior Court Judge Rejean Paul issued a report that concluded that the current faction recognized by the federal government was a "small minority" that "didn't respect the Customary Governance Code" in an alleged leadership selection in 2006 [1]. The federal government recognized this minority faction after they conducted another alleged leadership selection in January 2008, even though an observer's report the government relied on stated there was no "guarantee" that the Customary Governance Code was respected [2].
The Algonquin Nation Secretariat, the Tribal Council representing three Algonquin communities including Barriere Lake, continues to recognize and work with Customary Chief Benjamin Nottaway and his Council.
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Media Contacts:
Norman Matchewan, Barriere Lake spokesperson: 819 – 435 – 2171
Marylynn Poucachiche, Barriere Lake spokesperson: 819 - 435 - 2113
Notes
[1] http://web.resist.ca/~barrierelakesolidarity/resources/Rapport_du_Juge_Paul-versionANGLAISEcomplete.doc, pg 26-27
[2] http://web.resist.ca/~barrierelakesolidarity/resources/Riel_Translation_Letter_2.doc , pg 2
peaceful crowd that included Elders, youth, and children
A protest regardless the nature is no place for children.
I completely disagree. Nobody has the right to say who is allowed to attend a peaceful protest. And that's not really related to the ridiculous charges against Nottaway, which are just another example of the Canadian government acting as oppressors and occupiers.
Common sense would dictate that you don't bring a child to something that has the very real possibility of degrading into violence.
You can call it a peaceful protest all you want. Trust me I'm all for the right to protest but if someone is breaking the law during their protest (Wether we think it's stupid or not) atleast one of the options the police have at their beck and call is the ability to physically remove the protesters.
If I planned on attending a peaceful pro-life rally I wouldn't bring my 3 year old daughter because even though someone organizing it uses the buzzword peaceful, history shows that somtimes they can be anything but.
If you wanna protest then protest until your heart is content- don't mix children with emotionally charged enviroments, agrivated or upset adults, police teargas and guns.
This argument is thread drift. I just wanted to say that before I continue the drift.
Protests in the First Nations context are not about going out to a rally, hearing speakers, waving a few signs, being harassed by the International Socialists, and then going home.
Protests are one of several forms of resistance to state oppression, occupation and colonization. People's lives are literally on the line. I'm touched by your concern for the children, what about reservations that don't have drinkable water? Schools? Children are affected by this on a daily basis.
"Won't anyone think of the children?"
I agree that you should keep children away from anti-choice rallies.
But if you think that the chances of tear gas, batons and tasers flying around your average protest are high enough to keep children from exercizing their democratic rights (one of the only ones they have at that age) then it seem to me you should be focussing your efforts on disarming police officers, since they are so clearly overeager to abuse their authority.
In the meantime, I will take my children to as many marches, sit-ins, vigils and rallies I can bear.
Edited to add: Jeez, if Lieutenant-Detective bcg of the drift police had a bucket of virtual tear gas, I have to admit we'd all be f'd.
I agree that you should keep children away from anti-choice rallies.
I think everyone should stay away from anti-choice rallies - especially members of the Canadian armed forces.
What you are reading now is an annoying and obtrusive tag line. Why not Email Michelle to demand that signature/tag lines be abolished forthwith? I'm sure she would appreciate your support for this initiative.
Bigcitygirl, I agree. There are other serious issues that need to be addressed which seem happily ignored. It saddens me to no end that people anywhe in Canada are living in polverty. Without drinkable water? Totally unacceptable.
Catchfire, serios question here. Do you think the majority of these kids understand their democratic right to protest or further more have a real grasp about the issues they are protesting or do you think they are just followinin the footsteps of their parents?
I've seen some of the video footage of the 'god hates fags' protests in the states and it makes me crazy that parents put their kids in such hateful environments. Kids growing up with hate. The native protests aremuch different of course but I wonder about what a 6 year old really understands about these.
My argument though is purely from a physical saftey perspective.
M.Spector why do you think a member of the Canadian Forces should stay away from anti-choice rallies?
If I'm causing the thread to go off topic I appologize and I'll try and reign it in?
M.Spector why do you think a member of the Canadian Forces should stay away from anti-choice rallies?
I can think of a couple of good reasons:
1. Anti-choice rallies tend to attract people with hateful and/or violent tendencies. I wouldn't want to see that augmented with people who are trained to kill without a second thought.
2. I thought the Canadian Forces were supposed to be fighting in Afghanistan to defend our rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of choice. Or is that just propaganda?
What you are reading now is an annoying and obtrusive tag line. Why not Email Michelle to demand that signature/tag lines be abolished forthwith? I'm sure she would appreciate your support for this initiative.
I know. So's mine.
What BCG says. Anything that is bad enough to hurt an adult to the point where that adult wants to protest it with civil dissing is more than bad enough to hurt a child; so if a child chooses to accompany a parent on protest lines, we ought to acknowledge that s/he is defending her or his safety in the only way that has ever been proven to work: putting one's body on the line.
It would be a travesty of compassion if we were to blame First Nations people for not caring sufficiently about their children, when we are the ones locking them into abject poverty and no future and reelecting a government that has torn up our covenant with them.
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Tag lines are for trolling.
letter to send to Harper et al, they need more signatures, and with this outrageous action of jailing Acting Chief Nottaway, probably could use some added clauses...
enough already with jailing native leaders.
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html
...so if a child chooses to accompany a parent on protest lines, we ought to acknowledge that s/he is defending her or his safety in the only way that has ever been proven to work: putting one's body on the line.
I don't know about you other parents but I don't let my child choose when she wants to go to bed, go to school, go to my parents, come with me for groceries.
my issue is I wonder how many children "choose" to be there and how many are there because their parents drag them.