On Thursday there was a rare victory in the battle for Aboriginal rights in this country. Bob Lovelace and the KI Six were released from prison after serving three and two months respectively of six month sentences for contempt of court.

Seven brave people were willing to give up their freedom to stand up for their people and the land they feel a responsibility to protect. They stood up against a powerful industry who threatened them with massive law suits, a court which acted in the interests of that industry and a duplicitous government who pretended neutrality at the same time as actually supporting the mining companies.

Their integrity and courage is inspiring First Nations across the country to realize they can say no to development that is not in the interests of their communities or their land and helping build the broadest coalition of supporters I have seen in many years. This support influenced the Appeal Court as well.

Chris Reid, the lawyer for both Ardoch and KI, reported after the court case:

âeoeWe stressed in our submissions that the root cause of the train wreck proceedings which led to these offensive sentences is the Mining Act and the province’s almost obsessive attachment to the mining industry and the free entry system. Since we were only appealing sentences, and not the injunctions or the findings of contempt, I expected the panel (Justices Feldman, Rosenberg and MacPherson) to cut me off and order me to restrict my submissions strictly to sentencing issues, but they allowed us to present the context in adequate detail. Although they did not give any clear indication as to what their complete decision and reasons would be, they did seem troubled by Ontario’s rigid refusal to negotiate or to consider the possibility of FNs having a right to say no to mining and their position of indifference towards the contempt and sentencing proceedings in the lower courts.âe

Sam McKay, the spokesperson of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), told a press conference during the four day sovereignty sleepover at Queenâe(TM)s Park on Tuesday, that he understood why southern FN are negotiating with industry, because their water and lands have already been destroyed. But, he argued, âeoeWe have a choice. We still have fresh water, clean air and forests. We can still hunt and fish and trap and we will never give up the right to protect our traditional lands and our traditional way of life.âe

The calm determination of Bob Lovelace and the KI Six, and the heroism of their communities who were totally traumatized by the loss of their leaders and the attacks on their communities inspired extraordinarily broad support.

At a rally of more than 1,000 people on Monday May 26 to welcome the communities, Chief Donny Morris of KI said, âeoeI realize from all the support we have been getting how this is not just an Indian issue, it is an issue for all the people of Ontario. And I am all right with that. We are getting as much or more support for outside First Nations communities.âe

The alliance between the communities and supporters was unprecedented both at the local and provincial level. In Ardoch, non-Indigenous people have not only been speaking out in support of Bob Lovelace but have been raising money to support him and his community. In Thunder Bay, as well, there is a broad support committee. In Toronto, we started organizing a campaign at the beginning of April and by the end of May we had a network of students, unions, church, anti-poverty, international solidarity and of course environmental groups working full out. Not since the 1980s have I seen an issue where every single individual and organization put so much work and money into the effort. We managed to raise thousands of dollars in two weeks to bring 50 community members from KI, a remote community 600 kilometers north of Thunder Bay to Toronto for a rally and four day sleepover.

When they heard that a few of us at Ryerson, with some of the groups working on changes to the Mining Act, were organizing a rally for KI and Ardoch in early April, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) contacted us to see if we would be interested in working together and scheduling the future rally at Queenâe(TM)s Park to coincide with the tent village they and the Christian Peacemakers had been planning with Grassy Narrows, a community that has been resisting industrial devastation for decades. Ardoch and Ki had already agreed to participate in the sleepover, so we began an intense process of learning to work together. We decided to work under the leadership of the three communities. A future article will outline the process in more detail, but suffice it to say here that is was both an extraordinary challenge and the key to success of the effort.

A group of young people from Grassy Narrows and Six Nations led by Crissy Swain walked from Kenora to Toronto for the events. Leaving Kenora without money and little resources they wanted to show how strongly the young of Grassy Narrow feel about the protection of the Earth from environmental destruction. Working on a relay system, they walked every step of the way.

The struggle to recognize First Nationsâe(TM) right to protect their traditional lands and to change the archaic Ontario Mining Act is not over but the freeing of the jailed leaders and the campaign they are waging has once again shined a light on the disgraceful treatment of Indigneous people in this country and the leadership they can provide not only to the struggle to protect the planet from further industrial destruction, not only to recognize and respect the Aboriginal interpretation of their Treaty Rights but also to a society where values of community, protection of Mother Earth and human dignity trump the incessant search for profit at any cost.

Judy Rebick

Judy Rebick

Judy Rebick is one of Canada’s best-known feminists. She was the founding publisher of rabble.ca , wrote our advice column auntie.com and was co-host of one of our first podcasts called Reel Women....