[Indigsol] Barriere Lake Sets up Blockade, Riot Police Dispatched, 2 arrests & tear gas

[Lia Tarachansky]

Riot Police Target Barriere Lake Algonquin
Blockade<http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/lia_tarachansky/2155>
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 6, 2008

Quebec police threaten to mass arrest peaceful Algonquin road blockaders:
Community determined to maintain blockade until Canada and Quebec honour
their agreements and respect leadership customs

Kitiganik/Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / - Families from the Barriere
Lake First Nation in Northern Quebec set up a peaceful blockade at 6:00 am
this morning, promising to maintain it until Canada and Quebec respect and
implement widely praised agreements, and Canada appoints an observer to
witness a leadership reselection in the community, and respects its outcome.

"We maintained a peaceful presence all day, but Canada and Quebec would now
rather have the Quebec police arrest youth, elders and mothers, than deal in
good faith with our community," said Norman Matchewan, a youth spokesperson,
from the site of the blockade, as riot police from Montreal prepared to make
arrests.

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Media Contacts:

Norman Matchewan, Barriere Lake spokesperson : 647 - 227 - 6696, 514 - 831 -
6902

Michel Thusky, Barriere Lake spokesperson: 819 - 435 - 2171

For more information: www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com

Collectif de Solidarité Lac Barrière
*******************************************
www.solidaritelacbarriere.blogspot.com
barrierelakesolidarity at gmail.com
514.398.7432

Christian Peacemaker Teams Canada
25 Cecil St., Unit 307
Toronto ON  M5T 1N1
Tel: 416-423-5525; Fax: 416-423-7140
canada at cpt.org
www.cpt.org
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**
*MEDIA ADVISORY*

October 6, 2008

Contact:  Joel Klassen (613) 331-0969 (English & French);

Christine Downing 647-296-0969 (English)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*Christian Peacemaker Teams sends human rights observer team to **Barriere
Lake Algonquin Territory*

Rapid Lake, Quebec:   – Christian Peacemaker Teams Canada has established a
human rights observer presence this morning at a peaceful blockade erected
by Algonquins of Barriere Lake and supporters on Highway 117 between
Maniwaki and Val D'Or, Québec, three hours north of Ottawa.  Christian
Peacemaker Teams will be monitoring the blockade with a hope to reduce the
potential for violence by the Sureté du Québec police patrolling the region.

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake signed a Trilateral Agreement with the
federal and Québec governments in 1991 to share resources derived from their
traditional territories.  Since then the federal government has refused to
implement the agreement, has undermined local governance practices on
several occasions, and cut off much needed funding to the community.  The
level of poverty in the community is very high in a territory from which
scores of millions of dollars of resources are extracted annually, and from
which the community does not benefit.  Among other things, the Algonquins
are calling on the government to honour the Trilateral Agreement.

Carolyn Hudson, a CPTer at the blockade observed, "more and more First
Nations, Metis and Innu people are taking non-violent direct actions and
saying, Enough!  Governments must take heed, listen with respect, and honour
past agreements and obligations.   It seems "the powers that be" only listen
when they are inconvenienced.  Let's hope this peaceful blockade, this
inconvenience, will have positive results."

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