[Indigsol] Day of Action on Indigenous Rights - June 24

[Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement -Ottawa]

June 24 has been designated as the Day of Action for Indigenous Rights
during the anti-G8/G20 protests. The IPSM Ottawa is organizing to arrange
free transportation to the June 24 Day of Action for Indigenous people who
want to attend.

The IPSM Ottawa, along with numerous other organizations in Ottawa, is
organizing to take people from Ottawa to Toronto for the anti-G8/G20
convergence. Most of this organizing is focused on bringing people down
for the 26th and 27th, while we are focusing on the 24th.

Transportation for Indigenous people who want to attend will be free. We
will also try and arrange free billeting and food.

In addition to renting vehicles, or possibly a bus, depending on the level
of interest, we are also offering to cover travel costs, such as, for
example, gas, for Indigenous people who want to attend.

We are also organizing to bring non-Indigenous people who want to attend
the June 24 Day of Action down to Toronto. However, priority will be given
to Indigenous people. We also ask that non-Indigenous people who want to
come make a donation. Everyone is welcome.

The exact time that vehicles will be leaving Ottawa is yet to be
determined. We will also be co-ordinating pick up points and meeting times
for people who want to attend but do not live in Ottawa.

You can contact us on FB, as well as at our e-mail address: ipsmo at riseup.net
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Defenders of the Land G8/G20 Call Out

Dear Friends and Supporters:

I have the privilege to forward this public Call Out on behalf of the
“Defenders of the Land” for support and action regarding Canada hosting the
G8/G20 on June 24, 2010.  The Defenders are a movement of independent
indigenous bodies that defend Aboriginal and Treaty territories from
destructive commercial and industrial development.


The G8/G20 does impact on Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of Indigenous Peoples
in Canada.  Aboriginal and Treaty Rights are the underlying proprietary
ownership and jurisdiction of land, water and resources in Canada.  The
failure of Canada to recognize Aboriginal and Treaty Rights economically
forces Indigenous Peoples to live in poverty.

Canada’s economy has been established on the morally bankrupt and racially
motivated concept of the Colonial Doctrines of Discovery and terra nullius,
which dehumanize Indigenous Peoples.  These economically motivated concepts,
that legitimize stealing of land, water and resources from Indigenous
Peoples have been repudiated by Canadian courts, WTO, NAFTA and UN
international human rights bodies.



Indigenous Peoples have a legitimate voice to speak on macroeconomic matters
that affect the ecological biodiversity that our culture depends on.
Indigenous
Peoples have always been consistent in challenging major commercial and
industrial developments that affect our way of life.  The capacity of this
planet and the capacity of Canada must be considered in terms of what will
be left for future generations.   The G8/G20 need to realize there is a
limit to growth.


Canadians who respect human rights and want to protect our environment need
to realize that Aboriginal and Treaty Rights are the only legitimate means
of challenging big government’s and big business’ unconditional monopoly on
decision-making.  The G8/G20 framework is the mechanism through which
globally structured companies will consolidate money and power at the
expense of domestic and Indigenous economies.   The G8/G20 is a top down
approach to decision making.


People need to take mores responsibility for the economies we depend on.  The
failure of big government and big business to come up with any agreement on
controlling their economic activities to reduce “Climate Change” is an alarm
bell we need to hear.  We need to be extremely sensitive to the irreparable
ecological damage that so called development in sensitive areas like the Far
North can have.  Canada has learnt nothing from why the climate in the North
is changing.


The Defenders of the Land are working towards building a broad support base
for changing the economic parameters of western economies to include
Indigenous Peoples in the decision-making and benefit-sharing.  We are
experiencing exactly what the planet does when Indigenous Peoples are not
included in the decision-making and benefit-sharing.


Indigenous Peoples especially those who practice their traditional life
styles have always been a legitimate and dependable voice against rampant
development.  Indigenous Peoples and the environment must be factored into
the economy if we are to address the loss of ecological biodiversity and
climate change that can destroy us.


Please join us on June 24, 2010 and let us make a difference.  Let us tell
Canada, the G8 and G20 that we want decisions that are from the bottom up
and that include a strong voice from Indigenous Peoples to speak as a
counter-balancing voice to big business.  The signatories of this Call Out
like Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug demonstrate the level of commitment that
the Defenders of the Land have to protect our water from mining activities.



We are at a crossroads let us send a strong message to the G8/G20 that we do
not support their top down approach to the economy because we are talking
about more than jobs and consumerism but addressing our responsibility to
our link to the land.  Let us take non-violent action as Indigenous Peoples
and Supporters on June 24, 2010.


Arthur Manuel




 _____________________________
Arthur Manuel
e-mail:  amanuel at telus.net
cell:  1 (250) 319-0688


 Tell the world the truth about Canada's record on Indigenous rights Call
from Defenders of the Land for a day of action on Indigenous rights, June
24, 2010

When the G8/G20 comes to Canada in June let's tell the world the real story
about Canada's record on Indigenous rights: a continued policy that aims to
terminate Indian Peoples by removing our land and resource base and denying
us the right to self-determination, under the power of the Indian Act and
the Department of Indian Affairs. Canada is the only country still opposing
the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the other three
countries opposed to it have changed their vote or are reconsidering. Canada
continues to criminalize Indigenous activists who stand up for Aboriginal
and treaty rights - even though these rights have been affirmed by the
Canadian constitution and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples. Canada's policies of dispossession and control continue
to create extreme poverty and social distress for Indigenous Nations across
Canada. Finally, Canada and the provinces have done nothing to investigate
and stop the disappearance and murder of hundreds of Aboriginal women across
the country. That is the record on Indigenous rights that lies behind the
show of Aboriginal culture that Canada put on at the Olympics, and it is
time the *whole world *came to know it.



We reject the G8 and G20 as decision-making bodies. They don't  operate on
behalf on Indigenous peoples and don’t recognize or respect Aboriginal and
treaty rights. The G8 and G20 are implicated in the ongoing colonization and
destruction of Indigenous Peoples and their lands. This ongoing colonization
in Canada and abroad is based on the racist doctrines of Discovery and *terra
nullius*.



*Defenders of the Land, a network of Indigenous Nations in land struggle, is
calling for June 24, 2010, to be a cross-Canada day of non-violent action
focusing on Indigenous rights. *

* *

*Call to Indigenous nations and communities*

To Indigenous nations and communities across Canada, including grassroots
people, traditional leadership, elected leadership, elders, youth, women,
and men:* *we call on you to engage in non-violent action in or near your
communities on June 24, on issues and messages that are relevant to you and
chosen by you. Actions could include blockades, occupations, rallies, or
economic disruptions, in addition to spiritual ceremonies and community
gatherings, all of which maximize respect for life and our rights as
Indigenous Peoples. Non-violence is a guide for our hearts and our minds as
we decide
on appropriate actions to defend and protect our land, our communities, and
our ways of life; it is not intended to do the work of the government by
dividing us from one another or labelling each other. Communities should
plan and engage in their own actions, and do what is comfortable and
appropriate for themselves. Defenders of the Land can offer advice, assist
with some coordination and communications, including media work, and may be
able to provide some training assistance, depending on capacity. Defenders
of the Land *does not *have capacity to offer legal support, so communities
should choose their actions with this clear knowledge and be prepared to
take responsibility for follow-up. Defenders of the Land may be able to
connect people with offers of legal support, but this depends on
availability and cannot be guaranteed.



*Defenders of the Land main action*

Defenders of the Land will also be hosting its own mass action in Toronto on
June 24, to be planned in cooperation with other Indigenous and supporter
groups. This action will focus on the following demands:

* *

1. Canada must adopt and fully implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.

2. Jointly with Indigenous communities, Canada must change its Comprehensive
Land Claims policy to recognize and respect Aboriginal title and Aboriginal
and treaty rights; end the policy of extinguishment; and repudiate the
racist doctrines of Discovery and *terra nullius*.

3. Canada must stop criminalizing Indigenous Peoples for defending their
rights.



4. Canada and the provinces must take coordinated action to investigate and
end the ongoing murders and disappearances of Aboriginal women.



5. Canada must comply with our right to say no to all activities on
Indigenous territories that commodify the sacred: air, land, water, animals,
plant and genetic materials, and our traditional ecological knowledge.
Indigenous Peoples must be informed of such activities, and their right to
say 'no' respected, through a meaningful process according with their
customs and respecting Aboriginal and treaty rights and the standards set
out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.



*Indigenous summit*

There will also be a "summit" of Indigenous representatives from around the
world before the day of action.

* *

*Call to non-Indigenous supporters *

If you are interested in organizing support actions for the Indigenous Day
of Action in your area, please contact us by email at
defendersoftheland at gmail.com so we can follow, network, and list
simultaneous events on that day. We call on  supporter groups to take
guidance and respectful leadership on messaging and tactics from Defenders
of the Land. We also recommend providing material support to, or joining
with, nearby First Nations who have responded to the Defenders call.
Background

The world's eyes are on Canada this year. As the Winter Olympics took place
on Squamish, Musqueam, Lil'wat and Tsleil-Watouth territories, Canada,
British Columbia, and the Vancouver Olympic Committee poured hundreds of
millions of dollars into buying the cooperation of the leadership of the
four host nations. Governments and the Vancouver Olympics put on a glitzy
show exploiting Aboriginal culture and imagery to put a good face on
Canada's treatment of Indigenous Peoples.



But grassroots Indigenous activists and many more established organizations,
like the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, are not buying into the hype. They are
telling the world the real story about Canada's record on Indigenous rights:
a continued policy that aims to terminate Indian Peoples by removing our
land and resource base and denying us the right to self-determination.
Canada refuses to sign and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, and is the only country explicitly opposed to the
Declaration (Australia reversed its position, and the U.S. and New Zealand
are reconsidering). Canada continues to criminalize Indigenous activists who
stand up for Aboriginal and treaty rights - even though these rights have
been affirmed in the Canadian constitution and the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada's policies of
dispossession and control continue to create extreme poverty and social
distress for Indigenous Nations across Canada. Canada and the provinces have
done nothing to investigate and stop the disappearance and murder of
hundreds of Aboriginal women across the country. In the tar sands and in
pipeline projects across the country, Canada is promoting an industry that
is literally killing Indigenous people and destroying the planet. Canada
continues to accept the racist doctrines of discovery and *terra nullius
*first
articulated by white colonists hundreds of years ago. That is the record on
Indigenous rights that lies behind the show that Canada is putting on at the
Olympics, and it is time the *whole world* came to know it.



This June, Canada will play host to the G8 and G20 summits, which bring
together the world's largest economies and colonizers. The G8 summit will
take place in Huntsville, Ontario, in traditional Anishinaabe territory, and
in Toronto, on unceded traditional Mississauga territory. Social movements
and non-governmental organizations from around the world, including
representatives of Indigenous Peoples, will also gather to hold a people's
summit and engage in action to hold G8 and G20 governments accountable.



This year, Canada has made climate change and poverty among women and
children the priorities of the summit. Yet the Harper government has only
worked to obstruct action on climate change; it has continued to develop the
tar sands, the world's single most destructive fossil fuels project; and
Canada has done nothing to address the poverty and racism underlying the
murder and disappearance of hundreds of Aboriginal women, or the desperate
poverty among Indigenous women and children caused by Canada's theft of
Indigenous economic resources.



July 11th of this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of
the Oka crisis. Since that time, there has been the Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples, the murder of Dudley George and the Ipperwash inquiry,
numerous Supreme Court cases affirming Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Despite all the words,
Canada's fundamental policies towards Indigenous Peoples still have not
changed.
Who are the G8/G20?

This June, leaders of the world’s biggest economies (and biggest colonizers,
and biggest polluters) will be coming to Canada for the G8 and G20 meetings.
The G8 meeting will be held June 25 in Huntsville, Ontario, traditional
Anishinaabe territory, while the G20 summit will be held June 26-27 in
Toronto, on traditional unceded Mississauga territory.



The G8 brings together Canada, the US, Russia, the United Kingdom, France,
Italy, Japan, and Germany. The G20 includes these countries, as well as
Brazil, India, Indonesia, Australia, China, Mexico, and South Africa, among
others. The G20 meetings also bring in the heads of the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, and finance ministers for the countries named.



The governments of the G8/G20 have been responsible for the exploitation and
devastation of Indigenous Peoples the world over. These meetings are meant
to coordinate the continued economic, ecological and cultural domination of
poor, powerless and Indigenous communities.



Their focus is on protecting and preserving the power of the elites in these
countries, and preserving the economic and political order that has been
responsible for the destruction of countless Indigenous cultures and
persons. The meetings are closed to public participation, and they attempt
to make decisions on behalf of the world.



Two years ago, for the first time, an Indigenous summit was held around the
G8, in Hokkaido, Japan, traditional territory of the Ainu people. At that
meeting, Indigenous delegates from around the world acknowledged the
recently passed UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, yet
stood up to call for Canada, the US, and Russia to respect Indigenous
Peoples and the Declaration. Subsequently, the United States has announced
it is reconsidering its opposition to the Declaration, leaving Canada the
only G20 country, and the only country in the world, explicitly opposed to
it (Russia abstained).



They also made demands around Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their lands,
climate change, energy projects, rights to food, corporate violations of
Indigenous sovereignty, protection of traditional knowledge and cultures,
women’s rights, and more. They also made a call for Indigenous leaders in
Canada to continue the tradition, and organize a summit at the 2010 G8
summit.



This year, a large number of social movements and advocacy organizations are
planning to converge on Toronto around the G8/G20 meetings. This may be the
biggest gathering of so-called world leaders in Canada to date, and the
world’s attention will be placed on Canada.



Indigenous Peoples have not been invited to the G8/G20 summit tables, but we
must make our own voices heard as a power the world cannot ignore.



*SIGNED:*

* *

*Algonquins of Barriere Lake*

*Ardoch Algonquin First Nation*

*Carrier Sekani Tribal Council*

*C’ilhts’ekyu Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation*

*Grassy Narrows Women's Drum*

*Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug*

*Pimicikamak*

* *

*Defenders of the Land organizing committee*

*Indigenous Environmental Network*

* *

*Arthur Manuel (Secwepmec Nation)*

*Ben Powless (Six Nations)*

*Clayton Thomas Mueller (Pukatawagan)*

*Crystal Martin (Cree Nation)*

*gkisedtanamoogk (Mashpee Wampanoag, resident, Esgenoôpetitj Mi’kmaq by
customary marriage)*

*Jacqueline House (Six Nations)*

*Janice Billy (Secwepmec Nation)*

*June Quipp (Sto:lo Nation, Cheam)*

*Mike Mercredi (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation)*

*Russell Diabo (Mohawk Nation)*

*Sherry Pictou (Bear River First Nation)*

*Terry Sappier (Tobique First Nation)*

* *

*In addition to the signers, the following non-Indigenous individuals worked
on and agreed to the call: Corvin Russell, David Sone, Harsha Walia, Peter
Kulchyski, and Shiri Pasternak
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting.*

* *

*TO BECOME A SIGNER:  email defendersoftheland at gmail.com and let us know if
you can speak for an Indigenous Nation, community, or group that would like
to sign. Please include your contact information - this will not be
published, it will be used only to verify your signing. You can also sign as
an Indigenous individual. Write defendersoftheland at gmail.com with your name
and how you would like to be identified. Supporter groups can also declare
solidarity. *

-- 
Check out IPSMO's Videos:

http://ipsmo.wordpress.com/video-archives/

IPSMO's Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=120142932547&ref=ts
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