[Indigsol] First Nations Under Surveillance: Harper Government Prepares for First Nations “Unrest"

[Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement -Ottawa]

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First Nations Under Surveillance: Harper Government Prepares for First
Nations “Unrest"
by Russell Diabo and Shiri Pasternak

http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/first-nations-under-surveillance/7434
http://www.scribd.com/doc/57561401/First-Nations-Strategic-Bulletin-Jan-May-2011

Internal documents from Indian Affairs and the RCMP show that shortly
after forming government in January of 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
had the federal government tighten up on gathering and sharing
intelligence on First Nations to anticipate and manage potential First
Nation unrest across Canada.

Information obtained by Access to Information requests reveals that almost
immediately upon taking power in 2006, the Department of Indian and
Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) was given the lead role to spy on First
Nations. The goal was to identify the First Nation leaders, participants
and outside supporters of First Nation occupations and protests, and to
closely monitor their actions.

To accomplish this task, INAC established a “Hot Spot Reporting System.”
These weekly reports highlight all those communities across the country
that engage in direct action to protect their lands and communities. They
include Tobique First Nation, Tsartlip First Nation, the Algonquins of
Barriere Lake, Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) First Nation, Six Nations, Grassy
Narrows, Stz’uminous First Nation, the Likhts’amsiyu Clan of the
Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Gitxaala First Nation, Wagmatcook First Nation,
Innu of Labrador, Pikangikum First Nation, and many more. They include
bands from the coast of Vancouver Island to the shores of the Atlantic
Ocean.

What we see in these documents – from the hot spot reports themselves, to
the intelligence-sharing between government and security forces – is a
closely monitored population of First Nations, who clearly are causing a
panic at the highest levels of Canadian bureaucracy and political office.
Click on links above to read more.

Mainstream Media Coverage:

Monitoring of First Nations beefed up in '06: documents
Aboriginal affairs minister's office says First Nations not only public
safety areas targeted
By Marlene Habib, CBC News
Jun 13, 2011

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/06/13/first-nations-documents.html

Feds monitoring ‘aboriginal hotspots’
JESSICA SMITH, Metronews
June 14, 2011

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/888764--feds-monitoring-aboriginal-hotspot

Documents Show Government Monitoring of Aboriginal Groups
Indian Country Today
June 8, 2011

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/201

CPAC - Interview with Russell Diabo - video

http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&hl=e&clipID=5754&dlfr=flr

Leader is surprised by monitoring lists
Federal government after 2006 election set up 'hot spot reporting system'
to watch protests
By Dustin Walker, The Daily News

http://www.canada.com/Leader+surprised+monitoring+lists/4948049/story.html


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