[Indigsol] Urgent Action Alert for Algonquins of Barriere Lake

Thu Jul 12 09:24:27 PDT 2012

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Urgent Action Alert for Algonquins of Barriere Lake
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What you can do to support Barriere Lake Land Defense Camp TODAY

** please forward widely **

A group of Barriere Lake Algonquins have been camped out at Poigan Lake,
Quebec for almost a week now, determined not to leave the site until
Resolute Forest Products (formerly AbitibiBowater) agrees to stop
clear-cut logging their unceded territory and engage in a meaningful
consultation process with the community. (See www.ipsmo.org for ongoing
coverage of the situation). The community is now asking for crucial
outside support in order to increase pressure on the government and
forestry companies to meet the demands of the traditional land-holders.

Please take a few minutes to support their struggle to protect their lands
and identity by
• sending a letter to the Minister;
• attending an action in Montreal next Wednesday July 18; and/or
• donating money or supplies.

See below for details or find this Action Alert online at
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/support-barriere-lake-today/

SEND A LETTER OR PLACE A PHONE-CALL TO THE MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES,
QUEBEC AND RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS:

Take 3 minutes to click this link
http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/2007/10/blog-post.html and send a
letter to:

M. Clément Gignac, Minister of Natural Resources (ministre at mrnf.gouv.qc.ca)

M. Vincent Larin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Maniwaki
(outaouais at mrnf.gouv.qc.ca or vincent.larin at mrnf.gouv.qc.ca)

M. Richard Garneau, President and CEO, Resolute Forest Products
(richard.garneau at resolutefp.com)

OR

Cut and paste the letter below into your email and send it to them yourself.

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Dear Mr. Gignac, Mr. Larin, and Mr. Garneau,

I have come to learn that the Ministry of Natural Resources has permitted
Resolute Forest Products to commence logging on the traditional territory
of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, without consultation or the consent of
the Aboriginal rights holders and users of that land.

In order to protect their constitutionally guaranteed rights, the
Algonquins of Barriere Lake have set up a camp at Poigan Lake, to protest
the illegal logging.

I want to express my extreme concern that rather than acknowledge the
Ministry's lack of proper consultation (in violation of the Constitution
and the Supreme Court's Haida and Taku River decision) the government has
called in police to protect illegal logging, and has threatened the
Algonquin people with violence and arrest, while helicopters, paddy
wagons, and riot police stand by waiting to take people to jail for
defending their constitutionally protected rights.

Please respect the law and the constitutionally protected Aboriginal
rights of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, as affirmed also in the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by doing the following:

* Stop the logging immediately;
* Revoke permits issued without the consent of those family harvesters
whose land is being clear-cut;
* Meet with community members and negotiate a peaceful settlement to this
conflict;
* No arrests of Algonquins defending their constitutionally protected
Aboriginal rights.

Yours truly,

----

If you are sending from your own email account, consider cc’ing:

Mr. Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations
(satleo at afn.ca, info at shawnatleo.com)

Mr. Ghislain Picard, Regional Chief, Assembly of First Nations, Quebec and
Labrador (gpicard at bell.blackberry.net)

Mr. Gerald Butts, Executive Director, World Wildlife Fund
(GButts at wwfcanada.org)

M. François Dufresne, President, Forest Stewardship Council of Canada
(fdufresne at fsccanada.org)

M. Mathieu Ravignat, MP, Pontiac (Mathieu.Ravignat at parl.gc.ca)

Mme. Stéphanie Vallée, MNA, Gatineau (svallee-gati at assnat.qc.ca)

Ellen Gabriel (katsitsakwas1 at hotmail.com)

Pamela Palmater (ppalmater at politics.ryerson.ca)

JOIN IN AN ACTION AGAINST RESOLUTE FOREST PRODUCTS ON JULY 18:

Emergency Casserole Demo in Solidarity with Algonquin Land Defence
>From Montreal to Barriere Lake: Solidarity against police repression

Wednesday, July 18th at 11:30am
at 111 Duke Street, Montreal (between Wellington St. and Ottawa St., 10
minute walk from Metro Square-Victoria)

In front of the offices of the logging company, Resolute Forest Products

Last week, Resolute Forest Products (formerly known as Abitibi-Bowater)
began active clear-cut logging on the traditional territory of the
Algonquins of Barriere Lake, five hours north of Montreal, on land that is
crucial for their culture and survival as a people. The logging company
and government have ignored repeated demands by  the community for
consultation, despite resource-sharing agreements signed by both the
provincial and federal governments that require this kind of community
participation.

Rather than talking with the community, the government sent the riot squad
of Sûreté du Québec (SQ) to enforce the continuation of logging, and
threatened to arrest the families who are currently camping near the
logging site.

Montreal-based supporters of the people of Barriere Lake are calling for a
lunchtime casserole outside of the logging company offices to demand that
they stop their logging and consult with the people of Barriere Lake.
After a rally in front of the logging company office, we will continue
towards the office of Premier Charest, to protest the criminalization of
popular struggle by the government of Quebec. Casseroles began in Montreal
as a rejection of attempts by the government to criminalize the popular
movement of the students through Law 78 and police repression. For
indigenous communities such as Barriere Lake, the struggle against the
criminalization and repression of their communities has been ongoing for
generations as they struggle to defend their land.

No to the criminalization of popular struggle!

Solidarity with indigenous defence of the land!

Solidarity with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake!

DONATE MONEY / SUPPLIES TO HELP COVER BASIC NEEDS AT THE LAND DEFENSE CAMP:

Please give generously through the Barriere Lake Solidarity PayPal
account: http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/2008/03/donations.html
(Scroll down for PayPal button).

If you live in Ottawa, you can drop off supplies at 46 Edgar St. over the
new few days. Email barrierelakesolidaritytoronto at gmail.com with
questions.

HERE IS THE LIST OF NEEDS:

    gas money
    coffee
    whitener for coffee
    tea bags
    white sugar
    brown sugar
    cookies
    cooking oil
    long grain white rice
    white beans
    canned goods
    powder juice
    pasta
    pasta sauce
    baking powder
    salt
    veggies
    fruit
    tea bags
    eggs
    bread
    lighter
“These are the essentials and other stuff is welcome.”

SHARE PRESS RELEASES, VIDEO, IMAGES, SOLIDARITY ACTIONS, AND MESSAGES FROM
THE CAMP THROUGH YOUR NETWORKS:

Check out www.ipsmo.org for ongoing coverage of the land defense camp.
Please share within your networks. Better yet, write a story for your
local newspaper or radio station.

SIGN UP TO THE BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY LISTSERVE TO STAY INVOLVED:

Find the sign-up box on the right column of our website:
http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY'S STRUGGLE:

For more information on Barriere Lake’s land struggle, watch this video
http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/2011/05/please-share-this-video.html

and check out the “Background” section of the Barriere Lake solidarity
website: http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/.

********************

In Solidarity,

The Indigenous Peoples’ Solidarity Movement of Ottawa  (IPSMO)
on unceded Algonquin Territory

Web Site: http://www.ipsmo.org
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ipsmo

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