[IPSM] Support Needed for Algonquin Youth Refusing to Leave Gatineau MP's Office

[Jaggi Singh]

<please forward widely>

Emergency Action Update
ALGONQUIN YOUTH AND SUPPORTERS REFUSING TO LEAVE CONSERVATIVE MP
LAWRENCE CANNON'S OFFICE
Support Urgently Needed for Algonquins of Barriere Lake

Today a group of Algonquin youth and supporters entered MP Lawrence
Canon's office to demand a meeting with him. They are refusing to
leave until this happens. Anyone able to come to the Buckingham
constituency office to lend support is invited to attend.
They've been told they will be arrested unless they leave.

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CONTENTS

1) UPDATE FROM INSIDE MINISTER CANNON'S OFFICE
2) THE DEMANDS
3) BACKGROUND INFORMATION
4) MINISTER CANNON'S OFFICE LOCATION AND CONTACT INFO
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1) UPDATE FROM INSIDE MINISTER CANNON'S OFFICE:

"Our group, composed of Algonquin youth and supporters, successfully
entered Minister Cannon's Buckingham riding office, 25 minutes from
Ottawa, at 11:30am today, Thursday, June 26th. Minister Cannon is not
around and his staff have been mum about his whereabouts. But spirits
are high and people are settling in and getting comfortable, despite
the fact the Minister Cannon's staff have turned off the air
conditioning in an attempt to force people to leave the office. At
first Minister Cannon's staff offered to arrange meetings with low
level bureaucrats instead of a meeting with Minister Cannon, but we
are refused to take the bait. Now we've been told that Minister Cannon
has no involvement or responsibility for Barriere Lake, and that if we
do not leave we will be arrested. We intend to stick it out until our
demands are met.

We would love to have supporters form the surrounding region come to
Minister Cannon's office to join us. The more the merrier, and
supporters may help deter any police action. Alternately, if you can't
come to Minister Cannon's office, we encourage people to call or fax
his various offices and request that he meet with us."

2) DEMANDS

We are members of the community of Barriere Lake and their supporters.
We are peacefully occupying Minister Lawrence Cannon's office. We
demand:

i) A meeting with Lawrence Cannon, MP for the Barriere Lake community.
ii) That the government oversee a leadership re-selection process,
with outside observers, recognize the resultant Customary Chiefs and
Council, and  end all interference in the internal governance of
Barriere Lake.

3) BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[ ] NO COUPS D'ETAT ON ALGONQUIN LAND
[ ] END INDIAN AFFAIRS' MANIPULATION OF TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT
[ ] HANDS OFF BARRIERE LAKE

For twenty difficult years, the small Algonquin community of Barriere Lake,
3 hours north of Ottawa, has been struggling to hold the government to their
word. In 1991, they signed a landmark resource co-management and sustainable
development agreement with Canada and Quebec to protect Algonquin land uses,
to conserve the forest and wildlife, and to give them a share in the
resource revenue from the logging and hydro projects on their traditional
territories. Corporations extract $100 million a year -- Barriere Lake
receives nary a penny.

The Canadian government walked away from the agreement in 2001. Instead of
fulfilling their obligations, the Federal Department of Indian Affairs has
ousted the Customary Chief and Council and illegally appointed a minority
faction as the leadership, in an attempt to scrap the agreement.

* Despite several Quebec Hydro dams on their territory, the community is
forced to use aging diesel generators to provide power.

* The housing crisis in the community has reached tragic proportions, with
most living in moldy, often condemned houses. As many as 18 people live in
one house.

* The Surete du Quebec has been used to forcibly impose and maintain the
authority of the government-backed minority faction.

* Children have been prevented from speaking Algonquin in school by teachers
hired by outsiders—a grim throwback to residential schools.

Join us in Gatineau, and support the community as it demands that the
government respect the law and uphold their agreements.

MORE INFO: barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com
CONTACT: barrierelakesolidarity at gmail.com

4) MINISTER CANNON'S OFFICE LOCATION

It's about a 25 minute drive from Ottawa. The address is:
127 Joseph Street
Buckingham, Qc
J8L 1G1
Map link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=127%20joseph%20street%20gatineau%20quebec&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

All of his contact info is described here:
http://www.lawrencecannon.com/EN/contact_lawrence/