[IPSM] Fwd: Solidarity for Barriere Lake - Toronto

[stef at tao.ca]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Barriere Lake Solidarity Toronto
<barrierelakesolidaritytoronto at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Subject: Solidarity for Barriere Lake - Toronto
To: Barriere Lake Solidarity Toronto
<barrierelakesolidaritytoronto at gmail.com>



Dear friends and supporters,

Thanks to everyone who attended the event on November 5th with
Barriere Lake community members Norman Matchewan and Marylynn
Poucachiche and policy analyst Russell Diabo. The event was a great
success and the feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive.

We are asking all organizations, friends and allies to please:

Help PUBLICIZE this solidarity campaign by distributing news
announcements that come over this list, by covering this story in your
newsletters, journals, or newspapers, and by distributing posters or
leaflets for any upcoming events

SUPPORT the List of Demands from the community:
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/mission.html

DONATE: the community of Barriere Lake is in great need of financial
support: RAISE FUNDS within your organization or academic department
or neighbourhood, etc. and make donations on-line:
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html or
contact barrierelakesolidaritytoronto at gmail.com to find out other ways
to make donations to the community.

ATTEND the first supporters meeting on Wednesday, November 26th,
5pm-6pm, upstairs at Tequila Bookworm, 512 Queen Street West

Background information on the conflict

Bookending almost 20 years of struggle against clear-cut forestry,
flooding, deplorable living conditions, and lack of land, the
Algonquins of Barriere Lake blockaded roads throughout the late 1980s
and early 90s, managing to secure a landmark resource co-management
agreement with Quebec and federal Crowns. However, the Algonquins were
back on the blockades in October 2008 - demanding that the government
honour these agreements, which have yet to be implemented. Worsening
the distress in the community, in March 2008, the Department of Indian
Affairs recognized a dissident faction as council, usurping the
Customary Chief and Council. This is the THIRD time the government has
intervened in the customary government of the Algonquins, who have
already won their case against this imposition twice with the help of
mediation. The dissident faction is working to undermine the historic
"Trilateral Agreement," making them a more desirable government to
work with for Indian Affairs.

For documents, reports, media, and video resources on the history of
Barriere Lake, please see:
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/resources.html

Message from the Community

"We, the Barriere Lake traditional people have always lived under our
customary laws, which we have codified as our Mitchikanibikok
Anishinabe Onakinakewin (the Barriere Lake Customary Governance Code).
This is what our great grandparents left for us, our children and
grandchildren, and the coming generations. Our responsibility is to
make sure that our customary laws will always be respected and
protected.

Our Feast is where we give thanks for what we feed our families, the
foods that come from our lands and waters. The Three String Wampum is
a symbol for shaking hands with our Brothers and Sisters, their
children and all living things. This is where our teachings come from.
We have a big responsibility: To Protect Our Land, To Protect Our
Animals, Fish and Birds. To defend our hunting way of life so our
teachings and our feast will continue to exist for our children,
grandchildren and the coming generations, along with our Language and
Beliefs.

Today, as the traditional people of our community, we are fighting to
defend our customary laws from being violated by individuals who no
longer respect them, including how we govern ourselves. We will honor
what our great grandparents left us. No one will take our customary
laws and side with the federal government to gain money by
compromising our rights and interests.

Our customary laws are meant to help us live in harmony on our Lands
and with each other. It is only when individuals living in our
community violate and disrespect our customs, that the harmony is
broken. Despite repeated warnings to stop, a dissident faction has
continued to violate and disrespect our customs and have broken our
community's harmony. Therefore, on March 4, 2008, the majority of our
eligible community members of Mitchikanibikok confirmed that we will
not accept these dissidents living in our community. Now the federal
government is trying to impose them on us by using the Surete du
Quebec to bring them into our community.

The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec want to replace
our Customary Chief and Council because our leaders are demanding that
they honour the agreements they entered into with our First Nation.

For the federal government, that is:

The 1991 Trilateral Agreement.

The 1997 Memorandum of Mutual Intent & Global Proposal to Rebuild our
Community.

The Special Provisions inserted into our Contribution Agreements until
the Third Party Manager took over our administrative affairs.

For the Government of Quebec, that is:

1998 Bilateral Agreement and the implementation of the Joint
Recommendations adopted by the Quebec negotiator, John Ciaccia, and
our negotiator, Clifford Lincoln, particularly paying our First Nation
$1.5 million annually in Revenue Sharing.

The federal government is trying to impose a minority dissident group
over our First Nation in order to try and get out of their obligations
under the signed agreements with our First Nation. This is a repeat of
what they tried to do to us in 1996-97."

Thank you for your support, if you have any questions please do not
hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Barriere Lake Solidarity Toronto

www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com (Coming soon - Toronto node
for solidarity website)

barrierelakesoldaritytoronto at gmail.com