[opirgyork] Weekly Digest November 4th 2010

[Aruna]

Hey OPIRGers!

Special offer for OPIRG members!

Discount tickets for Hawksley Workman and Naomi Klein event!
(with LAL)
Thursday November 11th
7:00pm - Pre-event / 8:00pm - Main event
The Great Hall 1087 Queen St. W

Are you a fan of Hawksley Workman and Naomi Klein? OPIRG York is 
offering ten discount tickets to the
G20 Legal Defense Fundraiser this coming Nov. 11. Tickets are normally 
being sold for $50, but we are
selling tickets at $25 for any OPIRG members or volunteers. This will be 
a first come, first serve
process and the limit is two per person (if you want to bring a date!).

People can write to sharmeen at opirgyork.ca to reserve one or two tickets. 
Tickets will be available for
pick up in room C449 between Tuesday Nov 9 to Thursday Nov. 11. We can 
only accept cash for the tickets.

For more information on the concert, please go to 
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/nov11

anddddd.....

George Galloway to speak at York University
November 16th 2010
Location TBA

Volunteers Needed!

OPIRG-York is partnering up with the YFS and other student organizations 
to welcome George
Galloway to York University. Recently barred from entering Canada on the 
orders of Jason Kenney's
office, Galloway is touring Canada to speak on anti-war activism, 
Palestinian human rights
and his experience fighting the Canadian Tories.

We need volunteers to help get the word out. If you are interested in 
flyering, talking to York
students and getting the word out, please attend the George Galloway 
volunteer meeting at:

Monday November 8
3:00pm
YFS Board Room
Room 336, Student Centre

This workshop will give you more information on the George Galloway and 
important talking points when speaking to students.

If you would like to help, please attend the workshop, or email 
aruna at opirgyork.ca

About George Galloway
George Galloway is best known as the former Member of Parliament in 
Britain from 1987 to 2010.
He has been an outspoken critic against the British and US invasion of 
Iraq. He is also active in
fighting Israeli apartheid in Palestine, most notably attempting to 
break the economic sanctions
placed on Gaza through the Viva Palestina aid convoy. In March 2009, 
Galloway was denied entry into
Canada because of "security grounds" due to his participation with the 
Viva Palestina convoy.
He is now allowed to enter Canada after a judge ruled the original ban 
was political rather than concerns over security.

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***EVENTS****

1) PEOPLE'S RESISTANCE TO UNDOCUMENTED & PRECARIOUS WORK
2) Justice Cafe
3) Educational: Raise the Rates and Special Diet Campaign
4) Stop the Execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal! (Rally)
5) The Osgoode Hall Law Union presents You Don't Like the Truth: Four 
Days inside Guantanamo.
6) BRING THEM DOWN! Walls > From Palestine to Turtle Island. From 
Physical to Invisible.
7) G20 November 11 Fundraiser w Naomi Klein, Hawksley Workman and LAL
8) “Not By Our Tears” Theatrical Play
9) Author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid, Yves Engler to speak 
on Canada-Israel relations
10) SOMEONE ELSE'S TREASURE by Allan Lissner (Silent Auction for mining 
affected communities)
11) “The Palestinian Refugees and the Middle East Peace Negotiations”: 
Noura Erakat
12) Trans day of Remembrance at York, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18TH, (details tba)
13) UPCOMING CLINIC FOR PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT
DURING THE G20

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1) PEOPLE'S RESISTANCE TO UNDOCUMENTED & PRECARIOUS WORK

please participate in a Community-Labour discussion hosted by No One
Is Illegal – Toronto

November 4, 2010

6:00pm – 8:00pm

OPSEU Union Hall, 31 Wellesley Street

(across from Wellesley Subway Station)
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/492
supported by: Justicia for Migrant Workers, Industrial Accident
Victims Group of Ontario, OPSEU Workers of Color, Caregiver Action
Centre, Labor Education Centre, Workers Action Centre, Health for All,
Latin American Trade Unionist Coalition, Coalition for Change: Live in
Caregivers and Temporary Workers

speakers:
FRANCA IACOVETTA is Professor of History and author of “Such
Hardworking People: Italian Immigrants in Postwar Toronto” that
focused on the Hoggs Hollow disaster.

TZAZNA MIRANDA LEAL is an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers

MOHAN MISHRA is an organizer with No One Is Illegal – Toronto

also remarks by Cosmo Mannella (Director of The Labourers
International Union of North America (LIUNA) Canadian Tri-Fund);
Elizabeth Ha (OPSEU Workers of Colour & OFL VP Workers of Colour);
Jessica Ponting (Community legal worker with Industrial Accident
Victims Group of Ontario); Pura Velasco (Caregiver Action Centre);
Jojo Geronimo (Executive Director, Labor Education Centre) and members
of the Workers Action Centre

On September 10, 2010 two migrant workers Ralston White and Paul Roach
died after inhaling toxic fumes at Filsinger's Organic Foods
appleorchard and processing facility near Owen Sound, Ontario. On
December 24, 2009, Alexander Bondorev, Aleksey Blumberg, Fayzullo
Fazilov, Vladimir Korostin, migrant workers without full status, fell
to their deaths when the scaffolding they were working on collapsed in
half. Though these deaths made the mainstream news, migrant workers
and undocumented workers continue to be hurt, to get ill and to die
both in Canada or upon being deported to countries they have
citizenship in. This injustice must end.

50 years ago, five Italian construction workers, Pasquale Allegrezza,
Giovanni Correglio, Giovanni Fusillo, and Alessandro and Guido
Mantella, died while working in a dangerous tunnel near Yonge Street
in Toronto, remembered as the Hoggs Hollow disaster. Knowing

that workers without full status were facing flagrant workplace
violations, negligent employers and little legislative protection from
occupational hazards, workers across the city rose up, and carried out
a series of actions and strikes in a fight to organize the
building trades.

Today as migrant workers continue to die, labour activists and
community groups must gather together, to reignite a new fight. A
fight that creates far-reaching changes and challenges the very root
of people's inability to access real safety – immigration status and
racism.

Join community groups and labour activist to discuss and demand:

** Moratorium on deportations for all workers with WSIB claims and
MOL complaints
** Access to Health and Safety without Fear
** Status for injured workers and their families
** Status for All!

Please email nooneisillegal at riseup.net to endorse.
on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159718884061029

For background

** Criminal charges not enough, more needs to be done to ensure
migrant workers come home alive, say community organizations:
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/490 (Oct 19, 2010)

** Stop the killing of migrant workers, end exploitative temporary
work programs: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/483 (Sep 16,
2010)

** Hundreds mourn migrant worker
deaths:http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/391 (Jan 8, 2010)

** Justice for migrant workers killed at work:
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/397 (Jan 7, 2010)

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2) Justice Cafe

Due to popular demand, the Justice Cafe has returned for the 2010-2011 
school
year!

The first Justice Cafe will be held on:

Monday, November 8th
5:30-7:30
Student Centre 307

One the agenda:
- meet n' greet
- some house-keeping
- coffee, tea and more
- networking and discussions

The Justice Cafe aims to create a community of like-minded people who 
care about
local and global justice. We encourage dialogue, not debate and help our 
members
better understand social and environmental issues through relationship 
building.

To ensure a strengthened community, we have collaborated with other 
groups on
campus including Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), The Ecologically 
Conscious
Organization (ECO) and the Student Christian Movement (SCM).

Please feel free to forward this to other people who might be interested.

Hope to see you all there!

Global @ York

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3) Educational: Raise the Rates and Special Diet Campaign

Why are Social Assistance Rates a Workers Issue?

Join us for the Raise the Rates & Special Diet Campaign Educational
Monday November 8, 2010 from 6 to 9 pm
CUPE 4400: 1482 Bathurst St, Suite 200

**On-Site Childcare and Food Provided

At the 2010 Spring CUPE Ontario Convention, we took an important step in 
continuing to build
solidarity with our community allies and fighting poverty by voting to 
support an emergency
resolution to endorse and actively support the campaigns to raise social 
assistance rates
and to stop the McGuinty Government's cut to the Special Diet program.
Join fellow CUPE members for an educational on the Raise the Rates and 
Special Diet Campaign
to get the word out in our workplaces about why raising social 
assistance rates is a workers
issue and what can be done to take this issue on.For more information, 
contact: 416-596-7927 / cupe4308 at gmail.com
CUPE Ontario: Save the Special Diet and Raise the Rates: 
http://cupe.on.ca/doc.php?document_id=1114&lang=en

CUPE Ontario Statement on the Special Diet Allowance: 
http://cupe.on.ca/doc.php?subject_id=227&lang=en

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4) Stop the Execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal!

Date: November 9
Time: 6-7:30pm EST
Location: US consulate (360 University Ave., Toronto ON)

On November 9, the U.S. Third Circuit Court in Philadelphia will hear
oral arguments concerning whether Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black journalist
and political prisoner who has been on death row for 28 years, should
be executed or given a new sentencing trial. If the court rules
against Mumia he could soon be executed. According to lead attorney,
Robert R. Bryan, Mumia is now “in the greatest danger since his 1981
arrest.”

In 2001, U.S. District Court Judge William Yohn ruled that before
Mumia could be executed there must first be a new sentencing-phase
jury trial where new evidence could be presented. This 2001 ruling was
affirmed by the U.S. Third Circuit in 2008, but in January 2010, the
U.S. Supreme Court vacated that ruling and sent the case back to the
Third Circuit for reconsideration.

Mountains of evidence, including witness recantations, a confession
from the actual killer and photographic evidence of the crime scene,
proves Mumia’s innocence. Yet state and federal courts have slammed
the door on this outspoken opponent of war, racism, police brutality
and corruption. We have to stop them! Mumia must be freed!

Free Mumia! Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!

Endorsed by: Anarchist Black Cross, Angola 3 Support Committee,
BASICS Community News Service, Black Action Defense Committee,
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (Toronto Local), Common Cause,
Community Justice Coalition, Community Solidarity Network, CUPE
3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group, Educators for Peace &
Justice, Esplanade Community Group, Fightback, Ginger Project,
Independent Jewish Voices (Toronto), International Bolshevik Tendency,
NDP Socialist Caucus, OPIRG (UofT), Revolutionary Women’s Collective,
Sense of Security (Guelph), Socialist Action, Socialist Alternative,
Socialist Project, The Spot Collective (K-W), Third World First, Toronto
Forum on Cuba, Toronto Haiti Action Committee, Toronto New Socialists,
Upping the Anti

FB Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165132616838131

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5) Come see the Documentary Stephen Harper was Personally Invited to Screen!

The Osgoode Hall Law Union presents You Don't Like the Truth: Four Days 
inside Guantanamo.
A team of Montreal film- makers explore the case of Canadian Omar Khadr 
through a series
of de- classified tapes showing his interrogation by CSIS officials in 
2003.
The documentary screening will be followed by legal commentary from 
Osgoode Hall
Law Professors Jamie Cameron and Bruce Ryder.

Date: Wednesday November 10th, 2010 at 12:30pm
Location: Osgoode Hall Law School, Rm. 206

Note: Cost of admission is $10 (or pay what you can- no one will be 
turned away),
all proceeds go towards Omar Khadr's legal defence.

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6) BRING THEM DOWN!

Walls > From Palestine to Turtle Island. From Physical to Invisible.

Wednesday, November 10th: 6:30pm | Location: York University, GSA 
Conference Room, Student Centre: Rm. 430

Join Students Against Israeli Apartheid and No One Is Illegal as we mark 
the week of solidarity
with the Palestinian people against the illegal Apartheid Wall. This 
event will feature a panel
discussion that traces the network of walls that have been built as 
barricades to dispossess,
divide and isolate people here and around the world. >From Occupied 
Palestine to Occupied Turtle
Island, these walls permeate everyday life. These may be walls that 
create open air prisons in
Gaza, Bantustans in the West Bank, border walls strewn with barbed wire 
that bleed migrants or
walls that are erected as barriers to our own dignity and humanity. 
Walls so grotesquely visible
and walls that are so conspicuously invisible – walls that crisscross 
the streets we walk on, this city we live in.
Join us as we trace this network of walls from Palestine to Mexico to 
United States to Canada.
Hear stories of people working tirelessly to bring them down. Most 
important of all, be part of
a resistance movement that seeks no other compromise but a complete 
destruction of these oppressive structures.

Speakers Include:

Clare O'Connor, is a member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid 
and an editor for Upping the
Anti: A journal of theory and action. She was involved with Palestine 
solidarity activism at York
University between 2005-08, and now works for the Ontario Public 
Interest Research Group at the University of Toronto.

Graciela Flores, an anti-racist feminist, student, and activist who 
combats individual and systemic
oppression particularly around issues of gender and migrant justice. A 
Mexican migrant who lived without
status in the United States near the Mexico-U.S border for the majority 
of her life, Graciela uses her
personal experience to educate people about the consequences of physical 
and invisible racist walls
that seek to dehumanize. Aside from working with Latina youth in order 
to empower them and help create
safe spaces where intersecting oppressions are challenged through 
education, Graciela is also a member
of No One Is Illegal-Toronto, a grassroots migrant justice organization.

Jean McDonald, a SSHRC post-doctoral fellow at the Institute on 
Globalization and the Human Condition
at McMaster University. Her research examines migrant illegalization and 
the production of 'internal
borders' within the realm of service provision in Toronto, focusing on 
gender violence, racism,
nationalism and global capitalism. Recent publications include, 
“Citizenship, Illegality and Sanctuary,”
(2007) in Interrogating Race and Racism, ed. by Vijay Agnew. Jean is a 
long-time member of No One Is Illegal in Toronto.

Katherine Lapointe, an organizer with Students Against Israeli Apartheid 
(SAIA) and the Coalition
Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA). She is also a graduate student in the 
Faculty of Environmental Studies
at York University, where her research is on decolonizing education and 
critical pedagogy.

**Childcare available**

++Light refreshments will be provided.++

For more about the Week Against the Wall, visit:
http://www.stopthewall.org/

For more information about Students Against Israeli Apartheid -York and 
No One Is Illegal- Toronto:
NOII- http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/
SAIA: saiayork at riseup.net

Endorsed by: Ontario Public Interest Research Group at York,York 
University Graduate Students' Association (YUGSA)

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7) G20 November 11 Fundraiser w Naomi Klein, Hawksley Workman and LAL

MARK THE DATE - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11. G20 LEGAL DEFENCE FUNDRAISER!

What: G20 Legal Defence Fundraiser with NAOMI KLEIN, HAWKSLEY WORKMAN 
and LAL (with an optional special pre-event with Naomi Klein)
When: Thursday, November 11. Doors. 8pm.
Where: The Great Hall 1087 Queen St West, Toronto ON
Website: www.g20.torontomobilize.org/nov11

During the G20 summit in June this year, the residents of Toronto bore 
witness to the largest
mass arrest in Canadian history as approximately 1200 people were 
assaulted, harassed, beaten
and arrested by the police. More than 250 were charged and six remain in 
jail. Others are out
on bail under extraordinarily restrictive conditions, continuing to face 
police harassment and
re-arrest. Legal costs are mounting.
Despite this repression, more than 40,000 people marched on the streets 
of Toronto to resist the
destructive, exploitative and exclusionary agenda of the G20. As we 
continue to organize against
the G20 agenda, we must now also raise money to defend all those who are 
forced to go through
expensive legal proceedings.

So mark the date - November 11th – and join us for an evening of song 
and speech with Naomi, Hawksley,
LAL and friends! All proceeds raised will be donated to the G20 legal 
defence fund.
Tickets: $50 in advance, $60 at the door

You can purchase tickets online for the pre-event & main event or the 
main event only at Gallery AC.
Exclusive Ticket ($100): 
http://galleryac.com/hawksley-workman-naomi-klein-event-exclusive.html
Regular ($50) Ticket:
http://galleryac.com/hawksley-workman-naomi-klein-event.html

ANOTHER STORY: 315 Roncesvalles Avenue/ 416-462-1104
ROTATE THIS: 801 Queen St. West/ 416-504-8447
SOUNDSCAPES: 572 College St./ 416-537-1620
TORONTO WOMENS BOOKSTORE: 73 Harbord St/ 416-922-8744

PRE-EVENT WITH NAOMI KLEIN: A special reception with Naomi Klein prior 
to the beginning of the main show.
Capacity limited to 60 people. On first come first serve basis. Tickets 
for pre-event + show are $100, and are available online only

******

If you would like to volunteer, please email Allison at: 
november11volunteer at gmail.com.

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8) “Not By Our Tears”

A traditional Tamil verse play illustrating the plight of Tamils in Sri 
Lanka.
The play is back in Toronto after its premiere in November 2009 followed 
by its tour around North America.

Not By Our Tears is the voice of thousands of voiceless people that were 
interned and
are still suffering under the discriminatory Sri Lankan state. While 
chronicling the
story of internment, loss and trauma, the play skillfully articulates a 
poetic vision of mourning and hope.

Not by our Tears belongs to a special genre in the tradition of Tamil 
drama, commonly
known as “verse play” (paa naadakam) or “play in poetry”. The objective 
of such
performances is to offer a visual and oral representation of poetry. 
Traditionally,
some of the most important plays in Tamil have been verse plays. In more 
recent years,
this tradition of theatre merged with the practice of performing poetry 
orally for groups
of interested listeners. The confluence of the two has given to this 
genre a particular resonance.
A verse play is both contemporary and ancient; it combines the immediacy 
of oral poetry with the aesthetic distance of theatrical performance.

Based on the English translation of contemporary Tamil resistance poetry 
by three major Tamil
poets, namely, Cheran, Jayapalan and Puthuvai Ratnathurai, Not by our 
Tears skillfully weaves
memory, history and narrative to evoke a haunting and heart-wrenching 
image of internment, loss,
nostalgia and resistance.
The play is written by R. Cheran and directed by Dushy Gnanpragasam. The 
lighting and multimedia
design is by Eugine Vincent (Karuna)
Date & Time: Saturday, November 13 · 4:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: University of Toronto, Robert Gill Theatre
214 College Street.
Toronto, ON

Tickets: $20 @ Box office: 416-978-7986
For More info Contact : Canadian Tamil Congress: 416 240-0078 / 
info at canadiantamilcongress.ca or Suj: 647 836 6858 / thirusuj at gmail.com

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9) Author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid, Yves Engler to speak 
on Canada-Israel relations
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at Ryerson Univeristy


Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Where: 55 Gould Street, Room SCC 115 at Ryerson University
Time: 7:00pm

Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtIZNcKPBNQ
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129330517120834

Many Canadians are concerned about Harper’s “Israel no matter what” 
policy and his claims that
Canadian values are Israeli values. They are concerned by the Harper 
government's open attacks
and defunding of groups who in any way have defended the rights of 
Palestinians. Under Harper,
the Canadian government was the first country to cut assistance with the 
Palestinian Authority
after Hamas won the legislative elections while it starting funding a 
Palestinian security force
to oversee Israel's occupation. Representing a fringe right-wing 
religious movement, Harper sees
eye to eye with Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Israeli government. 
Guest speaker Yves Engler
will present on these issues and outline the significance of the Harper 
government's “Israel
no matter what” policy.

About Yves Engler

Former Vice President of the Concordia Student Union, Yves Engler was 
expelled from Concordia
in the aftermath of the September 2002 protests against Benjamin 
Netanyahu. He has four
published books: The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy (Shortlisted 
for the Mavis Gallant
Prize for Non Fiction in the Quebec Writers’ Federation Literary 
Awards), Playing Left Wing:
 From Rink Rat to Student Radical and (with Anthony Fenton) Canada in 
Haiti: Waging War on The
Poor Majority and the just-released Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid.

For Further Information Visit: http://yvesengler.com/

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10) SOMEONE ELSE'S TREASURE by Allan Lissner, November 17th, 7 pm,
89 Roncesvalles (Tinto Coffee House)

A silent auction to raise funds for mining affected communities in 
Guatemala.
With commentary by: Anna Zalick and David Szablowski, York University 
Professors,
Eduardo Nunnink, Director of Planning and Development, Organization of 
the Shuar of
Ecuador (OSHE) and Javier De Leon, Association of Integral Development, 
San Miguel Ixtahuacan, Guatemala

The experience of community members of San Miguel Ixtahuacan represents 
the struggles of
many communities struggling to assert their self-determination in the 
face of violence,
threats to health and economic survival related to an exploitative 
mining industry.
Local communities from around the world are resisting these threats by 
initiating local
referendums, public protest, using legal frameworks and proposing 
alternate forms of development.
Many community members have learned from one another and linked their 
struggles and continue to
articulate a new way forward. Come and learn from community members and 
be part of the discussion and the solution!

About the artist: Allan Lissner is an independent photojournalist based 
in Toronto, Canada.
Allan's ongoing project, "Someone Else's Treasure", examines the social 
and environmental
impacts of the global mining industry on indigenous communities around 
the world. Some of
the organizations Allan has done work with include Amnesty 
International, Oxfam Canada,
Make Poverty History, Norwegian Church Aid, the Ontario Council for 
International Cooperation,
and the United Nations Development Program.

All money raised will go to: ADISMI (spanish acronym), the Association 
of Integral Development
of San Miguel Ixtahuacan, a grass-roots community-led group that has 
carried out more than 40
community consultations in San Marcos Guatemala.

Organized by Canadians Against Mining in El Salvador and Community 
Solidarity Response Toronto
For more info, please email: Susana.caxaj at gmail.com

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11) Marking the Annual International Day of Solidarity with the 
Palestinian People,

Palestine House is pleased to present a public lecture with:
Noura Erakat

On “The Palestinian Refugees and the Middle East Peace Negotiations”

Thursday 18 November 2010 at 7:00PM

University of Toronto (main campus) Sanford Fleming Building ,

10 King’s College Road
Room 1101

Noura Erakat is a Palestinian human rights attorney and activist. She is 
currently an adjunct professor
of international human rights law in the Middle East at Georgetown 
University and is the
US-based Legal Advocacy Coordinator for Badil Center for Palestinian 
Refugee and
Residency Rights. Most recently she served as Legal Counsel for a 
Congressional Subcommittee in the House
of Representatives, chaired by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich. She has 
helped to initiate and organize
several national formations including Arab Women Arising for Justice (AMWAJ)
and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). Noura has appeared 
on Fox’s
“The O’ Reilly Factor,” NBC’s “Politically Incorrect,” MSNBC, and 
Al-Jazeera Arabic and English.
Her publications include: “Litigating the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The 
Politicization of U.S. Federal Courts”
in the Berkeley Law Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, “Arabiya 
Made Invisible:
Between the Marginalization of Agency and the Silencing of Dissent” in a 
Syracuse Press anthology,
and “BDS in the USA : 2001-2010,” in the Middle East Report. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3eTcYlUCA

For further information, please visit www. Palestinehouse.com or 
www.caiaweb.org

This lecture is endorsed by:

Ontario Public Interest Research Group at York
The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA)
Student Against Isreali apartheid ( SAIA) York University
Committee for Democratic Palestine
Coalition of the Palestinian left
The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)
No in Our Name - Jewish Voices Against Zionism (NOIN)
Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Canada
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
Communist Party of Canada
The Holy Land Awareness and Action Task Group
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN, Toronto )

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12) Trans day of Remembrance at York, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18TH, (details tba)

Stay tuned to find out what the Centre is planning for Trans Day of
Remembrance. We will have a full day of events on Thursday November 18th,
including a panel on trans organizing on university campuses and a vigil. If
you would like to be involved in the organizing of this event or want to
volunteer get in touch at cwtpyork at gmail.com, or drop by. The more the 
merrier!

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13) UPCOMING CLINIC FOR PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT
DURING THE G20
hosted by the HUMAN RIGHTS LEGAL SUPPORT CENTRE
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23 at 10 am or 5 pm
This session will assist people who are thinking about filing a human
rights application under the Human Rights Code about their treatment
during the G20.

You may have been treated in a discriminatory manner if the police or
other G-20 authorities treated you negatively and differently because
of your race, ethnic origin, place of origin, citizenship, age,
gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or creed, or
family/marital status. The session is also for people who had needs
related to a disability, or related to another Code-related factor
such as age or gender, if those needs were not recognized and meet by
the police, for example, during the G-20.

The Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) is holding two
"application clinics" on Tuesday, November 23. One session is from
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Another session will be from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Both sessions are identical - there is no need to attend both
sessions. The clinics will be held at 180 Dundas Street West on the
8th floor.

These "hands-on" and practical sessions are designed to assist people
to make their own applications to the HRTO. The sessions will include
a brief overview of the Human Rights Code and the HRTO Application
form itself. This will be a group session, followed by an opportunity
for people to speak briefly with lawyers from the HRLSC about their
own matters.

To register for either session, please call: 416-314-6266 or
1-866-625-5179. You can register by email at:
karen.mcneilly.hrlsc at ontario.ca. For more information, please visit:
http://www.hrlsc.on.ca/en/g20summit.htm.


Questions about human rights and the G20 events in Toronto: Do you
have questions about your legal rights under the Code?

What human rights protection do I have under the Ontario Human Rights Code?

Ontario's Human Rights Code gives every person in Ontario the right to
be free from discrimination in employment, in housing, in services and
in facilities, and in entering into contracts. The Code protects
equality rights – the right to be treated equally without differences
based on personal characteristics such as race, gender or disability.
Ontario's Code protects you against discriminatory treatment by public
authorities, including police services.

The Code does not protect your constitutional rights under the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, such as freedom of assembly
and association, freedom of expression, the right to be secure against
arbitrary search and seizure or arbitrary detention and the right to
speak to a lawyer. To find out more about your constitutional rights,
go to: www.cba.org/bc/public_media/rights/200.aspx

If you think that you experienced discrimination in respect of your
treatment by police services or by any other service provider during
the G20 events, keep reading to find out more about your rights.

Any person who has experienced discriminatory treatment may apply to
the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario seeking a remedy for the
discrimination. The Tribunal's role is to resolve individual
applications through mediation or by conducting a hearing to decide if
what took place was in fact discriminatory. The Tribunal can make an
order against a person or body if discrimination is found to have
occurred. The Tribunal's process is designed to be easy to navigate.
Information and forms are available at:www.hrto.ca

The Human Rights Legal Support Centre offers legal advice and
assistance to people bringing a human rights application to the
Tribunal. For information, go to:www.hrlsc.on.ca

The Ontario Human Rights Commission is responsible for public
education about human rights. Among other powers, the Commission can
conduct a review or inquiry into issues involving human rights in
Ontario. Visit: www.ohrc.on.ca/en

Does the Human Rights Code protect me against discrimination by a
police officer?

Yes, the on-duty actions of municipal police (such as the Toronto
Police) and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers are generally
covered by the Ontario Human Rights Code as policing "services". A
detention centre may also be considered a facility that is covered by
the Code.

Discriminatory treatment by a municipal or OPP officer, or by any
person in authority in a detention centre, for example, can be the
subject of an application to the Human Rights Tribunal.

A person could file an application to the Human Rights Tribunal if he
or she believes that something happened during the G20 events that
subjected him or her to discriminatory treatment in the "service" of
policing.

What exactly is discrimination under Human Rights Code?

Discrimination is about equal treatment. Not all unfair or inhumane
treatment is covered by the Human Rights Code. For example, if you
believe that you were held by police during the G20 events without a
logical reason, this will not, in itself, constitute a violation of
your right to equal treatment in services under the Code. Without
evidence of discrimination, you could not effectively challenge your
detention by applying to the Human Rights Tribunal. There may be other
legal steps that you can take in this situation.

Discrimination is negative treatment that is tied to certain personal
characteristics that are listed in the Human Rights Code as prohibited
grounds of discrimination, such as race, age, disability, or gender.

Discrimination happens when a person is treated differently and
negatively on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited in
the Human Rights Code.

Discrimination can also occur if a service provider, such as a police
officer, fails to consider the special needs of a person, if those
needs are linked to one of the Human Rights Code's prohibited grounds
of discrimination, such as disability. A person whose special
Code-related needs are not accommodated has not been treated equally,
even if offered the same treatment as others.

Discrimination can occur even if a service provider, such as a police
officer, does not expressly form the intention to discriminate.

What are the prohibited grounds of discrimination that apply to
service situations like policing?

Race, colour, ancestry, ethnic origin
Place of origin
Citizenship
Creed (religion)
Age
Gender, sexual orientation and identity, pregnancy
Marital status, family status
Disability

Examples of Possible Human Rights Complaints from the G20

You asked for and were denied access to necessary medication or
assistive devices while in detention.
You were the target of racist comments or homophobic slurs by a police 
officer.
You were subjected to sexual taunts or sexual touching by a person in
authority while in detention.
You were sexually propositioned by a police officer or by person in
authority while in detention.
You were treated differently and negatively by a police officer
because of your sexual orientation while in detention.
You were targeted and subjected to different negative treatment by
police officers because you are francophone from Québec.
You were targeted and subjected to differential negative treatment
because you are a young single person.

How do I file an Application under the Human Rights Code?

If you decide to file a discrimination application at the Human Rights
Tribunal because of something that happened to you during the G20, you
must do so within one year of the discriminatory event.

The application form will require you to show how you were treated
differently than others, or subjected to negative treatment, because
of a personal characteristic that is associated with a prohibited
ground of discrimination. In other words, your application must
clearly explain the connection between a personal characteristic
recognized by theHuman Rights Code (such as your ethnic origin or
race) and the negative treatment you experienced.

The application form will also ask you to identify the remedy or
redress that you would like the Human Rights Tribunal to order if you
are successful in proving that you were subjected to discrimination.

What remedies can be ordered by the Human Rights Tribunal?

The Human Rights Tribunal has the power to order a very wide variety
of remedies to compensate you if you are successful in proving your
discrimination claim. As an applicant, you may request monetary or
non-monetary remedies.

Monetary remedies can include compensation for special costs that you
incurred as a result of the discrimination, such as health care costs,
as well as compensation for lost wages. The Human Rights Tribunal can
also order that you receive a financial award for the emotional impact
of the experience of discrimination.

Non-monetary remedies can include more long-term or systemic changes,
such as mandatory policies to apply to special detention centres or
special training of police officers.

Can I file a Human Rights application if I am also suing the police in
the courts or if I am a member of group application to the courts
arising out of the G20 events?

If there is some overlap between your lawsuit and the matters you are
raising in a Human Rights application, the Human Rights Tribunal might
delay dealing with your complaint or might not deal with it at all.

Your right to make a Human Rights application may be affected if you
start a lawsuit in Small Claims Court or the Superior Court, where you
could raise discrimination-related issues in your lawsuit. You may
have to choose between whether to raise your discrimination issue in a
lawsuit only, or in a Human Rights application only. This decision
will depend in part on what you want to achieve. It is important to
know that the Human Rights Tribunal can order systemic remedies beyond
what can be ordered by a court. If you have a potential overlap issue
of this nature, it is recommended that you consult with the Centre or
with a lawyer or a legal clinic to obtain legal advice that is suited
to your particular situation.

Contacting the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario

You can download an application form on the Tribunal's website at:
www.hrto.ca/hrto/?q=en/node/32

The Tribunal's website includes all of the required forms and
information about bringing a discrimination application, including an
information guide to the application process
at:www.hrto.ca/hrto/?q=en/node/30 and an Applicant's Guide
at:www.hrto.ca/hrto/sites/default/files/New%20Applications1/ApplicantsGuide.pdf

Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
655 Bay Street, 14th floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2A3
Local : (416) 326-1312
Toll Free : 1-866-598-0322
TTY (Local): (416) 326-2027
TTY (Toll Free): 1-866-607-1240
Fax: (416) 326-2199
Fax (Toll Free): 1-866-355-6099
www.hrto.ca

Contacting the Human Rights Legal Support Centre

The Human Rights Legal Support Centre is able to provide legal
assistance to people who file an application to the Human Rights
Tribunal of Ontario. The level of service the Centre is able to offer
depends on each case. All services provided are free of charge.
Service is available in over 140 languages.

If you believe that you experienced discrimination during the events
of the G-20, you can contact the Centre to obtain legal advice
including advice about your options in seeking a legal remedy.

The first step is to go to the Centre's website at: www.hrlsc.on.ca.
You will find information to help you determine if you want to pursue
a discrimination application. For specific legal information and
assistance, contact the Centre through its telephone inquiry lines:

Human Rights Legal Support Centre
Tel: (416) 314-6266
Toll Free: 1-866-625-5179
TTY: (416) 314-6651
TTY Toll Free: 1-866 612-8627
www.hrlsc.on.ca

------------------------------------------------------------------

**CALLS FOR ACTIONS/PROPOSAL**:

1) Proposed Immigration Act jails refugees, separates families, keeps 
people sick
2) Call for Proposals: 2011 Special Issue of The Dominion
3) A TIME TO SPEAK OUT: DAY OF ACTION TO DEFEND FREE SPEECH ON NOVEMBER 8
4) CALL OUT- Looking for RADICAL CHEERLEADERS and Vagina Monologues 
ORGANIZERS.
5) Call for submissions: The Arbutus Zine
6) Call for Action: Anti-Native journalist from *The Globe and Mail*, 
Christie
Blatchford, is soon coming to Your Community!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------

1) Proposed Immigration Act jails refugees, separates families, keeps 
people sick

Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney have proposed a new Immigration Act, 
Bill C-49.
It would allow the Minister of Public Safety to declare any group of 
migrants
coming in to Canada, a 'smuggling incident'. There is no definition of a
'smuggler' in this Act.

For the asylum seekers who are declared part of an incident (which could be
anyone making a refugee claim in a groups of 2 or more), the 
Conservative government wants to:

* Jail them for a minimum of one year
* Deny access to health services
* Deny monthly detention reviews, allowing migrants in jail a chance to 
gain freedom only once every 6 months
* Be able to revoke people's refugee status after it has been granted by 
the refugee determination process
* Ban applications for permanent residence for five years after gaining 
refugee status
* Bar people from reuniting with their families for five years after 
gaining refugee status
* Stop people from leaving Canada for five years after gaining refugee 
status
* Deny the right of appeal to a rejected refugee claim
* Put in an ex-CSIS director and the man responsible for police 
brutality during the G20 as a special advisor on human migration

This is an absolute outrage. This Act is now at second reading in 
Parliament and must be stopped.

It is imperative that people across Canada are aware of this bill and 
its implications.
Please call, fax and email your Member of Parliament (details follow) 
and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

Insist that:

* Jailing refugee claimants is ruthless, punitive and absolutely unjust
* We want refugee claimants, asylum seekers and migrants to come to Canada
* Canceling a refugee claim after it has been granted is absurd and illegal
* Ministers having absolute power to call anyone a criminal will give 
rise to absolute corruption
* This Act contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and breaks the 
objectives
of family reunification within the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
*
This Act is also in violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 
International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights 
of the Child, all international treaties Canada is a signatory to.

(Get more ideas from the mainstream articles and other statements linked 
below)

With Canadian and other western economies responsible for displacement 
of millions of
people through war, economic turmoil and environmental havoc, there has 
been an intense
spike in people migrating in search for physical and economic security. 
As movements
struggle to stop war, cease capitalist exploitation and halt 
environmental degradation,
it is imperative that we resist the militarization and closing of 
borders that will
limit the ability of communities in turmoil to seek safety.

TAKE ACTION!

(1) Participate in the Call/Email/Fax Campaign to the Government and 
your MP. State your
support for the refugees in Canada and denounce the government for 
spreading unsubstantiated
racist lies. Demand that Bill C-49 be scrapped. You can also refer to 
articles and statements listed below.

To find out who your MP is and where to write them: 
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

(2) Have your organization, traditional council, union, community group, 
or artist collective
write a short public statement/press release of support of migrants and 
against Bill C-49.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada engineered dozens of press releases 
the day after Bill
C-49 was proposed from 'community groups'. It is imperative that we 
counter this propaganda.
Please email a copy to nooneisillegal at riseup.net

(3) Always take a minute to write letters to the editor and comment on 
news stories – make a
difference in public conversation! Reinforce your support for migrants, 
demand that
Bill C49 be scrapped and condemn irresponsible reporting including 
repeating unsubstantiated lies.
All letters must be short (100 words), include name, mailing address and 
daytime phone number
of the writer; state “Letter to the Editor” in subject; and content 
should be in the body of the email.


Globe and Mail: letters at globeandmail.com
Toronto Star: lettertoed at thestar.ca
National Post: letters at nationalpost.com
24 Hours: news at sunmedia.ca
Metro News: http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/contactus

Now Toronto: letters at nowtoronto.com
Eye Weekly: letters at eyeweekly.com

(4) Invite a speaker to your next meeting. Email 
nooneisillegal at riseup.net and we would be happy
to attend or suggest speakers, as well as provide educational materials.

(5) Join our low-traffic email announcement list to receive news and 
events. You can subscribe
yourself by emailing nooneisillegal-subscribe at lists.riseup.net. Our 
Facebook group is http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2232590266.

Visit our website regularly for updates http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org

Articles & Statements Condemning Bill C-49

* Amnesty Int'l trashes human-smuggling bill (Canadian Press): 
http://yhoo.it/bYCjIe
* Public Safety minister's refugee parents came to Canada just before 
doors shut (Canadian Press): http://bit.ly/bmjmzA
* Human smuggling bill draws criticism (CBC): http://bit.ly/ay7iF4
* Stopping human smuggling risks penalizing legitimate refugees, experts 
say (Globe and Mail): http://bit.ly/aI0hK3
* Tory refugee bill would have rejected Einstein (The Province): 
http://bit.ly/bOifkf
* Would anti-smuggling law target humanitarians? (CTV): http://bit.ly/bgOoX4
* The peril of refugees, It's wrong to create a new class of refugees 
(Ottawa Citizen): http://bit.ly/bbKSdB
* Federal bill will hurt refugees, experts say (Winnipeg Free Press): 
http://bit.ly/at93QU
* Opposition MPs rip into proposed human-smuggling law (Vancouver Sun): 
http://bit.ly/bol5v8
* Canadian Council of Refugees Resources on Bill C-49: 
http://ccrweb.ca/en/c49
* Myths and Realities about the Tami Refugee Abroad MV Sun Sea: 
http://noii-van.resist.ca/?p=2167

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2) Call for Proposals: 2011 Special Issue of The Dominion

Once a year, the Media Co-op publishes a special issue of The Dominion.

We're planning on printing the next one in March 2011—but we want you to 
tell us what it should cover!

Special issues are our major yearly publication: they dig deeper into 
topics of national
interest and are often used as a resource guide by grassroots and social 
justice groups across the country.

Past special issues have examined the tar sands, the Canadian mining 
industry, the G20 and the 2010 Winter Olympics.

What should we cover next?

Over the next two weeks we're inviting you—co-op members, organizations, 
and the general public—to go
to http://mediacoop.ca/specialissue2011 and submit your proposals.

Deadline for proposals is Nov. 1st, 2010, at midnight. After that, 
proposals that meet all the criteria
laid out below will be posted for feedback from members of the Media 
Co-op. The editorial collective
will be making the final decision the week of Nov. 15th.

For more information, and to submit your proposal, visit 
http://mediacoop.ca/specialissue2011 now!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) A TIME TO SPEAK OUT

DAY OF ACTION TO DEFEND FREE SPEECH ON NOVEMBER 8

FREE SPEECH UNDER ATTACK

The Harper government is sponsoring a conference of the
'Inter-Parliamentary Calition to Combat Anti-Semitism' (ICCA) - the
CPCCA's international counterpart - in Ottawa on November 8 and 9. The
CPCCA and ICCA have an agenda to attack free speech and to silence
legitimate criticism of Israel by falsely conflating this with
anti-Semitism.

Independent Jewish Voices, along with many other human rights, peace,
union, and Palestinian rights groups, is deeply concerned about the
threat to free speech and civil liberties posed by the Canadian
Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti Semitism'(CPCCA). It is
legitimate and ethically necessary for Canadians of conscience to
criticize Israeli human rights abuses and to support non-violent
remedies.

A NEW MCCARTHYISM

The Harper government has already slashed funding to NGOs that dared
to express support for Palestinian rights, brutally attacked and
abused G20 demonstrators, barred British MP George Galloway from
entering Canada because of his aid to the people of Gaza, and attacked
CUPE, CUPW, and Israeli Apartheid Week activities. The list goes on!

The CPCCA, with Minister of Censorship and Deportation Jason Kenney as
one of the CPCCA's driving forces, aims to entrench these attacks on
free speech, for example, by changing hate crime legislation to
include legitimate criticism of Israel, by criminalizing BDS
campaigns, by pressuring schools to teach that criticizing Israel is
anti-Semitic, and by pressuring universities to ban events critical of
Israel. Already in France, people have been arrested for distributing
pamphlets critical of Israel.

The CPCCA held hearings this past year to try to paint a veneer of
credibility on its transparent intention to attack free speech in
Canada. It ignored many critical submissions. Even the CPCCA’s own
witnesses from Canadian universities and the police confirmed that
there is no rise in anti-Semitism and called on the CPCCA to respect
free speech.

The ICCA conference is intended to distract from this embarrassing
result. At a cost of over $451,280 in federal funds, the ICCA
conference is closed to the public and the media, and makes no
pretence of unbiased research.

STAND UP, FIGHT BACK

1. Organize a day of action for free speech on Monday, November 8.
Local events could include press conferences, protests, teach-ins, or
other creative ideas to build the movement to defend free speech. IJV
will release a 10 minute video on Nov. 8, which will be posted on
YouTube and the IJV web site. Contact Independent Jewish Voices at
ijv at magma.ca if you'd like us to send you a copy.

2. Contact your MP and the federal party leaders and demand they stand
up for the principle of free speech in Canada and reject any attempts
to silence or criminalize legitimate criticism of Israel. You can get
their contact info at:
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

-------------------------------------------------------------------

4) CALL OUT- Looking for RADICAL CHEERLEADERS and Vagina Monologues 
ORGANIZERS.

Radical Cheerleading is the space where activism and performance art meet.
Radical Cheerleaders write cheers about social justice and political issues
(feminism, ant-racism, queer issues and so on). We can be found at protests,
marches, rallies, conferences and related events. Some groups use fancy
choreography and wear elaborate costumes; some just show up and scream their
heads off! It's a form of protest that is energetic, fun and empowering and
emphasizes enthusiasm and creativity.

For more information:
Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_cheerleading .This article 
explains
the basics and the NYC RC website has plenty of examples of cheers.
You can also search "Radical Cheerleading" on youtube if you want to get 
an idea
of what it *looks* like.

Everyone is welcome to give it a try! Radical Cheerleading membership is
typically fluid; it would be nice to see people at practices but no one 
will be
turned away from performances. That being said, what events we will perform
at/how many we will do is completely up to us as a group. How involved 
you want
to be is up to you.


Vagina Monologues Organizers
I would like to see York put on a production of the Vagina Monologues. I was
involved in Halifax shows for many years as an actress, musician and 
artistic
director. This year I don’t have the time to take on much of a 
leadership role
but I would still like to see it happen and am all for sharing my 
experiences
and knowledge. If there are individuals who would like to be involved an
organizing, producing, directing, backstage, sound and lights, fundraising,
advertising etc role and are willing to make a whole hearted commitment to
making the show spectacular please contact me and we can find a time to 
meet!
Thanks!

If interested in either of these projects please e-mail me at 
clmccorm at yorku.ca,
text 647-884-8735 or find me on facebook under “Catherine Louise”

In Solidarity,
Catherine

-------------------------------------------------------------------

5) Hello all,

We are looking for some volunteer contributors for our new online 
[maga]zine.
The Arbutus Zine serves as an outlet for those committed to social and
environmental justice. It was created to empower Canadians to write about
social and environmental justice and have their voice heard. We hope the
Arbutus Zine will also provide readers with ideas, stories, creativity, and
practical ways of living consciously.

If you are interested in writing for the Arbutus, please contact us via 
email
at arbutuszine at gmail.com. We are looking for submissions, no longer than 500
words. I have included a list of possible topics below; though please feel
free to make any suggestions.

Note: the website will launch sometime around the end of November, 
however we
wish to pre-populate the site with your wonderful articles and art before
launching it to the public.

Please feel free to pass this along to others who may be interested.

Many thanks,

Miranda McLellan

-------------------------------------------------------------------

6) Please forward widely!

Call for Action: Anti-Native journalist from *The Globe and Mail*, Christie
Blatchford, is soon coming to Your Community!!!

The First Nations Solidarity Working Group (FNSWG) of Toronto is issuing a
call for communities to organize and respond to Christie Blatchford as she
makes her way across Canada promoting her new book, *Helpless; Caledonia's
Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us* releasing
on October 26th 2010. (
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385670395)

In her book Blatchford chronicles the events starting in 2006 at ?Douglas
Creek Estates? in Caledonia where the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) people of
the Grand River reclaimed land that has been in ?dispute? for over 150
years. In the years, months and days leading up to the reclamation, and for
more than a century, Six Nations people have educated, warned and entreated
governments and residents to resolve the unlawful development of their land.
Drawing upon some centuries-old colonial and racist tropes, Blatchford
portrays Six Nations people, who were compelled to respond to the continual
corporate development and theft of their land, as ?criminals.? Ignoring the
rampant anti-Native rallies that became weekly occurrences in the early part
of the ?crisis?, where police were often stretched to their limits
controlling the crowds who chanted around barrels of fire ?burn natives
burn?, Blatchford champions white Caledonia residents as hero-victims,
rendered helpless and traumatized by ?native lawlessness.? Christie
Blatchford does not speak for Caledonia. The residents of Caledonia hold a
variety of diverse opinions, and certainly not all of them asked to be
portrayed as ?Helpless? by an irresponsible journalist. Blatchford is in
close contact with leading anti-Native organizers in south-western Ontario
and her coverage of the ?Caledonia Crisis? has been compared to ?a zombie
movie. The Six Nations get to be the undead.?

Blatchford conveniently and very actively erases the fact that between 1951
and 2006, Six Nations has filed 29 land claims recognized as legitimate by
the Canadian government, and out of which, only one claim, has been
resolved. Equally important, Blatchford ignores the colonial context of the
violences of residential schools (behind the former Mohawk Institute in
Brantford, Six Nations children who did not survive the violences, were
buried) , the massive incarceration of Aboriginal peoples, deaths in police
custody, the Indian Act, over 800 missing and murdered Aboriginal women, and
other outside-imposed governance structures under which Six Nations peoples
have been living and surviving for centuries. Today, the current Six
Nations land base represents only 5% of the 950,00 acres outlined in the
Haldimand Proclamation of 1784 as their sovereign territory. Blatchford
says her book is not about ?aboriginal land claims?, but ?the failure of
government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally.? Blatchford
is thus reproducing the colonial logic of erasing the histories and present
context of violence done to Indigenous nations and peoples. This erasure
does not belong to Blatchford alone, mainstream media accounts of the
reclamation have been largely distorted with sensationalistic accounts that
portray Caledonia as an ongoing warzone.

When the root of the ?Caledonia Crisis? is the ongoing land-theft of Six
Nations territory, we need to ask Blatchford what she means by stating that
her book is not about land claims. We need to show people reading or
listening to her , how the erasure of land claims decontextualizes the very
root of the issue, and works to portray Indigenous land defenders as ?thugs?
bent on chaos and anarchy. We need to go out in our communities to
underline that in order to uphold the ?rule of law? , Treaties - the
foundation of Canadian law - must be upheld and respected.

Christie Blatchford is taking her book on a tour across Canada and will be
selling her book at your local bookstores and/or be making an appearance in
your community. We must not allow Blatchford?s account of the events at
Caledonia to go unchallenged. We are calling on you to respond to
Blatchford?s appearance in your community and educate others about the
context of Six Nations reclamation, land-claims, and colonialism.

Let us also show Blatchford that she does not speak for all Canadians and
that we will not let her speak in our name. Organize and respond to
Blatchford?s presence in your community at bookstores and everywhere she is
making speaking appearances.

For questions, information, resources or to share ideas with other group who
are organizing responses please contact info at 6nsolidarity.ca

For more background information and context please go to:
http://6nsolidarity.wordpress.com/

Here is a list of Blatchford?s currently advertised Book Tour appearances:

McNally Robinson, WINNIPEG. Grant Park in the Atrium. Nov 3, 2010. 7pm
Chedoke Presbyterian church, HAMILTON. 865 Mohawk Road West. Nov 6, 2010.
7pm
Aurora Public Library, AURORA. Nov 9 2010, 7pm
University of Waterloo, WATERLOO. Humanities Theatre, Hagey Hall. Nov 12,
2010, 7pm
Ramsay Breakfast, George Restaurant, Verity Women?s Club, TORONTO. 111C
Queen Street East, November 17th, 7:30 am.
Books & Breakfast series, Le Centre Sheraton Hotel, MONTREAL. 1201 Rene
Levesque Blvd. W. Nov 28, 10 am
UofT - Wordsworth College, TORONTO. March 14th 2011, 6pm