Canadian Indigenous Leaders Jailed - Take Action
Submitted by the Western Shoshone Defense Project
Canadian Indigenous Leaders Jailed For Standing Strong To Protect Their Homelands From Mining...
On March 18th, 2008 five community leaders, including Chief Donny Morris from Kitchenumahkoosib Inninuwug (KI) were jailed for six months for contempt of a court injunction which prohibits them from interfering with a mineral exploration program by Canadian-owned Platinex Inc. The community is gravely concerned about the possible impact to their land and water where they have lived in the Boreal forest for over 5,000 years.
It has been over a month and these leaders (one of whom is a grandmother) have still not been released.
Please do what you can – sign the online petition and send an email to the Canadian Premier. http://www.freeki6.ca/
From Friends Of The Lubicon –
Please write your letter to jailed indigenous leaders in Canada today…
Friends of the Lubicon
P.O. Box 444, Stn. D,
Etobicoke, ON
Canada, M9A 4X4
Tel: 416-763-7500
Email: fol@tao.ca
Web: www.lubicon.ca
April 17, 2008
Yesterday Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak wrote to the Chief and Council of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation at the prison in which they are being held. His letter is reproduced below.
On March 17, 2008, an Ontario Superior Court judge sentenced 6 Aboriginal protesters to six months of jail for peacefully defying a court order that would allow Platinex, a mining-exploration company, to drill for minerals on their traditional lands in northern Ontario, Canada. The Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation fears that mining activity will jeopardize hunting and burial grounds and argues that the Ontario government awarded the mining permits without consulting and accommodating their people, a violation of aboriginal rights and Canadian law.
The individuals jailed include the Chief and four Councilors of the (KI) First Nation.
KI First Nation continues to recognize its Chief and Councilors as leaders in exile and as prisoners of conscience. It has also declared that a 2001 community declared moratorium on exploration and development will continue to be enforced in KI traditional territory, pending resolution of a treaty land entitlement claim and fulfillment of the Government of Ontario’s legal obligation to consult and accommodate.
We are encouraging Lubicon supporters to also lend their support to the KI First Nation and its leaders. More information on how you can help is included below Chief Ominayak’s letter.
* * * * * *
April 16, 2008
Chief Donny Morris Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation
C/O Thunder Bay Correctional CentreHighway 61 SouthPO Box 1900Thunder Bay ONP7C 4Y4
Dear Chief Morris;
We have been following closely the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation’s efforts to protect your land from the onset of mineral exploitation, both in the courts and on the ground.
When Platinex took your Nation to Court for opposing their proposed exploratory drilling project, we asked our supporters to join in protesting this attempt to use the courts to silence your leaders and lay claim to your lands, because we saw parallels with our own peoples’ struggle to survive and the attempted use of the courts to keep us quiet while they stole everything of value from our lands.
When the Court told Platinex to meet with your Nation to determine how mineral exploration should be allowed to proceed, lawyers across the country trumpeted the decision as a victory for aboriginal rights because it demonstrated that consultation is a requirement under Canadian law. We knew, as I’m sure you did too, that this was not a real victory for our people, because we knew from our own hard experience that having the right to be consulted is not the same as having the right to say no. And we knew from our own hard experience that without the right to refuse a project that will destroy our lands and damage our communities, we will be unable to meet our responsibility to protect our lands and people.
When the company later returned to Court – aided and abetted by the provincial government and its lawyers – to argue that it should be allowed to proceed because it had already met the “duty to consult”, it was no surprise to us or to you that the Courts agreed, and instructed your people to stay out of their way.
When you and your Council stood in the way of Platinex regardless of what the Courts and the provincial government said, we took heart that there are leaders like yourselves who are willing to stand up and demonstrate that we, as aboriginal people, will not sit idly by while outside governments and companies destroy everything we value – the land, the air, the water, and our way of life.
When you were offered the chance to apologize and accept the exploitation of your lands in exchange for your freedom, we took heart that, as real leaders, you and your Council refused. And now this letter finds you in jail, where they hope to destroy your spirit and that of your community by taking you away from your people and your land, and threatening others that they will face the same fate if they don’t allow Platinex to proceed.
If there were any way to turn back the clock and stop the very first oil and gas companies from entering our lands – before the hundreds that followed made it all but impossible to reverse the environmental destruction they brought to our lands – I believe our people would gladly do so. For that reason, I’m sending this message now to encourage you and express our support for the principled stand you are taking, so that the lands of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation don’t have to suffer the same fate our lands suffered after the first resource exploitation companies opened the door for the many that followed.
We hope you keep close to your families, your people and your lands in spirit, despite being taken away to a remote jail, and that you continue the struggle from inside with the same devotion and courage you have shown so far. There may be many forces allied against us as aboriginal people, and those who want to take everything from the land have a great deal of power and influence, but there are some things they can never take away from us. One of those is our spirit, our courage, and our determination to carry out our responsibility to protect the lands the Creator gave to us.
Sincerely,
Bernard Ominayak
Chief, Lubicon Lake Indian Nation
cc
Deputy Chief Jack McKay
Councillor Samuel McKay
Councillor Darryl Sainnawap
Bruce Sakakeep, Lands & Environment Director
Head Councillor Cecilia Begg
* * * * * * *
Take Action
Please write to the Premier of Ontario, demanding the release of the jailed First Nation Chief and Councilors and a halt to mining exploration in KI First Nation lands.
Write letters to the Premier of Ontario:
Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto ON
M7A 1A1
dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Sample Letter
Dear Premier McGuinty;
I am writing regarding the incarceration of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation Chief Donny Morris, Council members Samuel McKay, Jack McKay, Darryl Sainnawap Cecilia Begg, and community member Bruce Sakakeep.
They have recently been convicted of civil contempt charges and jailed for 6 months for peacefully opposing mineral exploration on their traditional territory.
I understand that Ontario continues to grant exploration permits to mining companies without fulfilling its legal obligation to consult with and accommodate Aboriginal peoples. It is disgraceful that these six people are serving time for upholding their community’s rights while Ontario continues to flout the law.
I ask that the Province change its antiquated Mining Act to ensure real consultation and accommodation of aboriginal rights before granting mineral leases. I also ask that the Ontario Government take action to release the six KI First Nation prisoners of conscience currently being punished for protecting their lands and community.
Sincerely,
Please also write letters of support to the jailed leaders
Here are the names and addresses where you can send individual letters of solidarity and encouragement:
Chief Donny Morris
Deputy Chief Jack McKay
Councillor Samuel McKay
Councillor Darryl Sainnawap
Bruce Sakakeep, Lands & Environment Director
C/O Thunder Bay Correctional Centre
Highway 61 South
PO Box 1900
Thunder Bay ON P7C 4Y4
Head Councillor Cecilia Begg
c/o Kenora Jail
1430 River St.
Kenora ON P9N 1K5
More information
http://kitchenuhmaykoosib.com/
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
'MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR HYPOCRISY' By Joe Perez
http://www.mtwsfh.blogspot.com
NATIVE ISSUES BLOG
Professor Robert J. Miller
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/
AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org
FOR ANNIE'S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com
CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com
SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.
Canadian Indigenous Leaders Jailed For Standing Strong To Protect Their Homelands From Mining...
On March 18th, 2008 five community leaders, including Chief Donny Morris from Kitchenumahkoosib Inninuwug (KI) were jailed for six months for contempt of a court injunction which prohibits them from interfering with a mineral exploration program by Canadian-owned Platinex Inc. The community is gravely concerned about the possible impact to their land and water where they have lived in the Boreal forest for over 5,000 years.
It has been over a month and these leaders (one of whom is a grandmother) have still not been released.
Please do what you can – sign the online petition and send an email to the Canadian Premier. http://www.freeki6.ca/
From Friends Of The Lubicon –
Please write your letter to jailed indigenous leaders in Canada today…
Friends of the Lubicon
P.O. Box 444, Stn. D,
Etobicoke, ON
Canada, M9A 4X4
Tel: 416-763-7500
Email: fol@tao.ca
Web: www.lubicon.ca
April 17, 2008
Yesterday Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak wrote to the Chief and Council of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation at the prison in which they are being held. His letter is reproduced below.
On March 17, 2008, an Ontario Superior Court judge sentenced 6 Aboriginal protesters to six months of jail for peacefully defying a court order that would allow Platinex, a mining-exploration company, to drill for minerals on their traditional lands in northern Ontario, Canada. The Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation fears that mining activity will jeopardize hunting and burial grounds and argues that the Ontario government awarded the mining permits without consulting and accommodating their people, a violation of aboriginal rights and Canadian law.
The individuals jailed include the Chief and four Councilors of the (KI) First Nation.
KI First Nation continues to recognize its Chief and Councilors as leaders in exile and as prisoners of conscience. It has also declared that a 2001 community declared moratorium on exploration and development will continue to be enforced in KI traditional territory, pending resolution of a treaty land entitlement claim and fulfillment of the Government of Ontario’s legal obligation to consult and accommodate.
We are encouraging Lubicon supporters to also lend their support to the KI First Nation and its leaders. More information on how you can help is included below Chief Ominayak’s letter.
* * * * * *
April 16, 2008
Chief Donny Morris Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation
C/O Thunder Bay Correctional CentreHighway 61 SouthPO Box 1900Thunder Bay ONP7C 4Y4
Dear Chief Morris;
We have been following closely the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation’s efforts to protect your land from the onset of mineral exploitation, both in the courts and on the ground.
When Platinex took your Nation to Court for opposing their proposed exploratory drilling project, we asked our supporters to join in protesting this attempt to use the courts to silence your leaders and lay claim to your lands, because we saw parallels with our own peoples’ struggle to survive and the attempted use of the courts to keep us quiet while they stole everything of value from our lands.
When the Court told Platinex to meet with your Nation to determine how mineral exploration should be allowed to proceed, lawyers across the country trumpeted the decision as a victory for aboriginal rights because it demonstrated that consultation is a requirement under Canadian law. We knew, as I’m sure you did too, that this was not a real victory for our people, because we knew from our own hard experience that having the right to be consulted is not the same as having the right to say no. And we knew from our own hard experience that without the right to refuse a project that will destroy our lands and damage our communities, we will be unable to meet our responsibility to protect our lands and people.
When the company later returned to Court – aided and abetted by the provincial government and its lawyers – to argue that it should be allowed to proceed because it had already met the “duty to consult”, it was no surprise to us or to you that the Courts agreed, and instructed your people to stay out of their way.
When you and your Council stood in the way of Platinex regardless of what the Courts and the provincial government said, we took heart that there are leaders like yourselves who are willing to stand up and demonstrate that we, as aboriginal people, will not sit idly by while outside governments and companies destroy everything we value – the land, the air, the water, and our way of life.
When you were offered the chance to apologize and accept the exploitation of your lands in exchange for your freedom, we took heart that, as real leaders, you and your Council refused. And now this letter finds you in jail, where they hope to destroy your spirit and that of your community by taking you away from your people and your land, and threatening others that they will face the same fate if they don’t allow Platinex to proceed.
If there were any way to turn back the clock and stop the very first oil and gas companies from entering our lands – before the hundreds that followed made it all but impossible to reverse the environmental destruction they brought to our lands – I believe our people would gladly do so. For that reason, I’m sending this message now to encourage you and express our support for the principled stand you are taking, so that the lands of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation don’t have to suffer the same fate our lands suffered after the first resource exploitation companies opened the door for the many that followed.
We hope you keep close to your families, your people and your lands in spirit, despite being taken away to a remote jail, and that you continue the struggle from inside with the same devotion and courage you have shown so far. There may be many forces allied against us as aboriginal people, and those who want to take everything from the land have a great deal of power and influence, but there are some things they can never take away from us. One of those is our spirit, our courage, and our determination to carry out our responsibility to protect the lands the Creator gave to us.
Sincerely,
Bernard Ominayak
Chief, Lubicon Lake Indian Nation
cc
Deputy Chief Jack McKay
Councillor Samuel McKay
Councillor Darryl Sainnawap
Bruce Sakakeep, Lands & Environment Director
Head Councillor Cecilia Begg
* * * * * * *
Take Action
Please write to the Premier of Ontario, demanding the release of the jailed First Nation Chief and Councilors and a halt to mining exploration in KI First Nation lands.
Write letters to the Premier of Ontario:
Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto ON
M7A 1A1
dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Sample Letter
Dear Premier McGuinty;
I am writing regarding the incarceration of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation Chief Donny Morris, Council members Samuel McKay, Jack McKay, Darryl Sainnawap Cecilia Begg, and community member Bruce Sakakeep.
They have recently been convicted of civil contempt charges and jailed for 6 months for peacefully opposing mineral exploration on their traditional territory.
I understand that Ontario continues to grant exploration permits to mining companies without fulfilling its legal obligation to consult with and accommodate Aboriginal peoples. It is disgraceful that these six people are serving time for upholding their community’s rights while Ontario continues to flout the law.
I ask that the Province change its antiquated Mining Act to ensure real consultation and accommodation of aboriginal rights before granting mineral leases. I also ask that the Ontario Government take action to release the six KI First Nation prisoners of conscience currently being punished for protecting their lands and community.
Sincerely,
Please also write letters of support to the jailed leaders
Here are the names and addresses where you can send individual letters of solidarity and encouragement:
Chief Donny Morris
Deputy Chief Jack McKay
Councillor Samuel McKay
Councillor Darryl Sainnawap
Bruce Sakakeep, Lands & Environment Director
C/O Thunder Bay Correctional Centre
Highway 61 South
PO Box 1900
Thunder Bay ON P7C 4Y4
Head Councillor Cecilia Begg
c/o Kenora Jail
1430 River St.
Kenora ON P9N 1K5
More information
http://kitchenuhmaykoosib.com/
TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail bobbieo@digitaldune.net.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
'MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR HYPOCRISY' By Joe Perez
http://www.mtwsfh.blogspot.com
NATIVE ISSUES BLOG
Professor Robert J. Miller
http://lawlib.lclark.edu/blog/native_america/
AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org
FOR ANNIE'S NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com
CATCH COLORADAN PETER JONES AT:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com
SUPPORTING NATIVE AMERICAN/FIRST PEOPLE - ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS, ENTERTAINERS, ETC. http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com.
posted by BobbieoAZ @ 9:48 PM
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home