By Roger Annis
June 28, 2013–The founders of the Idle No More movement and their allies across the Indigenous rights movement in Canada have launched a new website. The new site is part of a planned summer of action to step up the fight for Indigenous, sovereign rights in Canada and to highlight the interconnected struggles against the worldwide, corporate destruction of the Earth’s biosphere. Read the new website and sign up to receive ongoing news here: http://www.idlenomore.ca.
A very key, upcoming event is the Tar Sands Healing Walk, July 5, 6, near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. Participants in the walk will include Grand Chief Stewart Philip of British Columbia, Bill McKibben of 350.org and author Naomi Klein. Read about the two-day event here:
The 4th Annual Healing Walk near Fort McMurray Alberta
A Different Way to Protect our Land, Air, Water and Climate from Tar Sands Expansion
The tar sands are growing out of control, destroying the climate for all Canadians and poisoning the water of everyone living downstream.
On July 5th and 6th, people will come together from coast to coast to join First Nations and Metis in the Healing Walk, a gathering focused on healing the environment and the people who are suffering from tar sands expansion.
Let’s call on the Alberta and Canadian governments to stop the reckless mismanagement of these resources. We need our governments to work with First Nations and bring people together to make wise choices about stewarding the land in ways that are sustainable and fair.
Find out more… http://www.healingwalk.org/
Below is the manifesto that appears on the new Idle No More website. The total estimated population of First Nations people in Canada (including Metis) is 1.4 million. Approximately half live in large urban centers. The population of Canada is 35 million.
The Manifesto
Idle No More, http://www.idlenomore.ca/manifesto
The Treaties are nation to nation agreements between First Nations and the British Crown who are sovereign nations. The Treaties are agreements that cannot be altered or broken by one side of the two Nations. The spirit and intent of the Treaty agreements meant that First Nations peoples would share the land, but retain their inherent rights to lands and resources. Instead, First Nations have experienced a history of colonization which has resulted in outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing.
The state of Canada has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world by using the land and resources. Canadian mining, logging, oil and fishing companies are the most powerful in the world due to land and resources. Some of the poorest First Nations communities (such as Attawapiskat) have mines or other developments on their land but do not get a share of the profit. The taking of resources has left many lands and waters poisoned – the animals and plants are dying in many areas in Canada. We cannot live without the land and water. We have laws older than this colonial government about how to live with the land.
Currently, this government is trying to pass many laws so that reserve lands can also be bought and sold by big companies to get profit from resources. They are promising to share this time…Why would these promises be different from past promises? We will be left with nothing but poisoned water, land and air. This is an attempt to take away sovereignty and the inherent right to land and resources from First Nations peoples.
There are many examples of other countries moving towards sustainability, and we must demand sustainable development as well. We believe in healthy, just, equitable and sustainable communities and have a vision and plan of how to build them.
Please join us in creating this vision.
