Stop trains or natives will: chiefs

Stop trains or natives will: chiefs

www.theglobeandmail.com

Canada's native chiefs will pressure the national railways to close down for the Assembly of First Nations' "day of action" on June 29, backing it up with a veiled threat they will probably face blockades from individual native bands if they refuse.

(visit the link for the full news article)

About 800 unsettled land claims, a government on the edge of appointing an independent panel for resolution of those claims and a strengthening of ties between native bands all are indications of a 'summer of unrest'.

In Canada, a system of seperation spanning centuries is about to reap a harvest of discontent and the country now faces a period of turmoil.

Phil Fontaine - AFN Grand Chief

"Are we asking for a similar kind of situation so that we can get Canadians to once again support us the way they did back then? Not at all. I don't think we should be forced into that situation. I think Canadians are people that believe in fairness, but they don't know well enough the situation that we're in."

www.theglobeandmail.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

A response, of sorts, from the premiers...

OTTAWA — Fearing a hot summer of aboriginal protests across the country, two provincial premiers yesterday called on the federal government to speed up land-claims settlements.

Premiers Dalton McGuinty of Ontario and Danny Williams of Newfoundland and Labrador said the federal government must indicate quickly how it will deal with land claims, poverty and other root causes of unrest among Canada's native bands.

Mr. McGuinty said it is provincial and local law-enforcement authorities who are forced into the role of peacekeepers when protests against federal land-claims policies turn ugly.

LINK

It looks like a case of 'passing the buck', but is it, really? The federal government has the true responsibility in thiese matters, imo, and they have consistantly dropped the ball on it.

What is needed is an independent body, completely autonomous from the government in power and staffed by individuals who are unaffected by corporate or political pressure. Such people are not easy to find.

The Oka, Ipperwash and Caledonia incidents will pale when compared to the potential unrest of the coming Summer of Discontent.

related;

They saw an iron road not runnin' from sea to sea

First off the First Nations have legitimate issues. My only question here is what do they hope to accomplish, other than bringing attention to the issues.

It would appear that corruption is rearing its ugly head in the settlement negotiations. Doesn't seem conducive to fair negotiations. I begin to see why they're contemplating direct action.

[edit on 28-5-2007 by seagull]

I would not count on the feds to solve this - how many people in the upper ranks of the federal tories cut their teeth under Mike Harris?

John Baird, Jim Flaherty, and Tony Clement were all prominent members of the Ontario Tories. Van Loan was the ontario PC party president during the Harris years IIRC.

Every one of them played a part in sonewalling a public inquiry into the death of Dudley George.

Had the Kelowna Accord been passed and enacted... for some that was the "moment" it changed back into the realm of the counsel of the warriors - right/wrong/both/all.

I do some "stuff" in Frobisher Bay and folks there are not optimistic. I visited Parry Island in Ontario, talked to some locals I went to school with... and a sister up on the Manitoulin... some Six Nations elders at the friendship centre in Toronto - same message; trouble comin' - no more waiting patiently for Harper to look up from his surf and turf - 'time's up. Legally the "fix" is at the federal level.

"Recent events" - say since Ipperwash '95 have lacked any meaningful resolution with some small exceptions. In all honesty I can say I believe this co-ordinated national (and on that day expect international indigenous peoples support too) fulcrum event is an opportunity for a smart-savvy political operator who could put this to bed and have a carreer-making legacy. Perfect storm. "Win it or wad it".

The current crop in Ottawa will "miss the boat" - perhaps purposely and cynically to try and turn this in their own best interests which may or may not have anything to do with the greater good. TPTB will likely be visiting Muskoka at a retreat at that time... hmmm.

Yes, "The National Day of Protest" is on it's way... uh, it might be a good idea to prepare for infrastructure interruptions - stay calm, there's no way to avoid this now... "time's up".

A federal election with "lots of forked-tongued promises" might be one way for Ottawa to buy some "wiggle-room"... tick, tick, tick.

Vic



[edit on 28-5-2007 by V Kaminski]

www.afn.ca...

In honor of National Aboriginal Day, the AFN has released public service announcements on YOUtube and the AFN website. The television-ready PSA profiles First Nations youth speaking directly to the conditions of poverty they face in their communities. The radio PSAs communicate key information about the upcoming National Day of Action on June 29th and activities in Ottawa and across the country. The AFN is promoting peaceful rallies across Canada, and hosting a March of Solidarity giving unique voice to First Nations children, youth and Elders in Ottawa.

bolding mine

It's getting closer and the silence is deafening. Interesting week ahead.

www.thestar.com...

Indians gearing up for the June 29 national day of action should know they aren’t above the law and should be threatened with hefty fines or lawsuits if they set up illegal blockades, Ontario’s Opposition leader told an audience of provincial police chiefs today.
Amid threats from at least one aboriginal protester that a key provincial highway and rail line in eastern Ontario may be targeted, Conservative Leader John Tory said the province should send a strong message that such behaviour is unacceptable, regardless of how legitimate the grievance may be.

The line is being drawn in the sand and it IS going to get ugly.

Get ready for a problematic weekend, because this is potentially the biggest demonstration ever.

The problems will not be due to the planned actions by organizers of the Day of Protest, but by those who are acting 'outside' of the demonstrations set up by the AFN. There is a lot of frustration built up over the last couple of centuries and I worry that anger is going to be expressed in anything but peaceful protest.

added 'ex' tags





[edit on 28/6/07 by masqua]

Originally posted by masqua

There is a lot of frustration built up over the last couple of centuries and I worry that anger is going to be expressed in anything but peaceful protest.

So how much have peaceful protests accomplished? Sometimes folks feel like they aren't listened to unless there's enough of a storm.

Not saying who's right or wrong here, just pointing out human nature. And the history of those in power making promises and then ignoring the problems once the crisis is past.

Originally posted by NGC2736
Sometimes folks feel like they aren't listened to unless there's enough of a storm.

So true. The storm you mention will break in just 24 hours.

(removed external material since it needs a subscription)

Politics.

It does not matter whether it is right or wrong, it matters whether it is Right or Left.

Whatever.

The Fontaine family story reads like a micro-drama of the history of the people themselves. Sexual abuse, Diabetes and suicide mar his life experience like it does for so many others. Is it any wonder that this Day of Protest is now about to break onto the scene?

The sun will rise tomorrow, just as it is doing at this momemt while I'm writing this post, but there will be something new in the fresh Canadian air...




[edit on 28/6/07 by masqua]

The thin end of the wedge

irrespective of the validity of the AFN greivances , this is attempted black mail , pure and simple

if the rail service is suspended on 29th june , it will not show "solidarity " with the AFN cause , but cowardice in the face of threat

IMHO , the CAF should be mobilised on 29th june to keep the trains running

because if you do not , .............where does it stop ?

every one and his dog who has any grievance , ligitimate or spurious can demand :

" shut the railways ...................or else "

it only takes a hand full of motivated people to cripple a national rail network

just my opinion ....... but once you have kowtowed once , it is hard to get back up

Your comments are not without merit, IA, and I understand your position completely.

On the other hand, when there is obviously no alternative but active protest, as is obviously the case here, then the matter becomes more complicated.

(the Boston Tea Party comes to mind)

We are, after all, talking about centuries of double dealing and underhandedness. Something, eventually, has to give.

Calling in the CAF could easily escalate this into something much more dangerous than a peaceful march in the nation's capitol and a delay for commuters.

Lines are being drawn in the sand and I fear that they will be crossed tomorrow.

Well it looks like the railroads gave in and will use Buses on Friday, so their blackmail worked

Via Rail to use buses on 'Day of Action'

Kind of bad when you give into black mailers. I would have put mounties on the trains and water cannons on the front of the trains myself.

Edit to add some more relavent info Good Read gives vatious threats etc

Protest, but respect the law

From the looks of it this does not include all first nations only a select few



[edit on 6/28/2007 by shots]

It's come to my attention (thanks, shots) that the Globe and Mail article quoted in my previous post is available by subscription only.

As a subscriber myself, I was unaware of this. However, my subscription is not a 'paid' one.

I'll try to find other news items covering this from sources where I am not a member.

First Nations are not without blame for the appalling conditions on reserves in many parts of Canada, but they cannot be held responsible for the overall situation.


Nothing will improve until we first right past wrongs. The Indian Claims Commission is slow, cumbersome, lacks teeth and gives Ottawa the advantage. There are almost 800 backlogged claims, only a fraction of which are settled each year. Most take decades to be resolved.

This lack of progress is the main culprit behind demonstrations across the country, from Oka in Quebec to Caledonia and Ipperwash in Ontario, to Roseau River in Manitoba to Gustafsen Lake in British Columbia.

It's understandable Canadians object to negotiating under the threat of a protest, and predictable Ottawa would deny charges that progress is tied to protest, but it's difficult not to connect the two.

LINK

The scope of the protest is country-wide and though some have decided not to take part, many others will... native or non-native, there is a growing awareness to the seriousness of the situation.

The repercussions of whatever happens, peaceful or not, are going to resonate for the months and years to come.

To bring the CAF into this as a preventive measure is almost impossible to carry off, since the locations of the protests (other than Parliament Hill) are unknown. The local police forces have the ability to respond quickly to any trouble spots and, likely, that is the way it will go.


[edit on 28/6/07 by masqua]

irrespective of the validity of the AFN greivances , this is attempted black mail , pure and simple

This is a world of difference between blackmail and protest. The Boston Tea Party mentioned by Masqua is a good example of this difference. The threats do not aim at closing down the government; they are not threats of violence. This is a legitimate means of protest in my opinion. If CN or VIA employees were to go on strike would you call it blackmail?

The Kelowna Accord would have gone a long ways towards settling accounts, but it was trashed by the Tories. And what is being ignored in the use of the word 'blackmail', is that these native actions are not being advanced to fortify just any little complaint. Most of the demands are for the government to fulfil its end of the treaty obligations...legal contracts signed by both parties.

We seem to have enough will and money to go off on foreign military adventures, 'cuz God knows there just ain't enough opium in the world...how about we clean up our mess at home?

My Opinion

Nothings gonna happen.

If something does happen I would be suprised.

It will probably be a bunch of peaceful protests at the sides of roads etc.

I wish those northern brothers good in their efforts to reach an understanding with the government of Canada. It will require dialog on both sides, and not accusations. It will also require firm resolve.

I hope that there will be no repeat of what is know as the Second Battle of Wounded Knee. While many now days lament Waco, and Ruby Ridge, they are unaware that the first real exercise of such actions in modern times occurred at
Pine Ridge, South Dakota in 1973.

There was some bloodshed, but a deal was made for a peaceful end to the troubles. But the promises of the government of the United States were as worthless as always.

I hope that our peaceful end to protesting then will be duly noted by First Americans, and they will be wary of promises that bear no fruit. Words are cheap. Lies in the mouth of a politician are as natural as water in the gills of a fish.

My best prayers to those nations.

[Edit by NGC for grammar]

[edit on 28-6-2007 by NGC2736]

Originally posted by Miishgoos
My Opinion

Nothings gonna happen.

I certainly hope you're right. Some bands which threatened to close some major roads in Ontario (HWY 69, 11, 401 and 400) have already backed off after Phil Fontaine was on CBC news at noon.

Canada is a big place, though and Eastern Ontario still might be problematic.

Oka is still fresh on peoples minds, as is Ipperwash and the ongoing situation at Caledonia. People are still snarky and the potential for trouble is high.

Pine Ridge was a perfect example of how things can spin out of control, NGC... let's hope it doesn't come to that.