CPTnet
26 September 2007
TORONTO: Christian Peacemaker Congress joins witness calling on Ontario
legislature to respect First Nation moratoria on industrial use of
traditional lands

In advance of the October 10 Ontario 2007 provincial election, more than 250
CPTers, native rights and environmental activists joined First Nation
leaders at the Ontario Legislature on Friday, September 21, 2007 to issue a
challenge to all political parties: respect moratoria issued by indigenous
communities against industrial activities on their traditional lands.

As part of the witness, participants unfurled a seventy-five-metre-long
banner in the shape of a yellow arrow that read, "Native Land Rights Now."
Co-sponsored by Rainforest Action Network (RAN), the witness was a scheduled
event of CPT's first Peacemaker Congress in Canada.

Native groups in attendance included representatives from
Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows), Ardoch and Kitchenuhmaykoosib
Inninuwug (KI) First Nations and Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN.) NAN represents
forty-nine First Nations communities, covering two-thirds of Ontario. KI
Councillor and Spokesperson John Cutfeet addressed the gathering.

The public witness included the laying of 107 ribbons--one for each
electoral riding (district) in Ontario--as a symbolic call for candidates to
remember and honour Ontario's historic treaty commitments to indigenous
people.

Located in northwestern Ontario, Grassy Narrows is maintaining the longest
standing blockade in Canadian history to stop Abitibi Consolidated from
clear-cutting their traditional land use area. CPT accompanied the Grassy
Narrows blockade from its beginning in December 2002 until the summer of
2004. A RAN boycott campaign targeting Weyerhauser, the principal buyer of
softwood fibre taken from Grassy Narrows territory, has resulted in the
high-profile appointment of former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci to
negotiate land use issues between Grassy Narrows and the government of
Ontario. However, the province has yet to abide by the moratorium against
clearcutting issued by Grassy Narrows in February of this year. (See
www.freegrassy.org <http://www.freegrassy.org/ <http://www.freegrassy.org/>
> for more information.)

The Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan Algonquin First Nations have been
blockading an access road on their unceded territory since June 28, 2007 in
order to stop Frontenac Ventures from uranium mine exploration. A court
injunction against the blockade of the road--located an hour north of
Kingston, ON--was served on 31 August 2007. CPT has maintained a presence
at the blockade since Labour Day. Police charged seven people with
violating the injunction on 18 September 2007, among them CPTer David Milne.
(See http://www.aafna.ca <http://www.aafna.ca> for more information.)

In February 2006, the Ontario Government granted permission for Platinex
Inc. to drill for diamonds in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) territory.
A fly-in community located 600 km north of Sioux Lookout, Ontario, KI is
challenging the constitutionality of the Ontario Mining Act on the grounds
that it privileges mining interests over Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, which
is a violation of section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. (See
http://tinyurl.com/2wdnyn <http://tinyurl.com/2wdnyn>
<http://tinyurl.com/2wdnyn <http://tinyurl.com/2wdnyn>
<http://tinyurl.com/2wdnyn > > for more
information.)

Photos of the action are available
http://flickr.com/photos/rainforestactionnetwork/sets/72157602110960221
<http://flickr.com/photos/rainforestactionnetwork/sets/72157602110960221> .