Lisa Jemison
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Kingston Whig-Standard
In a show of support for First Nations communities, a mostly non-native group of Kingston activists is organizing a demonstration at the VIA train station during Friday's national "Day of Action" that could bring rail travel to a halt.
"I assume that there will probably be some members who will choose to stand on the tracks to symbolically show their support," said Jeff Welsh, spokesperson for the Kingston Mohawk Support Group. "It's also my assumption that the rails very well might not be running anyway."
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine has declared Friday a national "Day of Action" for First Nations communities. To mark the occasion, some aboriginal leaders have called on CN Rail to close its lines for the day but staff at the Kingston VIA station said yesterday that trains are scheduled to run as normal.
Shawn Brant, a First Nations activist from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, said that when Fontaine first called for the "Day of Action" as a "campaign of economic disruption, we made our decision to participate."
He said he and his group have identified a number of potential targets in the area, including the CN main line, Highway 2 and Highway 401, as areas for action on Friday, although plans are not yet definite.
Provincial police hoping for a peaceful day
"We're making those decisions as the situation changes and as other people step forward," Brant said. "If CN chooses to act upon Mr. Fontaine's request to close for the day, we certainly won't be going out to a closed railway."
Although he wouldn't give specifics, Brant said, "I know that Mr. Fontaine has called for a day of economic disruption and he hasn't called for a day of violent confrontation.
It is our intention to go out and engage under that mandate."
He said police reaction will determine if a situation becomes violent.
"We don't necessarily see the stopping of vehicles on a road as being a violent situation."
Welsh said network members and supporters will spend the afternoon in Confederation Park distributing leaflets and answering questions before taking a chartered bus to the Via Rail station in the evening.
He envisions a few hundred people will show up at the train station. The demonstration will have a "celebratory tone," with music, free food and drinks.
"It's not to make light of the issue, simply to maintain a positive note to the event," Welsh said.
The network chose to have the event at the train station as "a symbolical way of showing support" for First Nations groups who have announced that they will take part in railway blockades on the "Day of Action." Such blockades have not been condoned by the Assembly of First Nations, which is advocating awareness campaigns and building support amongst Canadians
Welsh said participants will gather in a grassy area near the station's parking lot and pass out pamphlets to motorists and other passers-by.
"We have consulted with various First Nations including, of course, the local Mohawks and Tyendinaga, to find out if doing this kind of thing off-reserve would be appropriate," he said. "They seemed to think it was a good idea to show support."
The network was formed in 2006 in response to rumours of a proposed government invasion of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and has organized several protests since.
Kingston Police spokesperson Const. Mike Menor said although the potential for action on Friday was discussed, the department hadn't heard of anything "out of the ordinary." As of yesterday, police did not have any response plans, though Menor said that could change.
Media relations officer constable Jackie Perry of the Napanee Ontario Provincial Police detachment said they didn't know any specifics of planned events in the area, but that they have heard rumours and have prepared in response.
"We have contingency plans in place," she said.
She said the provincial police are hoping for a peaceful day "but we are prepared to respond to civil disobedience and unlawful acts."
Brant said he sees the day of action as an opportunity for First Nations communities to show their strength and solidarity.
"We intend to demonstrate very clearly to the government that we are a strong people and we are not going to go through another generation of experiences like residential schools, having our children taken away or drinking polluted water.
"We are not going to be disrespected any further."
Because the Canadian government and general public have not responded to First Nations issues adequately, communities are "looking at the alternative now of dealing with a more direct approach and dealing with the economy that sustains this country."
If that doesn't work, he said, "we most certainly will be prepared to do something else."
Brant Bardy, communications officer for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, said the community is organizing an information campaign to take place on the highway through Shannonville. Members of the community will pass out leaflets to passing motorists.
"We're hoping the people will become better educated. I'm shocked at how ignorant Canadians are to First Nations issues." Bardy listed land claims and water quality as two of the major issues First Nations face.
Although the distribution of informative leaflets may slow traffic, protesters won't obstruct or block any roadways, he said.
"It's more of a day of education and awareness of aboriginal issues than blockades or protest," he said. "We don't condone violence."
Bardy said the community has received a lot of calls from people wanting to get involved in the day of action.
Bob Lovelace, spokesman for the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, said protesters will spend the day at the site of a proposed uranium mine north of Kingston. The land is designated Algonquin territory, Lovelace said.
"We don't want [a uranium mine] here. We don't want it in anybody's backyard," he said.
"The vigil at the gate [of the mining area] will start on the 28th and will remain in effect until the uranium mine shuts down one way or another." Lovelace said he doesn't know how long that will take. On Friday, the local Algonquin community will start the day with a sunrise ceremony, with volunteer musicians performing throughout the day.
"We expect just as many non-aboriginal people as aboriginal because the issues are the same," he said.
Across Canada, Lovelace said he expects aboriginal communities are "going to be as friendly and accepting as they always have been."
He expects the day will raise awareness among non-aboriginal people about aboriginal issues and will help show that "colonialism hasn't worked, and isn't going to work."