K'naan Waving Flag ~ Official Video + Lyrics

A Rally Calling for Genuine Peace for ALL Ethnic Nationalities in Burma

 Event Notice:

Theme: To Put a STOP on Burma Army's Offensive War against the Kachins, and Genuine PEACE for ALL Ethinc Nationalities in Burma

Date: Saturday, January 12th, 2013
Time:(noon) 12:00pm – 2:00 pm
Protest locations: Sidewalk of Nathan Phillips Square (City Hall)

Dear friends and colleagues of peace loving citizens of Canada,

Since the outbreak of armed conflict between the Burmese government forces and Kachin Independence Army (KIA), in Northern Burma on June 9th, 2011, there has been over 100,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), to date. The ongoing fierce aerial assaults, the use of combat helicopters, fighter jets, and shelling indiscriminately on unarmed citizens by Burma Army, have cost many lives.

So far, President Thein Sein’s administration and Members of Burmese Parliament have failed to stop this genocidal war against its own ethnic citizens.

Kachin Canadian Association (KCA) would like to invite you to join the peace rally in Toronto, to raise awareness for armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Kachin State, Shan State, and other ethnic States.
In solidarity, we stand together as one people and plea the Canadian government to:

1. Urge Burmese government to initiate genuine political dialogue
2. Demand immediate stop to all kinds of offensive attacks, especially aerial bombardment by Burmese Army
3. Demand Burmese government to open aid to IDPs, ALL victims of this conflict
4. Urge United Nations to conduct commission of inquiry on war crimes and crimes against humanity
5. Urge Canada to help engage in a process to establish everlasting peace in Burma.


Contact Info:

Kachin Canadian Association(KCA)

(For the Peace rally Info) Tel: 416 910 8475 / 647 702 6725

We Must Stand Together (IDLE NO MORE)

 

We Must Stand Together!

 By: Christine McFarlane

The Idle No More Movement that began in early October 2012 is more than just a passing movement that had its initial beginnings on facebook. It is about everyone fighting for his or her rights. It is about standing together and righting the wrongs that the Canadian government has put upon us all through their legislative and colonialist practices.

It is about everyone gathering together and standing united on core issues that will affect all Canadians now and in the future. It is about grassroots voices, treaty rights and sovereignty, and about Bill C-45.  Bill C-45 is a 457-page omnibus budget legislation bill (also known as the Jobs and Growth Act) that will make changes to several Canadian laws and enactments that include the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the Navigable Waters Act.

It will see just 97 of Canada's approximately 32,000 major lakes protected by the stripped down act. The changes it will create to the Fisheries Act and the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act will wreak havoc on our ability to maintain a sustainable environment, and have clean water and healthy oceans for all Canadians.

It also exempts companies behind major pipeline and inter-provincial power line projects from needing to prove that they won’t damage or destroy navigable waterways in Canada. Exempting companies from accountability is not only dangerous to First Nations people and their ability to continue a traditional lifestyle of hunting, trapping and fishing, but it will also affect Canada’s waterways and put our water and environment in danger for us and the seven generations behind us.

For First Nations people, the passing of Bill C-45 eliminates treaty rights. It will allow First Nations to lease out/surrender reserve lands based on votes taken at a single meeting, rather than a majority vote from an entire first nation (aka. community consent), eliminate the need for Governor in Council to approve this vote, and changes to approval of Band Councils and Members.

Stephen Harper and his government have blatantly disregarded consultation with First Nations peoples and their leadership in regards to these amendments. These amendments are outlined in our treaty rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In particular, I quote

Article 8 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:

"1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture, and

2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of and redress for:

(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities;

(b) any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources;

(c) any form of forced population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;

(d)  any form of forced assimilation or integration;

(e) any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them." [1]

  

We as Canadians need to stand up to our Prime Minister Stephen Harper and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! 

Please, if you haven't already, become as informed as you can about the facts regarding Bill C-45. Take a stand to protect not only your rights, lands, waters and future, but take a stand for everyone!

For further reading please visit the following links:

www.idlenomore.com 

www.rabble.ca/issues/indigenous 

www.aptn.ca/pages/news/tag/idlenomore 

www.ammsa.com/content/idlenomore-campaign 

and another key site to visit is Dr. Pamela Palmater’s (a key organizer in Toronto’s Idle No More movement) blog Indigenous Nationhood which can be viewed at:

http://indigenousnationhood.blogspot.ca/

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[1] United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved January 9, 2013. http://www.iwgia.org/publications/search-pubs?publication_id=27

What Will It Take For PM Stephen Harper to Meet With Chief Theresa Spence?

What Is It Going to Take For PM Stephen Harper to Meet With Chief Theresa Spence?:

By: Christine McFarlane

What will it take for Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper to sit down and speak with Chief Theresa Spence? Will it take all First Nations and allies to continue stand- ins and protests, staging blockades or will it take worse before our PM Stephen Harper finally admits to himself that what he is currently doing, (which is nothing) isn’t working.

It was December 11, 2012, that Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat First Nation began a hunger strike that has largely become a focal point for the Idle No More Movement that is currently sweeping across Canada and the international stage. It was also a year ago that Chief Theresa Spence and Attawapiskat First Nation were thrust into the limelight with their housing and infrastructure crisis, where we all saw Harper famously stepping in, removing management of the community from the Chief and council and announcing third party management, which was later ruled by the courts as “wrong to do.”

Spence says “many First Nations communities face impoverished conditions despite assurances from the government that progress is being made to alleviate poverty,” and her hunger strike is not only about putting focus on First Nations issues, supporting the Idle No More Movement, highlighting concerns about Stephen Harper and his Conservative governments omnibus Bill C-45, but also striking a national discussion with First Nations leadership, the Prime Minister and Canada’s Governor-General and getting them to agree to a sit down, to talk about Canada’s treaty relationship with First Nations peoples.

Staying in a teepee, warmed by a wood stove, across from Parliament Hill, Chief Spence has entered Day 22 of her hunger strike, and subsists on lemon water, medicinal teas and fish broth once a day, nothing solid. Yet, there has been no word from our Prime Minister Stephen Harper or a sign of him showing a conscience.

How is it that he can tweet nonsensical things like “mmm..bacon..” when just mere steps away, Chief Spence is starving to get First Nations rights heard. How can he in good conscience, let Bill C-45 be passed, when he knowingly did not consult First Nations people and their leadership. We are the original owners of this land, we all call Canada.

This is a man, who on June 11, 2008 on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians offered an historic formal apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools and sought forgiveness for the students’ suffering and for the damaging impact the schools had on First Nations culture, heritage and language.

As noted on the Canadian government website, Prime Minister Harper states “The treatment of children in Indian Residential Schools is a sad chapter in our history,” and within his apology, Harper noted that “we recognize this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country. The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly.”[1]

As a First Nations individual who has been following the Idle No More Movement since it began, I have to ask, will Stephen Harper grow a conscience and meet with First Nations people and their leadership, will he meet with Chief Theresa Spence, or will he continue on the path he is on now-blatantly disregarding First Nations peoples and their rights, to feed his need for ultimate power.

When Chief Theresa Spence first set out for Victoria Island, Idle No More was a regional protest movement that was started by four women who met on Facebook. Since then, it has ultimately exploded. It has spurred dozens of protests, blockades and has inspired thousands to demand a more equitable relationship between the federal government and First Nations peoples.

This is a note to Stephen Harper “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”

For more reading on Idle No More and Stephen Harper’s First Nation Termination Plan please visit the following links:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/117667705/Idle-No-More-Bill-Breakdown

http://www.scribd.com/doc/113392661/Harper-s-First-Nation-Termination-Plan-2012

Please note, this post will be cross posted on Shameless Magazine's blog at www.shamelessmag.com

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[1] PM offers full apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian Residential Schools  system-Prime Minister of Canada.

 June 11, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2012 http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=2146

IDLE NO MORE

IDLE NO MORE-Windsor, Ontario event (Photo By: Christine McFarlane)

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IDLE NO MORE:

By: Christine McFarlane

The Idle No More Movement began with four women, Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam, Jessica Gordon and Sheelah McLean. It has evolved into a movement that has spread across Canada and the international stage.

Idle No More began in early October when Bill C-45 was being discussed. Its focus is on grassroots voices, treaty rights and sovereignty. Bill C-45 is a 457-page omnibus budget legislation bill (also known as the Jobs and Growth Act) that will make changes to several Canadian laws and enactments that include the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the Navigable Waters Act.

For First Nations people, the passing of Bill C-45 eliminates treaty rights. It will allow First Nations to lease out/surrender reserve lands based on votes taken at a single meeting, rather than a majority vote from an entire first nation (aka. community consent). It also exempts companies behind major pipeline and inter-provincial power line projects from needing to prove that they won’t damage or destroy navigable waterways in Canada. This is dangerous in itself because it will interrupt First Nations peoples and their ability to continue a traditional lifestyle of hunting, trapping and fishing on their lands.

The four women who began this movement held rallies and teach ins to generate discussion and to provide information surrounding Bill C-45 and the affects it could have on everyone if it was approved and signed into legislation. A National Day of Solidarity and Resurgence was called on for December 10, 2012 to oppose all legislation and to build solidarity. First Nations people and allies stood in solidarity across the country in more than 13 locations: Vancouver, Whitehorse, Calgary, Edmonton, Stand-Off, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Goose Bay-Happy Valley.

By passing Bill C-45, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government of Canada are ignoring First Nations rights and have literally diminished the need to consider the impacts these changes will make on First Nations water resources. Furthermore, Canada has intentionally failed to fulfill its constitutionally obligated responsibility to consult affected First Nations before the Senate passed it.

As opposition to Bill C-45 has continued to grow across Canada, we have all become witnesses to flash mob round dances, and stands in solidarity happening all over Canada. It has also been amazing to see that there has also been support from as far away as the U.K., Egypt, Australia, New Mexico, and Los Angeles.

The Idle No More Movement has grown into a national phenomena and demands everyone to stand up and stand together. It is time, that we all say we are IDLE NO MORE to Stephen Harper and his colonialist ways.

For more information regarding the Idle No More movement, please visit http://www.idlenomore.ca

Guest Post- Howard Adler

Howard Adler

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Guest Post By Howard Adler:

Howard holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Studies from Trent University, and a Master Of Arts Degree in Canadian Studies from Carleton University. He is an award winning writer, and an artist that has worked in diverse mediums, including visual art, stained glass, theatre, dance, video editing, and film. In 2009 he won the Canadian Aboriginal Youth Writing Challenge (19-29 age category) with his video script “Johnny Seven Fires”, and his film and video work has been exhibited in both Gallery settings and Film Festivals, such as ImagineNATIVE (Toronto), Weengushk (Sudbury), Biindigaate (Thunder Bay), and Saw Video's annual Resolution screening (Ottawa). Howard is currently the Co-Director of the Asinabka Festival, an Indigenous film and media arts festival in Ottawa. Howard is Jewish and Ojibwa and a member of Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in North-western Ontario.

A  Bill C-45 Rant:

One of the biggest problems with Bill C-45 (as well as the plethora of other Bills being introduced C-27, S-2, S-6, S-8, C-428, S-207, and S-212), is that the content of these Bills will have a direct impact on Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, and any legislation that has such an impact requires a "Duty to Consult" with First Nations that stems from section 35 (1) of the Constitution Act; yet despite this required "Duty to Consult", that is NOT what is happening with ANY of this new legislation, legislation that is making huge and sweeping changes to everything from the protection of waterways under the Navigable Waters Act, to land surrenders on reserves, transparency of band spending, housing on reserves, band elections, drinking water on reserves, as well as amendments to the Indian Act. It is unprecedented the number of pieces of legislation effecting Aboriginal and Treaty rights that the current government is pushing through parliament! So although there are very real concerns about the changes these new Bills will introduce, at the core is the basic problem that the federal government is unilaterally and paternalistically introducing this legislation without consulting First Nations peoples. Clearly, the #IdleNoMore movement is showing that First Nations were not consulted about this new legislation in any significant or meaningful way. Additionally, much of the legislation being introduced can be interpreted as being in breach of the "Spirit and Intent" of Treaties, as well as a violation of many of the articles of the "United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples", to which Canada is a signatory.

To read more, please visit the following:

 http://idlenomore1.blogspot.ca/p/bills.html

http://fngovernance.org/resources_docs/Crown_Duty_to_Consult__Accommodate.pdf

Exercise- Writing down 100 Things You Love

By: Christine McFarlane

Today I was looking for some inspiration to get me to put pen to paper. Sometimes it can be difficult to get into the act of writing, when you are feeling bogged down by things. When that happens I love opening one of the many writing books that I have and randomly choosing a writing exercise from it.

Today I chose the book "The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life," written by Julia Cameron, and interestingly I chose an exercise that had to do with drama! Cameron explains that "Drama in our lives often keeps us from putting drama on the page. Some drama happens and we lose our sense of scale in our emotional landscape and "when this happens, we need to reconnect to our emotional through line. We need a sense of our "before, during, and after life," and this exercise is a personal antidote for too much drama."

I found myself setting aside a half hour and making a list of almost 55 things that I personally love. I still have 50 more to go because I found that writing the list was quite a task! I listed the usual ones like, loving to walk, listen to music, reading, writing and then I began to struggle with what else there is that I really love, and I know that I repeated myself.

Well here's part of my list:

100 Things I Love:

1.bears
2. lions
3. eagles
4. my nieces
5. my friends.
6. my freedom
7. my apartment
8. solitude
9. reading
10. writing
11. walking
12. friends
13. television
14. movies
15. games
16. photography
17. painting
18. movies
19. jeans
20. bookstores

I won't bore you with my whole list because it is quite lengthy, but if you ever need to find some inspiration, you should try this exercise. Sit down somewhere comfortable, pull out a piece of paper and a pen, and just start listing everything you love.

The whole point behind this exercise is that it will also help when stress hits you, and you're feeling beside yourself. Keep a copy of your list in your wallet or in your desk drawer and pull it out to read. It will instantly connect you to a sense of well being apart from your current drama.

Till next time, happy writing or whatever it is you like to do!