path=20080407editorial
Jailed Leaders are political prisoners in a G8 democratic state
April 07, 2008 — by James Wastasecoot
The following statement is excerpted from a speech made by Chief Donny
Morris of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug on Youtube.com.
…
We do have rights as Aboriginal peoples up north. We do have a
governing body where we imposed a moratorium on our territory. And
apparently, it did not sit well with Platinex and Neil Smitterman and
that's why we got nailed with a $10 billion lawsuit. We have to pay
fines and do jail time. I would say they're trying to discredit me too.
They're trying to isolate me by his comments at the court session. I
tried to do my best to see what is right for my community too. Because
I do want to see in the future where the community itself should
determine what kind of development should be done in and around their
community and their traditional territories. Where it should be not be
dictated by Ontario or a company because, as I said, we did sign
treaty. We are a signatory to Treaty 9 Adhesion. And with that in mind
if Ontario ever wants to start talking honestly, government to
government, now is the time, is what I'm putting on the table. If it
means self-government, so be it. But this type of thing - bureaucracy
that Ontario is hiding behind the Mining Act, that has got to stop. We
have to sit down, both sides, and hammer out an arrangement where these
two governments can work cooperatively, looking at our environment, our
waters, our fish, us as people. We can't allow this to keep on going
where they are dictating to us. We need to work together. We need to
start putting plans for the future because this is the last part of the
frontier that is still wild, clean, the environment is large. We need
to have a say in what goes on in our territories…
The Mamo Sha-way-gi-Kay Win North South Partnership is organizing a
rally in support of the First Nation leaders in Toronto at Ryerson
University on April 9. Chief Donny Morris has been granted permission
to speak at the rally for ten minutes. Chief Ovide Mercredi of Grand
Rapids First Nation in Manitoba is slated to be the keynote speaker.