Indigenous people – The Concordian

Protest in Montreal against logging in B.C.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, more than 60 people marched through downtown Montreal in support of activists and land defenders protecting an area of old-growth trees in B.C. called Fairy Creek.

In August 2020, a blockade was set up near the Fairy Creek Watershed after it was discovered that Teal-Jones, a privately owned timber harvesting and primary lumber product manufacturing company, was building roads in the area. Since then, the Fairy Creek movement has been on track to become the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history based on the number of arrests — over 800.

“It’s really startling to be in the forest and be shaded [by trees], and you hear all the beautiful animals, and then you go beyond into the cut blocks where there is absolutely nothing, and you’re kind of just brought into this reality of like: this is our future. These cut blocks, this desolation, this heat — this is our future,” said Sasha Golvin, a Concordia masters student who helped organize the protest, and was at the Fairy Creek blockade.

When asked why Montrealers should care about Fairy Creek, Golvin explained that in Quebec, there are similar situations where colonial resource extraction impacts Indigenous land, and that people should care because Indigenous sovereignty is being impacted across Canada.

In a speech at the protest, Golvin described the police brutality she saw at Fairy Creek, particularly towards Indigenous land defenders. According to an article by CTV, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC), which holds the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accountable, has received over 73 complaints dealing with enforcement at Fairy Creek.

A video was posted online of an Indigenous land defender being arrested by police, where the caption stated, “Her hair was literally on the road after her body was dragged away.”

In a press release from Climate Justice Montreal, it is stated that the RCMP are stopping and arresting journalists at the blockade and targeting Indigenous people. Some officers have been reported wearing “Thin Blue Line” patches, a symbol with connections to white supremacy. The RCMP has advised its officers across Canada not to wear the patch.

Members of the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and other First Nations support the movement against old-growth logging. Yet Pacheedaht chief Jeff Jones and hereditary chief Frank Queesto Jones, said in a statement that they were against the Fairy Creek blockade, and that all sides of the conflict must respect how the Pacheedaht decided to use their forestry resources.

In June, the B.C. government approved the request from First Nations to halt old-growth logging in Fairy Creek for two years, yet the RCMP continue to arrest protesters and land defenders.

Leela Keshav, a student at the University of Waterloo who went to the Fairy Creek blockade and the Montreal protest, believes that while the blockade is B.C. oriented, it affects everyone.

“It’s the last old-growth, and because we are in a climate crisis it’s so incredibly valuable to protect,” she said.

According to the Ancient Forest Alliance website, only 2.7 per cent of B.C.’s old-growth is still standing, and 75 per cent of that is slated to be logged in the coming years.

“We all live on this shared planet, seeing these connections, at first it seems like this is an isolated thing in B.C., but actually, it is part of all these interconnected movements across Canada,” said Keshav.

Photograph courtesy of Youssef Baati.

The 12th vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous women took place on Valentine’s Day

This Sunday, Feb. 14, marked the 12th vigil for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Montreal. The event was held on Facebook Live, with over 100 people attending.

“It’s an annual vigil where family members and loved ones can come together and commemorate those memories [of those that have disappeared or been murdered]” said Dayna Danger, who has Métis, Saulteaux, and Polish roots, and the campaign lead for Missing Justice — a grassroots organization working to bring awareness on the discrimination against Indigenous women in Quebec.

According to Danger, the vigils began in Vancouver, which has a large population of Indigenous people living on the streets. The vigils spread across Canada and have now become two annual vigils on Feb. 14 and Oct. 4.

This vigil marks two years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released their final report in June of 2019. The report made 231 recommendations to provincial and federal governments, 21 of which were for Quebec.

The Inquiry website states that “The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA [Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual] people.”

Danger explained that one of the purposes of the vigil is to highlight each individual, as missing and murdered Indigenous women are commonly reduced to statistics and numbers.

Danger references Tiffany Morrison, a 24-year-old mother who went missing in June 2006 from the Kahnawake community just outside of Montreal. Her sister, Melanie Morrison, spent four years fighting to find her sister, explained Danger. In 2010 Tiffany’s remains were found, and according to a CBC article the case has yet to be solved.

“This is the reality a lot of families live with, they have no idea what happened [to their loved ones]” said Danger.

They explained that it’s common for people to see Indigenous women as disposable, that no one will miss them.

“We want those names to be remembered, we don’t want them to be forgotten, because if we do we are doomed to keep repeating,” said Danger.

They explained that support for Indigenous people didn’t really start until 2009 in Montreal. Danger stated that as an Indigenous community, it’s seen that Quebec is 15-20 years behind most provinces in terms of Indigenous support. Danger used the example that Montreal is one of the major Canadian cities that does not have an official Indigenous health centre. There is the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke, however there is no physical centre.

“Indigenous people are the custodians of the land,” said Danger. “Non-Indigenous people, settlers — whether you are BIPOC or not — you benefit from a society that has been built on agreements that have been failsfied. Be accomplices not allies.”

Graphic by Taylor Reddam