The 149th Year of Canadian Colonization — Real Peoples Media

5.7.16

The 149th Year of Canadian Colonization — Real Peoples Media: It is very clear to me you cannot have “reconciliation” with Canada if we continue to only have access and benefits from 0.2% of our lands. We cannot have a new relationship with Canada if we only have ownership and jurisdiction of 0.2% of our territory. If our leadership agrees that we have reconciliation and/or a new relationship with Canada they are merely entrenching the existing disparity between settlers (99.8%) and Indigenous Peoples (0.2%). These figures need to fundamentally change if we are going reduce and eliminate poverty. These figures need to change if we are going to protect our land and stop climate change. Indigenous Peoples need to have land rights adequate enough to protect our languages, culture and be economically self-sufficient.

I know many leaders talk about us owning 100% of our territory but when push comes to shove the government and industry resort to injunctions and enforcement orders to remove us from our land. My daughters spent many weeks in jail standing up for our rights. I know this because I had to baby sit my grandson Tuwiit when he was still breast-feeding. That was really tough situation but we need to exercise our sovereignty over our land. You cannot sleep on your rights or the colonial system will use that argument against you in court.