Call to protect land and water
Indigenous protesters gather at Dundas Square to press prime minister for action
Demonstrators gathered in the middle of the concrete and commercial garden of Dundas Square on a chilly Monday afternoon to urge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respect indigenous rights and especially the environment.
The rally, which began with burning sage brought from Standing Rock, N.D., was part of Indigenous Peoples Day of Action, organized in Ontario by Idle No More, the protest movement represented at the rally by several Canadian First Nations and indigenous peoples from elsewhere.
“The number one issue is land and water,” said Tori Cress, organizer of the Toronto rally. The government does more for industry than it does for people, for land, for land rights and land health, said Becky Big Canoe, of Water is Life — Coalition for Water Justice.
“You start messing with the land — you’re messing with the health of the animals, trees, plants, everything,” Canoe said. “It’s all connected.”
Once the action moved to the centre of the Yonge-Dundas intersection, traffic was held up for about 20 minutes as people chanted slogans and beat drums.
Arally such as Monday’s is meant to raise awareness, Cress said; the greater the awareness, the more the support. It helps people see that there’s something going on with indigenous people, she added: “To see us take to the streets (means) there’s a problem.”
For instance, Cress said indigenous people living around sites of extraction and other industrial activity are getting sick and the Trudeau government is doing nothing for them.
“The fight for clean water is for all life, in all its forms,” Cress said. “It’s not just about indigenous people’s bodies anymore — it’s about all of us.”
When asked if Trudeau should be given more time, activist and author Judy Rebick said, “It’s a year. So far he’s going in all the wrong direction.”
If she saw some steps being taken toward meaningful action, Cress said she would be willing to give Trudeau more time. But, as she sees it now, she said none of the policies have changed from Stephen Harper’s time in office.
“As far as Trudeau is concerned, we don’t really have a lot to give thanks for,” Cress said.
Rebick suggested that the PM’s Liberals are “under pressure from the lobbyists, business people — so we have to put pressure on this side.”
A couple of hours later, the knot of 150 onlookers who took part in the festivities at the rally started to dissipate. When asked what kind of outcome such a rally would have, Canoe, in a vein of levity, said with a chuckle, “Well, it’s always good to get together with people and dance.”