Chiefs of Ontario organizing First Nations to take direct action on January 24 in support of treaties
COO Press Release
A Rally in Ottawa will take place Tuesday, January 24, 2012 in Ottawa to lend support to the First Nations Crown Gathering! Those unable to attend across Ontario are encouraged to lend their support via direct action activities at the community level. This event is being coordinated by the Chiefs of Ontario. For more information, please contact Nathan Wright, Justice Coordinator for the Chiefs of Ontario at 416-597-1266.
The Unity Rally will begin at Victoria Island in Ottawa with a March to the Gathering Place on Parliament Hill. As per previous feedback, a full day of events is planned and exact details will be posted soon.
Rally Poster(pdf)
Rally Information Sheet(pdf)
Chiefs and Council are strongly encouraged to organize buses, vans and other transportation methods to bring citizens to Ottawa on January 24th, 2012. This event is confirmed to happen and we are encouraging all communities across Ontario to begin making plans to attend.
Please consider the following when planning to attend the rally in Ottawa:
• Brown bag lunches
• Water
• Warm clothes (mittens, hats, boots, winter jacket)
• Staff responsible to assist Elders and Youth
• Placards with key messages around honour the Treaties
• Community drum and singers
• Wear RED, such as red T shirts that can be worn over coats.
• Flags, eagle staffs etc. should be also be brought to Ottawa.
Day of Action (Across Ontario)
For communities who are not in a position to organize busloads, a Day of Action is also being planned. First Nation communities will be encouraged to plan and coordinate direct action activities at the community level.
In the coming days, the Chiefs of Ontario will be sending out a package which includes a resource kit. This kit will assist communities in organizing community events. Some of the activities that could take place involve ceremonies, sacred fires, marches and rallies, community gatherings, etc. These activities should be peaceful assertions of our jurisdiction over our lands and territories in an effort to support our leadership at the meetings with the government of Canada.
For more information on the First Nation Crown Gathering, please visit the following:
http://crownfirstnationgathering.com/
http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/PageContent/Default.aspx?SectionID=2&SectionHeadlineID=289