Good morning. Bonjour. Anni. Welcome everyone.

Today’s activities have been initiated by a local group called Sudbury Against War and Occupation (SAWO). We are a mixed group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks concerned with all forms and consequences of war and occupation. While this includes working against Canadian involvement in war and occupation all over the world, SAWO sees it as central to recognize that Canada itself exists as an occupation of First Nations’ territory and that struggles of Indigenous Peoples against that occupation must be supported. There is an urgent need to support communities standing up for their lands and for their sovereignity and understand how non-indigenous people are a part of and contribute to the continuing violations of that soveriegnity. Mohawk activist of Tyendinaga, Shawn Brant, called for a different way of doing things on National Aboriginal Day last year when he cried out: “We bury our children in this country every day. We have to force them to drink polluted water. We’re sick and tired of it. It’s going to end-June 29 is going to mark the time when First Nations people are going to be in a different relationship with the rest of the country.”

Today we went to City Hall to demand that Mayor David Miller immediately restore shelter beds in the downtown east side. We've lost over 350 shelter beds in the downtown core, and tens of thousands of meals over the past year, and the City has done nothing.

"They closed University Settlement for renovations today, so where am I supposed to sleep now?" asks Chris. "I'm sleeping in parks, under bridges. They got empty rooms here in City Hall tho, maybe we should stay here?"

Statimc Native Youth Movement Warrior Society
St’at’imc Nation, Tsalalh Territory

Please accept this letter as a declaration of opposition to the upcoming [Vancouver/Whistler] 2010 [Winter] Olympics set to take place within traditional St’at’imc Borders. Many members of our Nation, including children, youth, elders and land users do not support the Olympics taking place in Whistler for many reasons.

First being that Whistler and many other towns, cities and municipalities are illegally occupied by foreigners and run by fraudulent government systems that oppress the original inhabitants, the St’at’imc People. These government systems are built to hold lands illegally and destruct entire ecosystems in order to gain profit for the already wealthy corporations.

Posted from http://friendsofgrassynarrows.com/

"On the night of May 29th, the night before the supreme court of kkkanada looks at passing a bill that would illegalize the presence of natives at construction sites in Brantford Ontario (furthering the control of indigenous people and the colonization of their land), we attacked the office (at 803 St. Clair west) of MPP Michael Bryant. The office windows and door were smashed and jars filled with paint were thrown inside. This was a small message of our discontent and contempt for this minister of aboriginal affairs. The only reason he still has an office to clean is because it is below residential apartments. Way to hide behind human shields you sneaky bastard!

The mayor of Brantford Ontario Canada, Mike Handcock has requested military forces to silence impending Native protests. The issue is the development of sovereign land owned by the Six Nations. Though non Native documents foretell of an agreed land acquisition, Native history disputes this land deal dating back to January 18, 1841. According to Six Nations, back then the chiefs were coerced, deceived and intimidated into signing away the land in question. This has been common practice by settlers since time immemorial. Now, the local government of Brantford wishes to raise the stakes by implementing the use of Canadian military forces.

On May 26th Indigenous communities and supporters including environmental and social justice groups will gather at Queen's Park to uphold our duty to protect the land, forest, water, and air and to promote respect for our Indigenous rights to say no to economic exploitation and environmental destruction. It is time to end the jailing and harassment of our people for protecting mother earth and traditional ways. Please come to our large rally on May 26th at the legislature. We are also inviting supporters to join us in four days of ceremony, speakers, workshops, music, and a three night sovereignty sleep-over directly on the front lawn of the legislature.

May 1 has a special significance for the labour and anarchist movements. In almost every country of the world, except for Canada and the U.S., it is observed as International Workers' Day. Ironically, the observance of May 1 has its origins in the struggle for the eight-hour day in Canada and the US.

On May 1, 1886 there was a general strike in support of workers' demand for an eight-hour day. Most factory workers of the day were immigrants who faced discrimination both on and off the job. It was normal for them to work fourteen-hour days seven days a week. The strike was organized by the major radical labor organization of the time, an anarchist group called the International Working Peoples Association. Prominent organizers with this group were Albert Parsons, Lucy Parsons, and August Spies.