Letter to the Editor: A Power Shift

The following is a response to Hillary Bain's Nov. 2 article  "A Power Shift: Indigenous voices at forefront of growing movement." We welcome your letters to the editor at hmc@mediacoop.ca.

Dear Hillary,

Great article.

As [Halifax Media Co-op editor] Miles Howe knows, there is a great "coming together " of Peoples — I was at the partial blockade at the Canso Causeway (re: The Ainslie Block), and it was so great to see the friendships and mutual respect of the Peoples who were there.

We realize that we are on the same wavelength with regard to our fragile biosphere, the environment, Mother Earth, "Leave it in the ground," etc.

The public servants don't like it when you tell them that their mandate is to serve the Peoples (citizens, tax payers and voters) and that the mandate of the corporations is to make profits for their shareholders ... and that corporations have no legal or moral right to sign deals with our elected governments, unless we give our agreement.

I have just revisited the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — see Articles 18, 19, 26 and 32.

It is time that the First Nations and all the other "newcomers" declared and demonstrated that we are all in agreement that the next seven generations' use of our clean environment is much more important than some quick short-term profits for a few greedy corporations. We have to remember our history and those rights that were given to our ancestors, magna carta, etc.

Because of the international, national and provincial "duty to consult," First Nations are realizing how much power they have. The rest of us, the newcomers, realize how little influence and power we have in the eyes of the laws, as they are written.  (The laws are written in the interests of the government, the Queen (?) and the corporations.)

"Divide and rule," up till now, has been the way that the Peoples have been weakened. Now we are in agreement that "in unity there is strength" — a complete turnaround.

There are thousands of people (maybe millions of Canadians) as well as people writing from other countries, who have communicated with Mr. Stephen Harper, but he just ignores us and says nothing and goes ahead and strikes down laws to protect the environment. Mr. Harper also lays off scientists and cancels the census (statistics) in order to hide the facts ...

Yours sincerely,
Frances Oommen, Orangedale Road, NS.

Please see my blog hearsadifferentdrummer.blogspot.ca.

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