Chief Theresa Spence seeks UN support

Chief and Council take fight against C-45 to the international community.

by Brent Patterson

The Attawapiskat First Nation and the International Indian Treaty Council have sought the support of the United Nations to stop C-38 and C-45. They state that the Harper government failed in their Duty to Consult as guaranteed by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian Constitution Act.

In their request for consideration under the "Early Warning/ Urgent Action Procedures" of UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), they argue in part that C-45 “removed fish habitat protections” and “changed the Navigable Waters Protection Act to a new format called the Navigation Protection Act, removing protection for 99.9 per cent of lakes and rivers in Canada.” They also note that, “The Frog Lake First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation, through their respective Chiefs, launched judicial review cases in the Federal Court. They are challenging the passage of the Bills C-38 and C-45. However, this form of justice is slow and expensive and inaccessible for many other First Nations or Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”…

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