Historic action to oppose the tar sands

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Ottawa Action

"There comes a time…"
viewtopic.php?p=13815#p13815
There comes a time when you need to take a stand. When sending letters and signing petitions isn't enough. When together we must say, "enough is enough — not on our watch."

That time is now. We must act together for the health of our planet, our air, our water, our climate, and our children.


On September 26th we need you to come to Ottawa to join a historic action to oppose the tar sands. In a large peaceful protest, many will be risking arrest to tell the Harper government that we don’t support his reckless agenda; that we want to turn away from the toxic tar sands industry; and that we oppose the direction he's taking this country.

In the U.S., people by the thousands are taking a stand. From Aug 20th to Sept. 3rd, thousands are pledging to risk arrest in daily acts of civil disobedience to convince President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring dirty tar sands oil to the U.S. On September 26th, we will stand up to Prime Minister Harper to pressure him to stem the tar sands industry at its source. Tar sands mining and other extreme forms of energy extraction like Arctic drilling, shale fracking, and nuclear power generation send us in the exact opposite direction that we, as a civilization, must go to ensure global survival. If we burn the tar sands, we blot our nation's reputation; if we leave that carbon in the ground, we'll do the world an enormous favour.

On September 26th we are asking you to come to Ottawa to participate in one of the largest acts of civil disobedience on the climate issue that Canada has ever seen.

Be a part of turning Canada away from the toxic tar sands industry. Help forge the future we all want to live in.

If you are interested and willing to take action email ottawaaction@gmail.com or go to http://www.ottawaaction.ca to sign-up today. It will be a powerful day, and more powerful if you're a part of it.

Sincerely,
The Council of Canadians
Greenpeace Canada
Indigenous Environmental Network

This action has been endorsed by:
Maude Barlow – Chair, Council of Canadians
Shirley Douglas - Canadian television, film and stage actress and activist
George Poitras – Mikisew Cree Indigenous First Nation
James Hansen – Internationally renown Climate Scientist.
Graeme Gibson – author and Member of the Order of Canada.
John O’Connor – Medical Doctor
Clayton Ruby – Member of the Order of Canada and Criminal Lawyer
Judy Rebick – Journalist, political activist and feminist.
Naomi Klein – Author and Journalist
Tom Goldtooth – Director, Indigenous Environmental Network
Bill McKibben – Writer and Environmentalist
Gordon Laxer – Professor of Political Economy
Tony Clarke - Author and director of the Polaris Institute
Bruce Cox - Executive Director Greenpeace Canada
Toghestiy Wet’suwet’en – Wet’suwet’en Nation
Kai Nagata – Ex-CTV Bureau Chief and journalist
James Biggar - Executive Director LeadNow.ca
Joseph B. Uehlein – Labor organizer and environmentalist

Why now?
This summer, 11 veteran U.S. and Canadian scientists and environmentalists — Maude Barlow, Wendell Berry, Tom Goldtooth, Danny Glover, James Hansen, Wes Jackson, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, George Poitras, David Suzuki, and Gus Speth — issued a continental call-out. The call was for people right across the U.S. to come to Washington D.C. and join in two weeks of non-violent civil disobedience actions to try to stop the massive tar sands Keystone XL pipeline. The response has been overwhelming.

Knowing the horrific impacts a mega-pipeline from the tar sands in Alberta to refineries in the U.S. gulf coast would pose to communities, waterways, ecosystems and the planet, people are signing up by the thousands. They are pledging to risk arrest to draw a line in the sand and say “no.” They'll deliver that message by daily risking arrest until the project is stopped.

On September 26th, we have a chance to match their courage and do the same in Ottawa.
If you are interested and willing to take action email ottawaaction@gmail.com or go to http://www.ottawaaction.ca to sign-up today.

« Vient un temps où... »

Vient un temps où il devient nécessaire de prendre position. Où envoyer des lettres et signer des pétitions ne suffit plus. Où nous devons dire ensemble : «C’est assez! Ça ne passera pas avec nous!»

Ce moment est venu. Nous devons passer à l’action ensemble pour protéger la santé de notre planète, de notre air, de notre eau, de notre climat et de nos enfants.

Le 26 septembre, nous avons besoin que vous veniez à Ottawa pour participer à un évènement historique contre les sables bitumineux. Dans le cadre d’une grande manifestation pacifique, certains vont risquer de se faire arrêter afin de dire au gouvernement Harper que nous n’appuyons pas son programme irresponsable, que nous voulons tourner le dos à l’industrie toxique des sables bitumineux et que nous nous opposons à l’orientation qu’il veut donner au pays.

Aux États-Unis, ils sont des milliers à prennent position. Du 20 août au 3 septembre, ils prendront le risque de se faire arrêter lors de gestes quotidiens de désobéissance civile pour convaincre le président Obama de rejeter le projet d’oléoduc Keystone XL visant à acheminer le pétrole sale issu des sables bitumineux vers les États-Unis. Le 26 septembre, nous défendrons notre cause face au premier ministre Harper et ferons pression sur lui pour qu’il ferme les robinets de l’industrie des sables bitumineux.

L’exploitation des sables bitumineux et les autres formes extrêmes d’extraction d’énergie telle que le forage dans l’Arctique, le gaz de schiste et la production d’énergie nucléaire nous amènent dans la direction opposée de celle où nous devons aller, en tant que civilisation, si nous voulons assurer la survie de la planète. En brûlant les sables bitumineux, nous entachons la réputation de notre pays. En laissant le carbone sous terre, nous rendons un service énorme à la planète.

Le 26 septembre, nous vous demandons de venir à Ottawa pour prendre part à l’une des plus grandes manifestations de désobéissance civile que le Canada n’ait jamais connue sur la question du climat.

Contribuez à détourner le pays de l’industrie toxique des sables bitumineux. Aidez à forger un avenir où nous voudrions tous vivre.

Si vous souhaitez passer à l’action, envoyez un courriel à ottawaaction@gmail.com ou inscrivez-vous dès aujourd’hui sur http://www.ottawaaction.ca. Cette journée sera un moment fort ; encore plus fort si vous en faites partie.
Sincèrement,
Le Conseil des Canadiens
Greenpeace Canada
Indigenous Environmental Network

Cet appel à l’action est appuyé par :

Maude Barlow – Présidente du Conseil des Canadiens
Shirley Douglas – Télévision canadienne, actrice de cinéma et de théâtre et activiste
George Poitras – Autochtone de la Première nation crie Mikisew
James Hansen – Scientifique du climat de renommée internationale
Graeme Gibson – Auteur et membre de l’Ordre du Canada
John O’Connor – Médecin en titre
Clayton Ruby – Membre de l’Ordre du Canada et avocat criminaliste
Judy Rebick – Journaliste, activiste politique et féministe
Naomi Klein – Auteure et journaliste
Tom Goldtooth – Directeur de l’Indigenous Environmental Network
Bill McKibben – Écrivain et écologiste
Gordon Laxer – Professeur d’économie politique
Tony Clarke - Auteur et directeur général de l'Institut Polaris
Bruce Cox - Directeur général de Greenpeace Canada
Joseph B. Uehlein – Organisateur syndical et écologiste

Pourquoi maintenant ?
Cet été, 11 scientifiques et écologistes expérimentés américains et canadiens — Maude Barlow, Wendell Berry, Tom Goldtooth, Danny Glover, James Hansen, Wes Jackson, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, George Poitras, David Suzuki et Gus Speth — ont lancé un appel à l’échelle du continent. Ils ont demandé à la population américaine de se rendre à Washington D.C. pour prendre part à deux semaines de manifestations de désobéissance civile non-violente pour faire obstacle au projet d’oléoduc Keystone XL. Cet oléoduc doit transporter des quantités massives de pétrole issu des sables bitumineux. La réponse des citoyens américains a dépassé toute espérance.

Étant conscients des impacts horribles qu’un grand oléoduc acheminant les sables bitumineux albertains vers les raffineries américaines sur la côte du golfe du Mexique aurait sur les communautés, les voies navigables, les écosystèmes et la planète, des milliers de gens se sont inscrits et s’inscrivent présentement à la manifestation. Ils s’engagent à prendre le risque de se faire arrêter pour tracer une ligne dans le sable et dire « non ». Ils feront passer ce message en prenant quotidiennement le risque de se faire arrêter jusqu’à ce que le projet soit mis aux oubliettes.

Le 26 septembre, nous aurons l’occasion de montrer le même courage en faisant la même chose à Ottawa.
Si vous êtes prêts à passer à l’action, envoyez un courriel à ottawaaction@gmail.com ou inscrivez-vous dès aujourd’hui sur http://www.ottawaaction.ca

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August 2011

International: Resolution In Support Of Indigenous Nations, Tribes, Peoples And Organizations In North America
In Opposition To The Tar Sands Extraction In Alberta And Keystone XL Pipeline

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF INDIGENOUS NATIONS, TRIBES, PEOPLES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA IN OPPOSITION TO THE TAR SANDS EXTRACTION IN ALBERTA CANADA AND THE KEYSTONE XL OIL PIPELINE PROJECT IN THE UNITED STATES, ADOPTED BY THE PARTCIPANTS IN THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE UNITED NATIONS RIO + 20 WORLD CONFERENCE, GATHERED IN MANAUS BRAZIL AUGUST 22nd - 24th 2011, REPRESENTING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBEAN, NORTH AMERICA, ASIA, AFRICA AND ARCTIC REGIONS.

TO OUR INDIGNOUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF NORTH AMERCIA, THE GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES AND TO WORLD PUBLIC OPINION, AUGUST 24th 2011:

We recognize that the Tar Sands extraction by multi-national energy corporations on the traditional and Treaty lands of Indigenous Peoples and Nations in Northern Alberta Canada is vastly destructive to the Indigenous Peoples of the region, and continues to detrimentally effect their rights to traditional subsistence and food sovereignty, lands and resources including water, Treaties, health and self-determination.

We also recognize that the Tar Sands Development is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and other contaminants that impact the Indigenous Peoples and the natural world in the North America region and around the world.

We also recognize that the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project to carry the oil extracted from the Tar Sands through the central part of the United States will cut through many Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, including Treaty lands.

We recognize that many impacted Indigenous Peoples including Tribal Nations, Indigenous National Representative bodies and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations have expressed their opposition to these non-sustainable projects being carried out without the free prior informed consent of the impacted Indigenous Peoples as affirmed in Article 32 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These include the Dene National Assembly, Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Treaty Chiefs of Alberta, Assembly of First Nations, National Congress of America Indians, the North America Regional Indigenous Peoples Caucus, Indigenous Environmental Network and International Indian Treaty Council, among others.

We therefor state our firm support for the efforts of Indigenous Peoples of North America to oppose and put a stop to these non-sustainable development projects which violate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the minimum standard for the survival, dignity and well-being of the world’s Indigenous Peoples, which is now supported by all States, including the US and Canada.

We further call upon the governments of the US and Canada to respect the positions and rights of the Indigenous Peoples and Nations whose lives, lands and survival are directly impacted, as well as the voices of Indigenous Peoples and supporters around the world, and to call an immediate halt to the Tar Sands extraction and Keystone XL Pipeline Project. We further call upon them to respect the rights of those who are continuing to peacefully protest against these projects in both the US and Canada.

For all our Relations and the Natural World, affirmed by consensus in Manaus Brazil, 24 August 2011.

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August 27, 2011

Native American and Canadian First Nations
To Take Part In Largest Act of Civil Disobedience to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline

Washington DC: The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is a national environmental justice and indigenous rights organization taking part in the largest act of civil disobedience in decades taking place at the White House in Washington DC from August 20 to September 3, 2011.

The purpose of these actions is to send a direct message to President Obama to deny approval of the 1,702 mile Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would be transporting pollution from the tar sands (also know as oilsands) of Canada to the United States by carrying 900,000 barrels per day of thick, corrosive, toxic, synthetic crude oil for refining in Texas and the Gulf States. If approved, the Keystone XL would lock the US into a dependency of energy intensive, hard-to-extract dirty oil and create a massive expansion of the world’s dirtiest and most environmentally destructive form of oil development currently taking place in northern Alberta Canada. These operations are already producing 1.5 million barrels per day and having horrendous environmental justice and human rights impacts on the way of life and health of the local Native communities of Cree, Dene and Métis.

The proposed pipeline threatens to pollute freshwater supplies in America’s agricultural heartland and grasslands with increased emissions in already-polluted communities of the Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL would cross Indian Country; States of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas encompassing Indian-US treaty territories crossing water aquifers and rivers, grasslands, cultural sites and ecological sensitive areas. Leaks and spills are common occurrences from such pipelines that could result in disproportionate impact to Native Nations and thousands of tribal members. A spill from the Keystone XL poses an even greater threat, given that the pipeline would run directly through the Ogallala aquifer, which supplies one-third of our nation’s ground water used for irrigation, and drinking water to 2 million citizens.

The Indigenous Environmental Network is bringing tribal governmental and grassroots leaders from US and Canada, directly impacted by the proposed pipeline and the tar sands oil operations, to say “NO KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE” to President Obama. This Indigenous Day of Action on September 2, 2011, at the gates of the White House will express the solidarity of Native Nations, standing with concerned citizens, workers, farmers, ranchers, unions, youth and a coalition of environmental groups from across the continent, in peaceful protest to protect Mother Earth and demand Obama respect the treaty rights and survival of Native Nations of the US and Canada.

“Nature is speaking, but Obama is not listening. The Keystone XL pipeline is a 1,700 mile fuse of the world’s largest carbon bomb. The Canadian tar sands, the proposed Keystone XL and all the other current and proposed pipelines are weapons of mass destruction leading the path to triggering the final overheating of Mother Earth”, says Tom BK Goldtooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network. “President Obama made promises to Native Nations and here is an opportunity for him to honor those promises and be a man of conscious by standing up to corporate power and say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline.”

A barrel of tar sands oil emits up to three times as much climate-disrupting gas as conventional oil. Building Keystone XL would be the greenhouse gas equivalent of adding roughly 6.5 million passenger vehicles to the road, or constructing 12 new coal-fired power plants.

“IEN is putting out a national call for ACTION and Solidarity on September 2nd. Even if your homes won’t be crossed by this pipeline, we are raising the consciousness of America to reevaluate its relationship to Mother Earth that would be ruined by the intensity of environmental devastation and of greenhouse gases created by the enormous tar sands oil infrastructure crossing North America. It’s like a giant spider web crossing our Turtle Island”, added Goldtooth.

National Native organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians, the oldest and largest Native organization representing Native Nations are calling for a moratorium and better management practices on expanded tar sands development and opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. NCAI requests the U.S. government to take aggressive measures to work towards sustainable energy solutions that include clean alternative energy and improving energy efficiency.
The IEN delegation will arrive in DC on August 30th and be participating in the August 31st Canadian Day of Action and staying until the Indigenous Day of Action on September 2nd.


For more information, please contact:

Marty Cobenais IEN Pipeline Campaigner cell: (218) 760 0284 email: martyc@ienearth.org

Clayton Thomas-Muller IEN Tar Sands Campaigner cell: (613) 297 7515 email: ienoil@igc.org

Tom Goldtooth IEN Executive Director cell: (218) 760 0442 email: ien@igc.org

Kandi Mosset IEN Tribal Campus Climate Campaigner cell: (701) 214 1389 email: iencampusclimate@igc.org
Or visit http://www.ienearth.org/tarsands.html or http://www.tarsandsaction.org
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Tell President Obama
Tar Sands Pipeline Approval Will Alienate Green Base, Warrant Return of His Nobel Peace Prize

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW:
http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts ... _tar_sands

The struggle over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline – which would run over 1,500 miles from Alberta, Canada to Texas, extending the reach of Canada's filthy and addictive tar sands trade far into the United States – is shaping up to be an epic political battle.

When Alberta, Canada's tar sands are fully developed, along with its vast proposed pipeline network, the planet will be pushed into abrupt and runaway climate change. Ongoing environmental protest in Washington DC to stop the tar sands pipeline was decimated this past Friday by Obama's State Department approval of the pipeline. On tar sands and fracking in particular, President Obama has abandoned his green base, meaning after an early retirement he will have time to earn that Nobel Prize. Barring Obama’s final rejection of tar sands pipelines, a decision that is his to make, it should be returned immediately.

For more information and to discuss Alert:
http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet
http://www.facebook.com/EItarsands
http://www.twitter.com/EI_TarSands
http://forests.org/blog

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August 31, 2011
Canadian groups to Ambassador Doer: Stop lobbying for Keystone XL pipeline

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council of Canadians, the Indigenous Environmental Network and Greenpeace Canada presented a letter addressed to Ambassador Gary Doer at the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. today demanding an end to lobbying in favour of the Keystone XL pipeline.

“Ambassador Doer has publicly recognized he is actively lobbying for Keystone XL,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, who will be present to help deliver the letter. “To pitch the tar sands as the answer to American energy security ignores the destruction of the tar sands and turns away from the sustainable energy future Canada and the U.S. need.”

In May 2011, Alberta saw one of the largest pipeline bursts in the province’s history when 28,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into the local ecosystem near Peace River. In the past year, TransCanada’s first Keystone pipeline has spilled crude oil at least 12 times and contaminated water, air and soil in nearby communities. The spills resulted in catastrophic effects on wildlife and the quality of life of nearby farmers, landowners and Indigenous communities.

First Nations delegates with the Indigenous Environmental Network will also be present outside the Canadian Embassy. They have come to Washington to share their testimonies of the damaging social and health effects the tar sands are having on their communities.

“With the onslaught of tar sands exploitation, we are seeing more people developing serious respiratory illnesses. People of all ages are developing types of cancer that we have never seen in our area. As we have see the tar sands industry expand,” said Gitz Crazyboy of Fort McMurray, in the heart of the Alberta tar sands. Crazyboy continues, “We what we see is alarming – we are witnessing the complete destruction of the boreal forest as tar sands operations expand.”

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Canada to the U.S. The controversial 2,736 kilometre project threatens to pollute freshwater supplies in America’s agricultural heartland and spike air pollution in the Gulf Coast. The pipeline would cross Indian-US treaty territories, water aquifers, rivers, grasslands, cultural sites and ecological sensitive areas. Tar sands operations and its associated infrastructure projects are consistently violating constitutionally recognized treaty rights in both Canada and the United States.

Melina Laboucan-Massimo, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada who is from Alberta said, “The Keystone pipeline is an act of aggression to the plants, wildlife and people who live in its path. We are proud to add our voice to the hundreds of brave activists who have peacefully opposed this destructive project over the past several days.”

Two weeks of protests in Washington, DC will end on September 3rd before transitioning to Ottawa for a one-day event endorsed by the Council of Canadians, Indigenous Environmental Network and Greenpeace Canada on September 26th. People across Canada have been invited to participate by signing on to the civil disobedience protest at ottawaaction.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Clayton Thomas-Muller, Tar Sands Campaigner, IEN, cell: 613.297.7515
Andrea Harden, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner, Council of Canadians, cell: 613.218.5800
Melina Laboucan-Massimo Climate & Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada, cell: 347.471.6424
Peter McHugh, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Canada, cell: 647.801.2567

August 31, 2011, the Council of Canadians, the Indigenous Environmental Network and Greenpeace Canada were at the Canadian embassy in Washington to present a letter addressed to Canadian ambassador Gary Doer demanding an end to his lobbying in favour of the pipeline.

Dear Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the United States,

As environmental and social justice groups from Canada, we've journeyed to Washington to
help our American counterparts in their two weeks of civil disobedience aimed at persuading
President Obama to deny a permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

We also feel the need to speak to our own government, loudly and clearly. It's shameful for
Canada to be pushing tar sands development when the planet's premier climate scientists have
spoken out firmly to say it presents a certain danger to the earth's atmosphere. James Hansen
of NASA put it this way: burning substantial quantities of tar sands oil would mean it was
"essentially game over for the climate."

Tar sands production is also responsible for both the depletion and contamination of water in
Alberta. Four billion litres of contaminated water are released into Alberta's groundwater and
natural ecosystems every year. Toxins connected to tar sands production have been found as
far downstream as the Athabasca delta, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world.
Scientists and communities living in the area have documented mutations in fish downstream
from the tar sands. Indigenous communities have experienced increased health problems which
may be linked to contaminated food and water sources.

We can't let the tar sands be Canada's greatest legacy of the 21st century. Canada possesses
the resources and technologies to secure a future that will help, not harm, the planet. The
devastation already visited by tar sands development should be proof enough of what a shortsighted plan it is.

Around the world, other nations have begun to rise to the environmental challenge. Brazil, for
instance, is far poorer than Canada, and yet its citizens have put a high priority on protecting the rainforest. Canada's traditional role in world affairs is as a mediator, a conciliator. That proud past doesn't give us the right to endanger the earth's future.

Communities living along the path of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline have raised strong
concerns about threats to their air, water and land. The pipeline will cross the Ogallala aquifer, one of the most important reserves of freshwater in the world. Given TransCanada's track record of pipeline failures, Canada must take responsibility for preventing further ecological damage.

We respectfully ask the Canadian government to cease lobbying for the Keystone XL Pipeline
and instead turn efforts to addressing the serious social and environmental impacts of the tar
sands.

Sincerely,
Council of Canadians
Greenpeace Canada
Indigenous Environmental Network

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IITC STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY OF ACTION
ON THE TAR SAND AND KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE, WASHINGTON DC, SEPTEMBER 2ND 2011

August 31st, 2011: The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) expresses its firm solidarity and support for the Indigenous Nations, Tribes, Peoples, Organizations and Communities taking part in the Indigenous Peoples Day of Action against the Tar Sands and Keystone XL Pipeline Projects in Washington DC on September 2nd, 2011.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007 and formally endorsed by both the United States and Canada in 2010, now provides an internationally-recognized framework for upholding and implementing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in these countries and around the world. The Declaration recognizes, affirms and calls upon all States (countries) to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, traditional lands and resources, sacred sites and cultural practices, subsistence, health, free prior and informed consent, and the rights affirmed in Treaties they concluded with Indigenous Nations, among others.

Article 32 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples specifically affirms the responsibility of States (countries) to uphold Indigenous Peoples' and Nations' right to free prior and informed consent regarding development projects as follows: " States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources."

Impacted Indigenous Peoples including Tribal Nations, National Representative Bodies and Indigenous Peoples' organizations have expressed their firm opposition to both the Tar Sands Development in Alberta Canada and the Keystone XL Pipeline project in the United States. These include the Dene National Assembly, Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Treaty Chiefs of Alberta, Assembly of First Nations, National Congress of America Indians, Oglala Lakota Nation, various Lakota Treaty Councils, Sauk and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, the North America Regional Indigenous Peoples Caucus, Indigenous Environmental Network and International Indian Treaty Council, among others.

It is clear that the recognized right to free prior and informed consent, as well as the rights affirmed in Treaties concluded by the US and Canada with many of the impacted Indigenous Nations, are being violated.

We therefore call on the US and Canada to uphold their obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Treaties they concluded with Indigenous Nations, and legally-binding International Conventions such as the UN Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), by immediately halting these environmentally and culturally-destructive projects being carried out in violation of the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We also call upon the governments of the US and Canada, as well as the Washington DC police and city officials, to respect the rights of the Indigenous representatives and others who are peacefully protesting to make their voices heard in opposition to these very destructive projects.

Respectfully submitted,

Francisco Cali, Board President, International Indian Treaty Council

Mayan Kaqchikel

Ron Lameman, Board Treasurer, International Indian Treaty Council

Andrea Carmen, Executive Director, International Indian Treaty Council

Yaqui Nation

###

The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) is an organization of Indigenous People from North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Pacific with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council
www.treatycouncil.org

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Turtle Island Native Network
http://www.turtleisland.org

September 1, 2011 - Anti-TarSands protest - Turning up the heat on the Harper government.

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief for the Northwest Territories Bill Erasmus is in Washington, D.C. today, along with other First Nation leaders, to meet with senior officials from Indian Affairs in the Obama administration regarding the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.

AFN National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo stated he fully supports First Nations taking forward their rights and interests with respect to the pipeline project: "First Nations support responsible economic development in partnership with industry but this project has been controversial from the start. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, supported by the Obama administration, calls for good faith consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples to secure their free, prior and informed consent concerning legislative or administrative measures that may affect them. We stand in solidarity with the protesters that are supporting First Nations rights."

On August 26th, the United States Department of State issued an Environmental Impact Statement declaring the pipeline will have "no significant impact" on the environment, contrary to the Environmental Protection Agency's stated concerns about the environmental risks. The project is currently under a 90 day review to determine if it is in the "best interests" of the United States.

National Chief Atleo stated: "Any time the life, health, and cultures of Indigenous peoples are threatened in any way, we will speak out and stand in full solidarity. Many representative groups and individuals, including the National Congress of American Indians and the Governor of Nebraska, have stated this project is not safe. We call on President Obama to reject this project as soon as possible."

The National Congress of American Indians has declared solidarity with First Nations in Canada opposing the Keystone XL and has directly spoken out in opposition to the project.
viewtopic.php?p=13662#p13662

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Turtle Island Native Network
http://www.turtleisland.org

The Indigenous Environmental Network reported today that First Nations and American Indian leaders were arrested In front of the White House in Washington, DC during their protest (Indigenous Day of Action) against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project . . .

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2011

American Indian and Canadian Native leaders were arrested today in front of the White House. Representatives of Native governments and organizations from the United States and Canada traveled long distances to Washington DC to tell President Barack Obama not to issue a permit for the construction of a controversial 1,700 mile pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

"The Dene people in northern Canada passed a resolution standing in solidarity with Native Americans and other people opposing the Keystone XL pipeline. We want the people of America to hear our concerns, as people that live downstream from the tar sands development" said Chief Bill Erasmus, Dene Regional Chief of NWT and representative of the Assembly of First Nations.

Gitz Deranger, Dene from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, living downstream from the tar sands, says, "I have seen the devastation of our people's health with increased cancer deaths. If Obama approves this pipeline, it would only lead to more of our people needlessly dying."

"Our Lakota people oppose this pipeline because of the potential contamination of the surface water and of the Ogallala aquifer," says Deb White Plume, Lakota grassroots leader, with Owe Aku, an Oglala Lakota organization in South Dakota. "We have thousands of ancient and historical cultural resources that would be destroyed across our treaty lands. It's my responsibility as a woman to stand with Mother Earth against corporate male dominated greed. White Plume stood proud as her hands were handcuffed behind her back and led away.

"This is a matter of life and death. Our human rights should not be on the altar of US energy policy," says Pat Spears, a Lakota, with Intertribal Council on Utility Policy, of South Dakota.

Chief George Stanley, Regional Chief of Alberta said the pipeline was initiated under the previous Bush administration and inherited by Obama. "Our First Nations in Alberta have been concerned of the lack of consultation of the pipeline and tar sand expansion. President Obama can do what's right. The President's approval of this pipeline is not in the national interest of US or Canada."

Tom Goldtooth, of the Indigenous Environmental Network, the organization that organized the Indigenous Day of Action in DC said, "The tar sands and pipeline infrastructure are weapons of mass destruction leading the path to triggering the final overheating of Mother Earth. President Obama made promises to Native Nations. Here is an opportunity for him to honor those promises and be a man of conscience by standing up to corporate power and saying no to the Keystone XL pipeline."

BACKGROUND: viewtopic.php?p=13729#p13729

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Turtle Island Native Network
http://www.turtleisland.org

September 26th, 2011 - "The tar sands represent a path of broken treaties, eroded human rights, catastrophic climate change, poisoned air and water and the complete stripping of Canada’s morality in the international community, said Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Indigenous Environmental Network. He was among the many to swarm Parliament Hill today to protest against the tar sands but also in opposition to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project. It would carry oil from the Oil Sands down to Texas. "Our communities should not be sacrificed on the alter of Canada’s addiction to dirty fossil fuel; we want a new economic paradigm that protects our relationship to the sacredness of Mother Earth," added Thomas-Muller.

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"If they want to expand the Tar Sands and up the production, that's going to create so much more poison. More poison - that's cancer. The earth has cancer," said actor, mother, grandmother, and activist Tantoo Cardinal (pictured above addressing the rally).

Cardinal was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta, now the urban centre of the massive Oil Sands development.

She told the rally, that she was raised by people who lived off the land. "We ate fish, we ate moose meat, we ate muskrat. We lived and we ate off the land." She explained that she left to go to school, and when she came back: "All of a sudden it was absolutely swarming with people who only came there for money. They were not people who cared about the land, who lived off the land or even gave the land a thought.". . ."There was absolutely no respect for that land that raised me, that raised our generations."

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Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus (pictured here) spoke about the impacts of tar sands developments on Dene. ( VIDEO: http://qik.com/video/44591736 )
"Toxic tailings ponds already cover hundreds of square kilometres , and are growing by the minute - Millions of litres of contaminated water leak each day from these tailings ponds into groundwater and tributaries in the Athabasca River watershed. These waters flow through Denendeh, from northern Alberta to the Arctic Ocean, and any pollution in the water impacts our communities. This is one of our main concerns about tar sands development."

A Dene news release explained that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would transport 1 million barrels of synthetic crude oil each day from Alberta’s tar sands to US refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. Construction of the 2,700 km pipeline would facilitate a massive expansion of Alberta's tar sands, along with increased pollution, stress on water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Dene communities are downstream from the tar sands, and are threatened by the impacts of upstream water usage and pollution, and the impacts of climate change and global warming.

"It is unfortunate that we must resort to civil disobedience to make our voices heard," Erasmus said. "But in this crucial time when tar sands developments are threatening our water, the fate of our climate, the lives of our children, and our Treaty and basic human rights, we can no longer afford to be obedient to this government and the fossil fuel industry."
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September 26th, 2011 - Representatives of First Nations and American Indian Tribes were among the hundreds of people rallying in Ottawa - participating in a rally featuring "a civil disobedience sit-in against the tar sands" - dozens of arrests were made as protestors climbed over police barricades in front of the parliament buildings.
DETAILS / VIDEO . . .
http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=13818#p13818

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PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenpeace ... otostream/

Lionel Lepine of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation explained: "Current operations in the tar sands are violating our human and constitutionally protected treaty rights. Our community is currently in court with some of these companies and plan to oppose any and all future development with similar legal action. . .We demand free, prior and informed consent for development in our traditional territories as recognized by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

Hundreds of people from across North America have joined the Ottawa gathering (beginning at 10A.M. in front of the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill).

According to the Indigenous Environmental Network: "The action is to oppose the tar sands industry and push for a clean, green energy future that honors Indigenous rights and prioritizes the health of the environment and communities."

First Nations leaders from British Columbia, North West Territories and Alberta, three provinces most heavily affected by the tar sands development are in Ottawa to raise awareness "of the devastating environmental and social effects of the tar sands".

Native American Tribes, including the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe, endorsed the day of action, along with advocacy groups.

"Enbridge is trying to ram its tar sands pipeline right through our territories and the lands of many other First Nations," said Chief Jackie Thomas of Saik'uz First Nation, a member of the Yinka Dene Alliance. "We have used our laws to forbid these pipelines in our lands. We will use every means available to us under Indigenous, Canadian and International law to enforce our decision and stop the Enbridge pipeline. If we take care of the land and water, it will take care of us. If we ruin our water with oil spills and once the tar sands kill the waters of our brother and sister nations, our people will be finished."

Last week, on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota, an Accord was signed opposing the proposed Trans-Canada Keystone XL pipeline and endorsing the Ottawa Action. The emergency Tribal meeting, which included Canadian First Nations and Native American Tribes affected by the proposed pipeline, focused on Tribal opposition to the Trans-Canada Keystone XL. The Accord highlights the neglected concerns of First Nations in Canada regarding the Canadian tar sands, the industry's disproportionate impacts on Treaty and Aboriginal rights and the detrimental health and social consequences for affected First Nations communities.

"The tar sands represent a path of broken treaties, eroded human rights, catastrophic climate change, poisoned air and water and the complete stripping of Canada’s morality in the international community," said Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Indigenous Environmental Network. "Our communities should not be sacrificed on the altar of Canada's addiction to dirty fossil fuel; we want a new economic paradigm that protects our relationship to the sacredness of Mother Earth."

First Nations groups endorsing today's Ottawa action include: Dene Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Yinka Dene Alliance, Wet'suwet'en and Unis'tot'en Nations.

[admin]

Hundreds gather on Parliament Hill to say ‘No to Tar Sands’

September 26th, 2011

DETAILS: http://ottawaaction.ca

MORE: Photos / Video . . .
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(Ottawa) – Hundreds of people from across North America are gathered this morning on Parliament Hill for a rally followed by a mass civil disobedience sit-in. Participants are responding to a call to action for a large peaceful protest where many will risk arrest to tell the Harper government they don’t support his reckless agenda and urge him to turn away from the tar sands and build a green energy future that promotes climate justice, respects Indigenous rights and prioritizes the health of our environment and communities.

“It is morally justifiable to risk arrest if you see and witness a crime occurring or about to occur. We are saying the tar sands industry is unlawful. We need to stop it before the damage is done. It’s worth getting arrested to send that warning out to the rest of Canada,” said Louisette Lante, a housewife from Waterloo.

The action began at 10 a.m. with a solidarity rally in front of the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill featuring a number of speeches from prominent individuals from environmental organizations and Indigenous communities directly impacted by the tar sands Following the speeches, waves of participants in groups of 20 or more will separate from the solidarity rally and choose to risk arrest by participating in a peaceful sit-in near the front doors to Centre Block.

“The tar sands represent a path of broken treaties, eroded human rights, catastrophic climate change, poisoned air and water and the complete stripping of Canada’s morality in the international community, said Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Indigenous Environmental Network. “Our communities should not be sacrificed on the alter of Canada’s addiction to dirty fossil fuel; we want a new economic paradigm that protects our relationship to the sacredness of Mother Earth.”

A broad spectrum of people at Parliament Hill support the action including grandparents, elected and grassroots Indigenous leaders directly impacted by tar sands operations and pipelines, students, workers, environmentalists and union representatives. Environmental and Indigenous organizations along with a dozen Canadian celebrities and prominent individuals have endorsed the call to action.

“I've spent more than a decade writing reports about the benefits of a green energy and asking politely for action on climate change, while tar sands companies worked the back rooms and pollution levels went up. I'm here today to send a message about the urgency of stopping the tar sands and building a green economy in a way that can't be ignored,” said Keith Stewart, Ph.D.

[admin]

Media Release

hundreds arrested in ottawa tar sands protest

For Immediate Release
September 26th, 2011

Ottawa, ON

Hundreds have been arrested on Parliament Hill while protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The protests have been organized by First Nations and environmental organizations, and are endorsed by Dene Nation.

Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus has joined the protests, and spoke to the crowd of one thousand about the impacts of tar sands developments on Dene.

“Toxic tailings ponds already cover hundreds of square kilometres , and are growing by the minute,” Erasmus said. “Millions of litres of contaminated water leak each day from these tailings ponds into groundwater and tributaries in the Athabasca River watershed. These waters flow through Denendeh, from northern Alberta to the Arctic Ocean, and any pollution in the water impacts our communities. This is one of our main concerns about tar sands development.”

Dene Nation has endorsed the Ottawa protests as previous efforts to lobby the government have fallen on deaf ears. “It is unfortunate that we must resort to civil disobedience to make our voices heard,” Erasmus said. “But in this crucial time when tar sands developments are threatening our water, the fate of our climate, the lives of our children, and our Treaty and basic human rights, we can no longer afford to be obedient to this government and the fossil fuel industry.”

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would transport 1 million barrels of synthetic crude oil each day from Alberta’s tar sands to US refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. Construction of the 2,700 km pipeline would facilitate a massive expansion of Alberta’s tar sands, along with increased pollution, stress on water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. Dene communities are downstream from the tar sands, and are threatened by the impacts of upstream water usage and pollution, and the impacts of climate change and global warming.

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For more information please contact: Barret Lenoir or Daniel T’seleie, at the Dene National Office (867) 873-4081 (or by cell at 867-444-0509).