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[OPIRG-EVENTS] June 21 National Aboriginal Day
Come Join the Blanket Train!
June 21 is National Aboriginal Day. We are gathering in Ottawa to call
for
Justice!
Take the train to Ottawa with the Aboriginal Rights Coalition and the
Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative.
On June 21, community activists from across Canada will come together in
Ottawa at the Supreme Court of Canada building to symbolically reverse
the
process of dispossessing Aboriginal peoples from the land, and to show
support for the ARC/Jubilee "Land Rights, Right Relations" petition
campaign.
In a twist on the "blanket exercise" that dramatizes the forced
separation
of Aboriginal peoples from their home, we will roll out blankets from
across
Canada, symbolizing our commitment to restoring right relations with
Aboriginal peoples, and joining in the Jubilee call for a truly
independent
commission to implement Aboriginal land, treaty, and inherent rights.
We're coming on three trains: one from the East (Halifax); one from the
North (Churchill); and one from the West (Vancouver). The Eastern train
will
pick up Quebec participants in Montreal. The Churchill and Vancouver
trains
will meet in Winnipeg, and will be joined in Toronto by folks from the
Southern part of Canada.
We will come carrying the blankets that symbolize the land we once
shared,
stopping along the way to pick up bundles of blankets from individuals
and
communities. People can join us for the journey if they wish. On June
21,
upon our arrival in Ottawa, we will spread out the blankets - 500, we
hope!
How Can Local Groups Participate?
Plan your own event to collect as many blankets as possible (including
some
blankets with special significance to your community).
Meet the train when it arrives in your area, and pass on the blankets.
Invite local Aboriginal communities to welcome the train to their
territory... hold a ceremony marking the passing of the blankets.
Hold a petition blitz before, during, or after the train comes through.
Any
completed petitions can be handed over with your blankets!
Come to Ottawa! Join us on the train... carpool...take a bus...ride your
bike...canoe up the Rideau Canal...however you do it, join us in Ottawa
on
June 21!
Trains will be following these routes: 1.
Halifax-Truro-Moncton-Bathurst-Campbellton-Charny- Drummondville-Saint
Lambert-Montreal-Alexandria-Ottawa 2.
Churchill-Gillam-Ilford-Pikwitonei-Thicket Portage-The Pas-Hudson
Bay-Dauphin-Winnipeg 3.
Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper-Edmonton-Saskatoon-Melville- Winnipeg-Sioux
Lookout-Capreol-Sudbury Junction-Toronto-Oshawa-Coburg-
Belleville-Kingston-Brockville-Smith's Falls-Ottawa
Need More Information?
TO PARTICIPATE, CONTACT:
Jennifer Henry at 416.462.1613 or ecejjh@accessv.com Julie Graham at
416.463.5312 or jules@web.net
FOR GENERAL INFORMATION OR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT: Sara Stratton at
416.927.1305 or stratton@web.net Ed Bianchi at 613.235.9956 or
arc@istar.ca
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