Education not protest

The Assembly of First Nations and Nipissing First Nation reached out to surrounding communities Friday to help people understand and develop a healthy relationship with First Nations during the National Day of Action.

Area leaders gathered to look at the crisis First Nations people are facing. The National Day of Action locally focused on education, sharing information and building bridges.

Nipissing Chief Marianna Couchie says the event turned out to be exactly what she had hoped for.
“We had wanted people from the surrounding communities to come in, to hear our stories, to learn from us and to share. It was about building bridges and opening communication,” she says.

“The overwhelming response was more than what we expected but it was good and it was really great to have so many people.”

Couchie, who has a background in education, says disrupting people’s lives with blockades is not the answer to further the cause or in building better relations.

“I definitely believe education is the way,” she states.

“I think civil disobedience is not the way, it’s not our way at Nipissing First Nation and it’s not my way as a leader. I think this way at least people have come, they’ve gotten a glimpse or more information about why people who voted for that Day of Action nationally. I think going the education route was the better route for sure.”

Couchie also says she also looks at the day as an opportunity to build further partnerships and protesting would not have opened doors.

“It makes no sense to slow down traffic especially on a long weekend … people do not appreciate that and we are very much aware of that.”
“We wanted to make friends not enemies,” she adds.

The key issues the First Nations addressed during the gathering were land claims. The Union of Ontario Indians has launched a postcard campaign titled ‘Era of Action’. The campaign encourages everyone to sign postcards and send them to their local politicians calling on them to settle the issue now. MP Anthony Rota says he is anxious to start receiving the postcards and bring them to Ottawa.

Among a number of guest speakers were Mayor Victor Fedeli, MPP Monique Smith and Sam George brother of native protestor Dudley George who was killed at Ipperwash in 1995.