DD By SAUL CHERNOS
A grassroots coalition is uniting citizens from Toronto and around
the world on Saturday, April 3 to demand an immediate end to
military flight training over Native land in Nitassinan
(Labrador/Quebec).
Every year, between April and October, the British, German and
Dutch militaries conduct flight training, often at altitudes as
low as 30 metres above the ground. The flights, which started more
than a decade ago, are damaging the environment and disrupting the
lives of the Innu, who have lived there for thousands of years.
While many outsiders see Nitassinan as a vast tract of unpopulated
wilderness, the Innu regard it as Nutshimit, a beautiful and
normally tranquil domain where they can maintain their ties to
their culture.
However, military flight training is only part of a greater
problem. Earlier this year, six young people in the northern
community of Davis Inlet (Utshimassit) tried to commit suicide by
sniffing gasoline fumes. Rather than an isolated incident, it must
instead be understood "in the context of a number of intrusions
that have been going on for the past number of years," says Innu
Nation President Peter Penashue.
The Innu have struggled to maintain their culture despite the
impact of hydro-electric developments, construction of roads,
immigration to Nitassinan by non-Native people, and settlement in
government-built villages. The Innu language remains strong and
many people continue to live in the country for several months of
the year where they hunt, trap and fish.
The Innu flame of resistance to assimilation and land alienation
burns brightly. In the wake of the recent gas sniffing crisis,
rather than capitulating to government solutions, the Utshimassit
Innu insisted on their own models of government, the reinforcement
of Innu land rights and terms of relocation that truly meet their
needs.
While the Innu have many things with which they must deal, the
International Day of Action for the Innu and the Earth focuses
mainly around military flying. Protest rallies, petition drives,
public forums and other events will be held in Toronto and around
the world on April 3, a date chosen because it falls close to the
start of the 1993 military flying season.
Th)0*0*0*00T Two Toronto)based organizations ) ACT for Disarmament
and the Ontario Voice of Women ) are helping coordinate the
campaign. Equally involved, also, are The Innu Nation, in
Nitassinan; Helping Activists Network During Strife (HANDS), in
Guelph; and the International Peace Bureau, with headquarters in
Geneva, Switzerland. Groups as far away as New Delhi, India and
The Hague, Netherlands, are organizing events.
In Toronto, a rally is planned at Queens Park April 3 starting at
1 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
A campaign kit with information about the Innu and military flight
training is available. For information, contact ACT for
Disarmament at 531)6154 or the Ontario Voice of Women at 537)9343.
Both groups are located at 736 Bathurst St., Toronto M5S 2R4.
CONTACTS FOR INNU DAY OF ACTION
CANADA
Victoria BC: Innu Rights Now!, 8509A West Coast Rd, RR #2, Souke,
B.C. V0S 1N0, (604)642-6759
Toronto ON: ACT for Disarmament, 736 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ont.,
M5S 2R4, (416)531-6154
Oakville ON: Oakville Community Centre, 148 Kerr St., Oakville,
Ont., L6K 3A7, (416)849-5501
Brockville ON: Dan Stover, 1362 Linden Cr., Brockville, Ont., K9V
6B6, (613)345-7322
Guelph ON: HANDS, PO Box 1302, Guelph, Ont., N1H 6N6,
(519)767-0313 Peterborough ON: Paul Cleveland, 377 Water St., Apt.
A, Peterborough, Ont., K9H 3L7, (705)740-0484
Hamilton ON: Shannon Kelly, 1249 Fennel Ave E., Hamilton, Ont.,
L8T 1T3, (416)575-5804
Ottawa ON: Ottawa Disarmament Coalition, PO Box 4936, Stn. E.,
Ottawa, Ont., K1S 5J1, (613)230-7755
Sault Ste. Marie ON: Sault & District Peace Association, 390
Courtney Crescent, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., P6A 6G7, (705)759-5094
Montreal, Que.: Centre de ressource sur la non-violence, 420 est
rue St.-Paul, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1H4, (514)844-0484
Fredericton N.B.: Diane Terry, 895 Barker St., Fredericton, NB,
E3A 3K4. (506)472-3740
Th)0*0*0*00T INTERNATIONAL
Washington, D.C.: CISPES, Box 12156, Washington, D.C., 20005, USA,
(202)265-0890
Monroe, Michigan: River Raisin Student Environmental Action
Coalition, (313)243-8682
Los Alamos: American Peace Test, Box 26725, Las Vegas, NV,
89126, USA, (702)386-9834
The Hague: Stichting Innu Steungroep, Postbus 13670, NL-2501 ER
Den Haag, Netherlands, 011-31-70-388-8553
New Delhi: Dhirendra Sharma, Philosophy & Action, M-120 Greater
Kailish-1, New Delhi, India, 011-91-11-641-5365
***There may be other actions; for updates on cities not mentioned
here, phone ACT-Toronto at (416) 531)6154.
Your community's involvement is invited!!! Contact ACT Toronto for
an information kit, or reach us through Web e)mail to: chernos