#OccupyINAC in Winnipeg. Facebook photo by Doug Thomas Photography.
The Council of Canadians supports the occupation of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) office in Winnipeg.
On April 15, the Winnipeg Free Press reported, “In Winnipeg, more than 40 people were reported inside INAC’s Manitoba regional office downtown, to show solidarity with the suicide crisis in Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba as well as Attawapiskat.” Earlier this week, the newspaper noted, “Half a dozen women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and a few young men, were holding down OccupyINAC Winnipeg [on April 26]. They said their time is divided between inside the building and outside, at a camp in the parking lot where a fire pit burns 24/7 for prayers.”
A statement issued by the group on April 15 notes, “We acknowledge the recent states of emergency declared in our communities in response to crises of suicide, including Attawapiskat Ininew Territory and Pimicikamak Ininew Territory, and have resolved to take action in support of our suffering relatives. These crises are not new and do not exist in isolation. Suicide has long plagued our communities due to centuries of colonization and its effects: crushing poverty, substandard housing, imprisonment, child apprehension, and lack of access to health care, nutrition and clean water. The resulting destruction of identity, lack of self worth and cognitive imperialism are the roots of suicide in our people.”
And their statement highlights, “This issue is inseparable from the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; the legacy of residential schools; the 11,000 and counting children in care in Manitoba; and the theft, pollution, and exploitation of the land, water, and air. The violence perpetrated against nature reflects the violence perpetrated against our women, our men, and our youth.”
The newspaper notes, “The social justice advocacy group the Council of Canadians, issued a statement of support online [on April 14] and chronicled the sit-in [at the INAC office in Toronto] over the past three days, citing news reports along with Facebook posts from the Manitoba grand chief who visited the protest. ‘The Council stands in solidarity with Occupy INAC’, a statement from the social advocacy group said…” And earlier this week, the newspaper again reported, “Indigenous leaders, elders and groups such as Black Lives Matter in Toronto and the Council of Canadians have offered supportive posts.”
Winnipeg-based Council of Canadians organizer Brigette DePape has also delivered food to the occupation in Winnipeg on April 16 and today.
The occupations of the INAC offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg began after the Attawapiskat First Nation declared a state of emergency on April 9 following reports of 11 suicide attempts the previous weekend. CBC has reported, “The Ontario First Nation’s calls for help come exactly one month after Pimicikamak asked for support to deal with a suicide crisis that took six lives over four months.”
A First Nations Information Governance Centre report has stated that 22 per cent of First Nations adults have contemplated suicide at some point in their life, compared to 9.1 per cent of the general Canadian population. The Canadian Institute of Health says that First Nations youth also have a much higher incidence of suicide. Young men (ages 15-24) have a suicide rate of 126 per 100,000 people, while young women have a rate of 35 per 100,000. That’s compared to the suicide rate for Canadian youth of 24 per 100,000 for young men and 5 per 100,000 for young women.
In fact, suicide and self-inflicted injuries are the leading cause of death for Indigenous peoples under the age of 44.
#OccupyINAC will be holding a “block party” on May 1 starting at 2 pm outside the INAC office at 365 Hargrave Street in Winnipeg.
Further reading
Solidarity with Occupy INAC (April 14, 2016)
Delta-Richmond chapter in solidarity with #OccupyINAC in Vancouver (April 20, 2016)
