Chief Allan Adam speaks in Fort McMurray, Oct. 23/ 2012.
APTN reports, “Mass blockades are expected to hit at least three provinces this coming Wednesday. Sources in two provinces told APTN National News Saturday evening that the economic disruptions promised by several chiefs in Ottawa this past week would hit Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.”
“APTN National News has learned that there are plans to block the Ambassador Bridge which links Windsor, Ont., to Detroit, Mich., for about an hour and-a-half. Grand Chief Gordon Peters of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians told reporters Friday that economic disruptions were in the works for Wednesday. …Onion Lake Cree Nation Chief Wallace Fox said during a chiefs’ meeting Thursday night that economic disruptions loomed (in Saskatchewan).”
“Several First Nations chiefs have been discussing plans to launch blockades on Wednesday since at least Dec. 28, 2012. ‘January 16 is being touted as a national day of action directed at industry, the economy and the government,’ according to minutes obtained by APTN National News from a Dec. 28 teleconference meeting between dozens of chiefs. According to the minutes, blockades were being planned for ‘major roadways, rail lines.'”
The article adds, “Railway blockades have already hit in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.” Those included rail blockades in Seton Portage, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18655, and at the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18622.
Chief Allan Adam, of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, has also been widely reported saying, “Highway 63 to the oilsands will be shut down. That will happen and I guarantee this. I fear for the worst if the prime minister doesn’t retract some of the bills that were passed. …We know for a fact that industry was the one that lobbied government to make this regulatory reform. …The way I look at it, the First Nations people are going to cripple this country if things don’t turn out. Industry is going to be the target.”
Wednesday will be the 37th day of Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike demanding nation-to-nation meetings between the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, and First Nations leaders.
The APTN report is at http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2013/01/13/mass-blockades-set-for-wednesday/.
Note: On the evening of January 16, at 7:30 pm, the Council of Canadians will be holding an ’emergency town hall meeting’ in Ottawa in support of Idle No More. For more on this, please see http://canadians.org/events/index.html and https://www.facebook.com/events/143287489159678/?ref=ts&fref=ts.