Photo by Josh Coles.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow and CEP president Dave Coles met with Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence this afternoon inside her teepee on Victoria Island. Chief Spence is on the thirteenth day of her hunger strike asking for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Governor-General and First Nations leaders. Barlow presented Chief Spence with sweetgrass given to her by the Beausoleil First Nation in recognition of the collaborative work done to defeat the Site 41 garbage dump in Simcoe County.
Barlow says, “We are calling on Prime Minister Harper to put politics aside at this time of year when people of all faiths are connecting with what is meaningful to them, and human to human, either meet with Chief Spence or set up a time to meet with her. If not, her death will be on his conscience.”
Please send your message to the Prime Minister at pm@pm.gc.ca and to the Governor-General at info@gg.ca demanding they meet with Chief Spence.
For Council of Canadians campaign blogs in solidarity with Chief Spence, see http://canadians.org/blog/?s=%22theresa+spence%22.