Barlow in Rideau Hall holding her medal and letter to the Governor-General.
This afternoon, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow returned her Diamond Jubilee medal to Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor-General. In the letter accompanying the medal, Barlow wrote, “As a protest over both these terrible omnibus bills (C-38 and C-45), passed with no consultation with either First Nations or Canadians other than the energy industry, and your refusal to meet directly with First Nations as the representative of the institution with whom they signed their treaties, I am returning this medal.”
Barlow’s full letter to the Governor-General can be read at http://canadians.org/democracy/documents/Barlow-return-medal-140113.pdf. Additionally, her blog ‘Why I’m Sending Back My Diamond Jubilee Medal’ can be read at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/maude-barlow/diamond-jubilee-medal_b_2462486.html.
Last Friday, the Ottawa Citizen reported, “Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, will be mailing her Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal back to Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Monday to protest his attitude toward the Idle No More movement and its symbolic leader Chief Theresa Spence. …’I can’t accept this honour from the Governor General if he won’t honour the Crown’s commitment to First Nations by meeting with Chief Spence.'”
And on Saturday, the Canadian Press reported, “Maude Barlow, the head of the citizens’ group Council of Canadians, says she plans to send her Diamond Jubilee medal back to the office of Gov. Gen. David Johnston, who oversees the awarding of the copper-silver medals emblazoned with an image of the Queen. Barlow said her move is in support of a push from Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence and the wave of Idle No More protests for the Harper government to do more to address the concerns of First Nations.”
Those news articles are at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Maude+Barlow+Naomi+Klein+Sarah+Slean+reject+Queen+jubilee+medal/7808985/story.html and http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1314308–maude-barlow-others-return-stephen-harper-s-awards-over-idle-no-more-protests.
