Because…
whys + whereases
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These are the resolutions that were sent to the Chiefs in Ontario and the AFN Annual General Assembly. We were requesting a ‘Motion of Support’ from the Chiefs in Canada. A copy of all the resolutions may be found at the AFN website.
TITLE: Empty Glass for Water Campaign
SUBJECT: Water
MOVED BY: Chief, Laurie Carr, Hiawatha First Nation, Ontario
SECONDED BY: Chief, Dean Sayers, Batchewana, Ontario
WHEREAS:
A. Water is essential to life, and is enshrined in two human rights treaties that recognize the inherent right to water (see: http://www.righttowater.info/code/no15_3.asp).
B. Canada has an abundance of fresh water and most Canadians take the safety of their tap water for granted, yet many First Nation communities must haul their water, boil their water, drink bottled water, and accept water rations;
C. Some 109 First Nation communities in Canada are without safe drinking water; some for longer than a decade, and First Nations do not trust what comes out of their taps;
D. Our waters are being poisoned by industry, contaminated with uranium, contain harmful chemicals and bacteria such as E. Coli;
E. Our children get sore and boils on their bodies from water due to an inadequate sanitation infrastructure resulting in illness and disease in later life (see: http://www.polarisinstitute.org/boiling_point).
F. Water is an integral part of our cultures and ceremonies, and it is our responsibility assert our rights to it in order to better protect and preserve it;
G. The Chiefs of Ontario have declared that decision-making processes related to the use and care of waters is a right maintained by First Nations and was not handed over with the making of treaties (see: http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/Assets/COO%20long%20form%20declaration.pdf).
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Chiefs-in-Assembly:
1. Assert that access to clean, safe water is a human right.
2. Encourage the governments of Canada and the provinces to immediately provide resources to high risk communities to implement their plans to provide safe, potable water for their communities.
3. Support the national campaign to enlist all Canadians to show their support for clean, safe water for First Nations by sending an empty glass for water to Prime Minister Harper until all First Nations people can go to a tap in their home and drink water without fear; and
4. Support the “Empty Glass for Water Campaign” as a campaign that draws attention to the urgent need to address issues relating to access to safe, potable water in First Nation communities.
UPDATE: Empty Glass for Water Campaign, Resolution no. 19/2009… Resolution adopted without opposition on the 10th day of September, 2009 and signed by National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo.
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JAN 24/10, Markham, Ontario
Boozhoo! Great news!!
Our ‘Empty Glass for Water’ motion was passed with no opposition, at the Canadian Federation of Students ONTARIO General Meeting in Markham, ON!!! Chi miigwech to the Algoma University & Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig students who were there representing… Cheryl, Joanna, Vanessa & Lance. I can’t wait to hear all your stories! …and a big thank you to Rebecca who submitted the resolutions for us!
I’m grateful that this work is moving forward. Water is a right to life, and with that comes responsibilities. We need to ensure that our communities have safe water and we need to ensure that the water on this earth, Mother Earth’s blood, is pure and clean.
Anishinaabekwe, please remember our responsibility to care for the water, that was handed down to us by the Creator when we were placed on this land. We need to do ceremony by the water once again like our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. It need not be elaborate… whenever you pass a body of water, river, lake, stream, stop and say a prayer for her healing and drop some semaa, tobacco.
Chi miigwech for everyone’s efforts!
Joanne.
And now…. here are the Empty Glass for Water, “glass action” resolutions that were passed at the Ontario meeting of the Can. Fed. of Students! woohoot!
“Whereas water is essential to life, and is enshrined in two human rights treaties that recognize the inherent right to water; and
Whereas Canada has an abundance of fresh water and most Canadians take the safety of their tap water for granted, yet many First Nation communities must haul their water, boil their water, drink bottled water, and accept water rations; and
Whereas some 109 First Nation communities in Canada are without safe drinking water; some for longer than a decade, and First Nations do not trust what comes out of their taps; and
Whereas our waters are being poisoned by industry, contaminated with uranium, contain harmful chemicals and bacteria such as E. Coli; and
Whereas our children get sore and boils on their bodies from water due to an inadequate sanitation infrastructure resulting in illness and disease in later life; and
Whereas water is an integral part of our cultures and ceremonies, and it is our responsibility assert our rights to it in order to better protect and preserve it; and
Whereas the Chiefs of Ontario have declared that decision-making processes related to the use and care of waters is a right maintained by First Nations and was not handed over with the making of treaties; therefore
Be it resolved that the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario publicly endorse the Empty Glass for Water Campaign, asserting that access to clean, safe water is a human right; and
Be it further resolved that a letter be written from the Ontario Executive to Stephen Harper, condemning the water crisis that Canada’s First Nations communities face and encouraging the government of Canada and the provinces to immediately provide resources to high risk communities to implement their plans to provide safe, potable water for their communities; and
Be it further resolved that CFS Ontario locals be encouraged to take on the EG4W Campaign, specifically through letter-writing and encouraging membership to participate by subsidizing the costs of sending empty glasses to Parliament Hill.”
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NOKOMIS (Grandmother) JOSEPHINE MANDAMIN DELIVERS EMPTY GLASS FOR WATER TO PREMIER OF ONTARIO
…this is the letter that accompanied that glass.
March 4, 2010
Dear Premier McGuinty,
Water is essential to all life, and it boggles my mind to know that there are over 100 First Nation communities in Canada that are without water, many in our province.
I have been requesting people to mail in ‘empty glasses for water’ to the Prime Minister fully aware that it is more than the federal government that must rise to the challenge of making this right. It is a convoluted mess when you begin talking about who is responsible for what, when it comes to getting safe drinking water in our communities; but my request is plain and simple… there are people in your province that live in third world conditions, that do not have safe drinking water nor sanitation, and I would ask that you do your best to partner in correcting this situation. I ask that you work with our First Nation leaders, and the federal government to get safe drinking water flowing into glasses for these people. That all three of you sit down at the same table and make it so.
When the tragedy in Walkerton happened, the world tripped over themselves to make everything right for this
community. I expect the same level of committment from the people of Canada for these over 100 First Nation communities, and I am asking your help as a public elected figure in Ontario to assist in making it safe for these people.
I chose a glass so that they would not be invisible anymore. I chose a glass because it is fragile like our children. I chose a glass so that it would be a reminder that it is empty and needs to be filled. I challenge you to go to their
communities, and drink what they drink; perhaps then you will feel the urgency that I feel.
Water is life giving. So I pose this question to you, why don’t all people living in Ontario have access to it?
Miigwech, Thank you,
Joanne Robertson
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National Aboriginal Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students, Resolutions May 2010
WHEREAS:
A. Water is essential to life, and is enshrined in two human rights treaties that recognize the inherent right to water (see: http://www.righttowater.info/code/no15_3.asp).
B. Canada has an abundance of fresh water and most Canadians take the safety of their tap water for granted, yet many First Nation communities must haul their water, boil their water, drink bottled water, and accept water rations; (http://www.polarisinstitute.org/boinling_point)
C. Some 114 First Nation communities in Canada are without safe drinking water (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/public-publique/water-eau-eng.php); some for longer than a decade, and First Nations do not trust what comes out of their taps;
D. Our waters are being poisoned by industry, contaminated with uranium, contain harmful chemicals and bacteria such as E. Coli; (http://www.polarisinstitute.org/boiling_point)
E. Our children get sore and boils on their bodies from water due to an inadequate sanitation infrastructure resulting in illness and disease in later life (http://www.polarisinstitute.org/boiling_point).
F. Water is an integral part of our cultures and ceremonies, and it is our responsibility assert our rights to it in order to better protect and preserve it; (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html)
G. The Chiefs of Ontario have declared that decision-making processes related to the use and care of waters is a right maintained by First Nations and was not handed over with the making of treaties (http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/Assets/COO%20long%20form%20declaration.pdf).
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the National Aboriginal Caucus of the CFS:
1. Assert that access to clean, safe water is a human right.
2. Encourage the governments of Canada and the provinces to immediately provide resources to high risk communities to implement their plans to provide safe, potable water for their communities, by writing letter to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Provincial Premiers in Canada.
3. Support the national campaign to enlist all Canadians, especially students, to show their support for clean, safe water for First Nations by sending an empty glass for water to Prime Minister Harper until all First Nations people can go to a tap in their home and drink water without fear; and
4. Adopt the “Empty Glass for Water Campaign” as a campaign that draws attention to the urgent need to address issues relating to access to safe, potable water in First Nation communties.
Coded by Northern Technomics