Protecting Our Mother - Walk to Toronto spring/summer 2008

After the 1,850 km walk from Kenora to Toronto, the 22 members of Grassy Narrows First Nations betrayed no sign of fatigue when they finally reached Queen's Park, the final part of their "Protecting our Mother" walk.

They were joined by members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), Ardoch Algonquin First Nations and other aboriginal leaders from all across Ontario to protest against mining exploration on disputed native lands and to call for the immediate release of arrested Algonquin First Nations leader Robert Lovelace, as well as six other aboriginal leaders.

On Feb. 15, 2008, Lovelace was sentenced to six months in jail for protesting uranium mining on the traditional Ardoch land. On March 17, six leaders of the KI were sentenced to six months for contempt of court after they violated an injunction and protested against the drilling on their lands.

Samuel McKay, who was released for five days to attend a rally, said the Ontario government has to come to the table with the native leaders.

"I need direct answer from McGuinty saying we need to sit down as treaty partner to treaty partner," McKay said.

Chief Donnie Morris from the KI said he feared the native land claims issues couldn't be resolved through the courts or Ministry of Northern Development and Mines because they simply didn't have the mandate to resolve native land claims issues. He said he feared that even if the government did away with the free entry system in the mining act, it would still not resolve the land claim.

The Ontario Mining Act, passed in 1873, is based on a free entry system, where anyone who is eighteen can get a prospector's licence and stake mineral claims on any land in Ontario.

"The law is based on the idea that the best use of land is always mining...There's no room in the act in balancing ecological values, or the First Nations values," said Chris Reid, the lawyer representing First Nations.

He said the Supreme Court of Canada has already said in several cases that these issues should be negotiated and not litigated, but the government has made no effort at resolving the issue. He said the mining law should be changed or more and more people will keep protesting and keep going to jail.