Interview with Joseph Wawatie of the Traditional Algonquin Nation of the One Nation

On Mount Royal where a group SOS Poigan has threatened to cut down one tree

by Zach Ruiter

Click here to listen to an interview with Joseph Wawatie

Joseph Wawtie and others from the Algonquin Nation of the One Nation made their way down from their territory on unceded forest Park de la Verendrye, currently being clear cut by Resolute Forest Products with permission based on an agreement to Harmonize the Process in the future, according to the Trilateral Agreement, an agreement which gas been honoured since it came into effect in the early 90s, as evidenced by the current clear-cutting. 

A group of activists calling themselves SOS Poigan http://sospoigan.blogspot.ca/ have staged the protest by announcing intentions to cut down one tree in Montreal on Mount Royal, to which they have been warned by the city that they will face a fine of up to $5000 and possible charges of mischief. 

The chainsaws are being oiled, but I asked Joseph Wawatie if it would not be appropriate given the context to threaten to cut down all of the trees on Mount Royal to highlight the effects continued clear-cutting is having on their land. 

Wawatie was imprisoned in late July for continuing to protest the logging machinery after an agreement that has not been made available publicly between four members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake signed with the Ministry and company to "harmonize the process".  According to Joseph Wawatie, when his grandmother's traditional lands were cut under a harmonized process "they didn't leave anything, nothing was protected".

The demonstration that is minutes away from starting at noon today Friday August 24th, has already attracted media attention from the Gazette http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Environmentalists+stage+demo+Mount+Royal/7136421/story.html and La Presse http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201208/23/01-4567611-des-ecologistes-menacent-dabattre-des-arbres-sur-le-mont-royal.php and several more media outlets are present.

For updates please check back to Montreal Media Co-op. 

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