Close to 40 indigenous protesters braved the bitter cold yesterday to hold a short peaceful protest in front of the North Bay courthouse Monday afternoon.
The group walked from the Indigenous Friendship Centre downtown to the courthouse.
Kamry Whiteye, is from Delaware First Nation in Southwestern Ontario. Whiteye attends Canadore College and she felt compelled to help organize a peaceful protest like this in support of the Wet’suwet’en people in northern B.C. where a court order is allowing a pipeline company to access a northern B.C. road and bridge on their traditional lands.
“The wet’suwet’en Chiefs have agreed that they will not let a pipeline rip through their traditional lands,” said Whiteye.
“The courts have ordered the RCMP to clear out everyone and anyone. Despite, not abiding to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, Article 10. That article clearly states, there should be no forced removal of Indigenous people. Justin Trudeau fails to address this issue. There were blockades and checkpoints set up at the camp of Unist’ot’en. The people were met with military level invasion.”
Whiteye led the protest to the front of the courthouse where they held a short ceremony to support the Wet’suwet’en people.
“This has always been a passion of mine to speak for the land and the water, to speak for our people and to just emphasize how much natural law means to our people and why it should always be followed,” she said.
“In front of the court house is, well that’s government property. The government fails to always address our issues and it has a lasting effect on Canada so all the residents of Canada think we always ask for stuff and stuff is owed to us but it is just a lack of knowledge because the government fails to address all our issues.”
The peaceful protest lasted for about 15 minutes as police closed off both ends of Plouffe Street in front of the courthouse.