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The Dominion dominion, n. 1. Control or the exercise of control. 2. A territory or sphere of influence; a realm. 3. A self-governing nation in the British Commonwealth. Thenews from Dominion the grassroots www.dominionpaper.ca • February 2008 • Issue #49 Colombia Feminist Porn Palestine Religion & Gender Oaxaca The Belize Precedent $0 to $5 Sliding scale Independent Journalism depends on independent people. Please subscribe. dominionpaper.ca/subscribe 2 In Review: January and February The Dominion, February 2008 — Issue #49 K i t c h e n u h m a y k o o s i b was attended by Liberal foreign couver’s University of British Abdelkader Belaouni, a Inninuwug (KI)–aka “Big affairs critic Bob Rae, as well as Columbia (UBC) campus. The 40-year old blind Algerian Trout Lake”–Chief Donny Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow. group released a communiqué, refugee who has been living Morris announced that he is Similar rallies and actions taking credit for the actions in sanctuary in St. Gabriel’s ready to go to jail to defend were held in 11 cities across the and opposing commercial and Church for over two years. his community’s sovereignty. country. Days before, a rally of Olympic-related developments Solidarity pickets and embassy “I’m prepared to give myself 50 Iraq veterans gathered at the that resulted in the destruction visits were also held in most up if the court decides I’ve dis- Canadian Embassy in Washing- of public space on campus. The major cities across Canada and respected the November ruling ton urging the Canadian gov- action comes in the context of an in several cities internationally, to allow Platinex on our land. ernment to provide sanctuary ongoing campaign by Students including Tokyo, New York, I’m prepared to acknowledge Beirut, Paris, Durban, and that,” Morris stated in a press London. Belaouni’s supporters release. Two years ago Ontario- were demanding that federal based mining company Platinex Minister of Immigration Diane sued the KI First Nation for $10 Finley grant a stay of the depor- billion for preventing mining on tation order, and grant him their land in the far northwest permanent resident status in of Ontario. In November Canada. Belaouni fled Algeria’s 2007, KI withdrew from the brutal civil war in 1996, arriving legal proceedings, citing over first in the United States. He $600,000 in debt accumulated came to Montreal in 2003 while fighting the province and and applied for refugee status. Platinex. Morris’ contempt of His application was rejected court charges stemmed from an by Immigration and Refugee encounter with Platinex, where Board judge Laurier Thibault, the chief escorted officials from who had close to a 100% the company back to their plane, rejection rate amongst refugee and threatened to file trespass- claimants. Belaouni entered ing charges if they came back. sanctuary in early 2006, and Observers expect the people of has since received international the remote fly-in community support for his case, including to continue to resist attempts from Laibar Singh, currently in by Platinex to mine their lands. sanctuary in Vancouver. Said Future resistance, however, Singh in a statement issued is unlikely to be undertaken days before the solidarity through the courts. march: “The Canadian govern- ment says it raises its voice for Six Nations leaders have the less fortunate around the put towns and cities along the world but if it can’t see us, who Grand River on notice that the can it see?” land still belongs to the people of Six Nations. The stretch Solomon Islands Prime The borders of the Lakota nation, once withdrawn from treaties, of land, which extends from Minister Derek Sikua affirmed would be demarcated by the Missouri River on the northeast, the Lake Erie to the area lying to his full support of the Austra- North Platte River to the south, and the Yellowstone River to the west. the northwest of Toronto, was lian-dominated occupation granted to the Six Nations Con- to all military service personnel for a Democratic Society UBC force, known as RAMSI. The federacy in the 1784 Haldimand looking to escape deploy- (SDS-UBC) to prevent further force, consisting of over 2,000 Proclamation. “There’s no more ments with the US military. privatization of public spaces soldiers, along with bureau- of this sweeping it under the In November the Canadian on the UBC campus. SDS-UBC crats and “advisors,” who took rug. It’s not OK to steal land Supreme Court refused to says the University’s develop- effective control of much of anymore and we’re going to hear the cases of Hinzman and ment plan’s purpose “is to the Islands’ state apparatus, make people aware of that,” one Hughey, on the grounds that make the centre of campus including prisons, police, courts, representative told the CBC. they had previously been turned a corporate/private space to public service, and central bank. down by the Canadian Immigra- which students only have access Critics called the move a “neo- Three hundred supporters of tion and Refugee Board, which as customers or condo owners/ colonial” effort to “safeguard Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon considered the illegality of the renters.” SDS-UBC is orga- Australian corporate interests Hughey, the first two war Iraq war under international nizing a conference in March and maintain its regional domi- resisters to cross into Canada law inadmissible. There are at entitled “Resisting the Univer- nation.” Former Prime Minister after refusing to deploy to least 30 war resisters in Canada sity,” which will address “priva- Manasseh Sogavare had Iraq with the US military, at the moment. tization and commodification of angered Australian diplomats gathered in Toronto calling education.” when he moved to roll back upon the Canadian parliament A group calling itself the some of RAMSI’s powers over to pass a motion allowing them Wreath Underground Hundreds rallied and marched spending and pave the way for to remain in Canada. The rally vandalized buildings on Van- in Montreal in support of an eventual withdrawal. He was The Dominion, February 2008 — Issue #49 In Review: January and February 3 ousted in a parliamentary vote, of poor and homeless. communities and environmen- and replaced with a Sikua-led Security Certificate detainee tal degradation. Human rights coalition, which has been A recent report estimated that Mohammed Harkat was lawyers contend that the mere enthusiastically current pro- between 8,000 and 15,500 seized, then released again by purchase of the mining conces- occupation. British Columbia residents are Police and Canadian Border sion is in breach of community “absolutely homeless,” while Services agents. Widely members’ rights, and Ecuador’s Despite Canada’s official stance an estimated 39,000 are “inad- referred to in media reports as constitution. of non-participation in the equately housed.” BC Forest and a “terrorism suspect” Harkat » continued on page 16 invasion of Iraq, another Housing Minister Rich Coleman is being held without charges Canadian general has been sent had previously estimated the under Bill C-3, “anti-terror- to work with the command group number of homeless at roughly ism” legislation passed after overseeing the US-led occupa- 5,000. September 11, 2001. “I think For links to sources and tion and counterinsurgency it’s a political move,” Sophie more reading, visit war. Brigadier-General Nicolas A Canadian Security Intel- Harkat told the Ottawa Citizen www.dominionpaper.ca Matern of the Special Forces is ligence Service (CSIS) report in an interview, adding that the the third Canadian general to warned of the possibility of government seeks to “stir fear” serve in the command group, “violent protests” during the in the leadup to a vote over bill ~ ISSN 1710-0283 ~ as part of an inter-military Olympic Games in 2010. The C-3. If the government does not www.dominionpaper.ca exchange program. According heavily-censored public version vote to renew Bill C-3 before the [email protected] to a report from the US State of the report has raised concerns end of March, existing security PO Box 741 Station H Dept., “the governments of about “how far CSIS will go.” certificates–including the one Montréal, QC H3G 2M7 the United States and Canada “We’re more than a little worried under which Harkat is being The Dominion is a pan-Canadian media network that seeks to collaborated on a broad array about the potential for infiltra- held–will be struck down, in provide a counterpoint to the of initiatives, exercises, and tion of non-profit societies and keeping with a Supreme Court corporate media and direct joint operations that spanned legitimate protest groups,” a ruling that found the legislation attention to independent critics virtually all agencies and every representative of the BC Civil unconstitutional. and the work of social movements. level of government.” Liberties Association told the The Dominion is published Canadian Press. The Anti-Pov- Alberta tar sands giant Suncor monthly in print and on the web. An anti-Olympics speaking erty Committee (APC) is one of has given final approval for Publisher tour visited 18 cities and Indig- the groups targeted by police a plan to increase output by The Dominion enous communities, calling and intelligence agencies. APC 200,000 barrels per day in a Newspaper Society attention to destruction caused representative Mary Claremont $20 billion expansion project. Editor by development fuelled by the said, “This is what we have The company says that the Dru Oja Jay Olympics. “There is an infra- been protesting... the coming increase is part of a plan to Managing Editor structure being created for 2010 Olympic police state. People double the company’s output that will result in the further thought we were nuts, but look, to 550,000 barrels per day by Stuart Neatby destruction of mountains and from 40 kilometers of electric 2012.
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