Writing for rights
Yellowknifers take up their pens to pressure governments worldwide
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 11, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknifers took up their pens at Javaroma on Saturday to join countless others in a global fight against social injustice.
Father Joe Daley of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church reviews a letter written by Amnesty International urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to be mindful of indigenous peoples' rights when considering resource development in the North. Daley went to the watchdog's event Write for Rights at Javaroma on Saturday, where letters were drafted and ready for people to sign to show support for various battles against injustice worldwide. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
Tuesday was Human Rights Day, and in preparation, Amnesty International's Yellowknife chapter held its annual Write for Rights event at the downtown coffee shop. There, activists - and even just coffee enthusiasts - could sign their names to letters addressing a variety of issues. The correspondence, written by Amnesty members, is designed to help put pressure on Canadian and international governments.
One notable Yellowknifer was Father Joe Daley of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, who was signing a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper concerning resource development and aboriginal rights.
"Resource development is important, but it should take into consideration respect for indigenous peoples," Daley said. "I don't know all the details, but I think often these resource development companies have standards that they set and hold up to in Canada, but in some other countries, they don't pay as much attention to that, and they can get away with a lot more."
For example, the letter Daley was signing was in regards to injustices against the people of Guatemala in favour of resource extraction.
Having the letters pre-written was a blessing for Daley, he said, admitting he's a slow writer and would likely procrastinate on doing something himself.
"I'm almost certain by myself, I'd say, 'I'll do it tomorrow' and not do it, but here, they have everything ready for me," he said.
The letters will be sent directly to the Prime Minister's Office, and Daley said he hopes they have an impact.
"I'm concerned that so much of what our PM - and the feds - does is resource development, that seems to be primary and if people are in the way, well..." he trailed off, shrugging. "Yes, resource development is important, but it's not to any cost. There has to be respect to people."
Another resident was writing about issues a little farther from home.
Lorne Gushue had three separate letters at his table and wasn't finished yet, he said. Those issues were incursions into Palestinian areas by Israeli development, an openly-gay activist in Belarus who was beaten in hospital by police, and support for an individual in China who spoke up for his people and was subsequently detained and tortured.
"There's an opportunity to just let people know we're watching and we'll be following the progress of people and want to see fair treatment," he said.
"There are things we take for granted here in Canada, and it's quite sobering to realize that those liberties are a distant dream for people in a lot of places in the world. Sadly, there's no shortage of injustices to deal with."
Gushue said he hopes the letters will both pressure the governments in question and let the victims, or champions, know that there are people across the world standing with them.
"Sometimes, we write to the individual and tell them to keep strong and have courage, that they're not alone, that we're interceding on their behalf as much as ink on a piece of paper and a stamp can do. Individually and collectively, we have a lot more power than we give ourselves credit for," he said.
Amnesty International will follow up on the cases in question after the letters have been sent to see if any action has been taken. Laurence Wilson, who was representing the organization at Javaroma, said the letters have resulted in people being freed in the past.
"These are the things we hope to achieve, that the pressure will be put on the government and they'll have to bend," Wilson said. "Most of these people have been imprisoned through no fault of their own, so we're hoping they'll be set free."
