Summary
On Dec. 21, in a show of economic might, Chief [Dean Sayers] called for his people to cross the border to do their holiday shopping in the United States, denying merchants in Canada's Sault Ste. Marie access to the dollars in protest of the HST. Hit them in the pocketbook was the concept and maybe they will pay attention to the First Nation position. Every dollar that comes into First Nations communities quickly funnels out into the mainstream society. Those dollars mean clout. A few hundred First Nations went across that day, and yes it got people's attention.
Twenty per cent of the people who live in the Soo are First Nations, Sayers said, so a withdrawal of 20 per cent of the available business is noticeable. The purpose of the protest was to make Canadians aware that it is their job to talk to their governments about First Nations issues. It was time to make Canadians recognize the value of First Nations dollars and pay attention to First Nations concerns.During our discussions with Chief Sayers we learned of an interesting dynamic that is occurring amongst the First Nations of the North Shore, "rekindling our fires" of tradition. Spiritual people in the community are not only taking a place on the fringes of the movement, but are central to the success of it; core, in fact, to the very way the battle will play out. Sayers said the political leaders are looking to the spiritual people as a touch-stone to assure them that what's being planned is in line with the thinking of the ancestors.See the full content of this document
Extract
Listen Up and Hear Us
Batchawana First Nation Chief Dean Sayers spoke with Windspeaker in January about the efforts in his community to build a movement of resistance against the imposition of the Harmonized Sales Tax on his people in Ontario. The government is ignoring the foundation on which...
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