Harpers Thugs!

Harper targeted First Nations for increased surveillance, fears Native “unrest,”

newly released government documents show

Money for housing on reserves slashed, money for surveillance of Natives increased

For immediate release: June 13, 2011

Newly exposed internal documents from Indian Affairs and the RCMP show that shortly

after forming government in January of 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had the

federal government step up intelligence gathering on First Nations to anticipate and

manage First Nations political action across Canada.

Information obtained by the First Nations Strategic Bulletin through Access to

Information requests reveals that almost immediately upon Harper’s taking power in

2006, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) was given the lead

role to spy on First Nations. The goal was to identify the First Nation leaders, participants

and outside supporters of First Nation occupations and protests, and to closely monitor

their actions.

To accomplish this task, INAC established a “Hot Spot Reporting System.” These weekly

reports highlight all those communities across the country that engage in direct action to

protect their lands and communities. They include Tsartlip First Nation, the Algonquins

of Barriere Lake, Six Nations, Grassy Narrows, the Likhts’amsiyu Clan of the

Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and many more.

“Rather than listening to the needs of First Nations communities Harper is making plans

to use force to stifle the dissent that inevitably arises from chronic poverty and

dispossession in Native communities,” said Russell Diabo, Mohawk policy analyst, in

response. “First Nations education and housing is chronically under-funded, but policing

and surveillance of legitimate Indigenous movements is always a priority.”

The documents reveal that First Nations are a closely monitored population who are

causing a panic at the highest levels of the Canadian government.

Says Gord Elliot of Tsartlip First Nation, “Obviously trust and good faith are expected

when working with INAC, the RCMP and other agencies of the Government. We are

outraged to discover these same Ministries are spying on us. We were identified as a

‘hotspot’ because we had a roadblock demonstration to voice our concerns about the

Treaty process and non-acknowledgment of Section 35 Constitutional Rights and Title.

We felt we had no choice because the Canadian Government won't acknowledge our

Constitutionally protected Aboriginal Rights and Title.”

For more information and to obtain original documents, contact:

Shiri Pasternak, media spokesperson: 647-227-6696 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            647-227-6696      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

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Media Spokespeople:

Russell Diabo, editor and publisher, First Nations Strategic Bulletin: 613-296-0110 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            613-296-0110      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Gord Elliot, Councillor, Tsartlip First Nation: 250-883-3970 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            250-883-3970      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Shawn Brant, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory: (613) 813-2057 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (613) 813-2057      end_of_the_skype_highlighting