#ShutDownCanada planned for Feb 13 reaches the thousands/masses

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On February 13th 2015, thousands of people plan to partake in a variety of direct actions and demonstrations to “shut down Canada”. Over 3700 people have “joined” the Facebook event page that was created for the event. The group is asking for “communities across Canada to blockade their local railway, port or highway on February 13th. Don’t buy, don’t fly, no work and keep the kids home from school… The goal is to significantly impact the Canadian economy for a day and demand there be an independent inquiry into the 2000+ cases of missing or murdered indigenous women.”

The group, made up of grassroots organizers from the West coast such as Shannon Hecker and Dan Wallace, sparked this initiative through social media. The Facebook account ‘In Solidarity with all Land Defenders’ is encouraging people to show their discontent with the current state of affairs. The group is calling for diverse tactics that would disrupt the everyday flow of the Canadian economy. Organizers feel disturbed with how the Canadian state is trying to rule the continent: “The system has failed us miserably. There is no democracy and we the people have an obligation to demand justice for all.”

Plans to demonstrate outside city halls, shut down highways, occupy high traffic areas and more have been organized by groups in Calgary, Espanola, Edmonton, Fredericton, Halifax, Hamilton, Kamloops, Lethbridge, London, Moncton, Montreal, Niagara, Oshawa, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

The Facebook page states that “while the issues are many and varied throughout different regions, it is all interconnected and it is this corrupt government that is responsible.” The eight points listed for the day of action focus on institutional racism, systematic violence, destruction to the land paired with the illusion of jobs, lack of prior and informed consent with First Nations across Canada and poor planning for man-made environmental disasters. They also highlight Canada’s refusal to launch a national inquiry into MMIW, existing and operational fracking wells, open pit mining projects, the Site C Dam construction, and the widespread devastation that tar sands and related pipeline projects brings to all life forms, ecosystems, families and communities.

Wallace says he was “wanting more direct action that will prove to government people are sick and tired of how they are treating us.” Hecker adds that “stopping the economy is the only way to get the government to listen. We would like to see unified action happen on a more regular basis, especially because this is so called Canada’s election year. February 13th is just the beginning, a date chosen to coincide with the nationwide Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women’s memorial on February 14th (25th annual in Vancouver).

Some suggest the mass organizing and projected attendance of this event is a continuation of general discontent and a demand for justice that sparked other mass movements like Occupy and Idle No More. This day hopes to highlight a wide variety of issues that is hard to describe under an umbrella term, but Ethel Peason captures the objective well. “If you try and take something away from the ‘white man’ that he paid money for, then you will be listened to.”

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61 Comments

  1. None of you guys get the POINT AT ALL. The Government is corrupt! They pretend we have democracy yet this is the far from it! The point of this is to show the government we will not stand idle as they fuck us in the ass. This goes for the aborginals who we stole this land from as well as all the people who live in Canada at this moment. We are all being fucked but the government and big corporations are doing a good job at lying and hiding the truth from us. WAKE THE FUCK UP YOUR DAILY LIVES MEAN SQUAT when the forests are being clear cut and the air and water are being polluted, your money doesn’t mean shit.

  2. What about all the non native missing and murdered women in general? I would like to see information on the suspect, suspects, arrested, pending arrest, related to the women this possible inquiry is going to look at. I don’t think every native women in this enquiry has been killed or kidnapped by whitey. I think many will be from their own community. Still a little confused as to why the 15 billion dollars a year of tax free money isn’t enough to make things better for all the band members.

  3. Heres hoping traffic, railway and people dont stop when they see you on the highways and railtracks. Natives recieve billions per year from the government use that money fund your own inquiry if they go ahead with this i think itd be high time we ask ourselves why natives dont pay tax.

  4. I hope you people know you are causing the opposite effect on the people you are trying to join your side. GTFO the road !

  5. I believe you have been heard, I’ve seen the commercials and heard it on the news. I understand the issue to some extent but to be honest, the communities that these women come from, what are they like to themselves, especially with women? How well do the people cooperate with the law in helping find the girls and killers? I know there are many issues of violence, how the women are treated and how much hate and resentment counter the work that the good portions of law enforcement try to provide (ever group has the bad seeds). Don’t get me wrong I know there are reasons (most are ghosts of the past) for all the above.
    I do believe though that when you take one portion of statistics and post you should compare it to relevant info. What is the stats for solving cases involving other groups? What portion of population do these groups contribute to the whole of Canada? How about we look at such grouping within localized groupings (ie chinese in “China Town.” How hard is it in such settings for Law Enforcement to be effective, what is the rate of crime, how much is same group related, what percentage is solved? Thing I also know about statistics if you know how you can pretty much make it say what you want until you start making honest references to relevant stats then the truth starts to appear.
    Attacking Canada and hurting the people within to get your point across is not going to help you very well and will cause more harm. I get it is a form of strike but this is more serious than the average affecting far more people over such a large range. Think about how people feel when such as this occurs with large Union groups. They may win the short fight but the people then go against them and in the end you are much worse off. How about you set a day to indoctrinate others to the beauty of the Nations and win hearts over with a want to protect the flower that is the Native peoples. Get what you give, maybe then you can have more voices shouting at the government to work with the Nations towards a solution then try to help the Government help other groups, maybe the poor white man that has seemingly become the most unprotected, unhelped group here in Canada. (You can find help directed at each and every group other than us poor sods, the only groups we can try to get help from, so can every other person.)

  6. The movement will be the catalyst the Gov’t needs to impose new terrorism laws on the country (see Bill C-51). Please do not resort to violence, as you will bite your nose to spite your face. If you choose to participate in demonstrations, please do not fall into the trap of the agent provocateurs and make bad choices for short term gains. I wish all good health in this corporatocracy called Canada.

  7. Hang on i’m confused… is the insinuation that the police are complicit in kidnapping Native Women? Or that Native Women are being killed by people outside these tribes? Or that the RCMP are not protecting Native Women… I was under the impression most violence against women was by people they knew, in this case within their tribes… Do the tribes want RCMP involved in their daily lives so much? What type of ‘independent’ inquiry are they hoping for?

    1. You didn’t the report on the RCMP officer releasing an Aboriginal women from jail and taking her home to pursue a relationship?…… Not a joke

    1. lol what is that supposed to mean? Same can be said about white man taking some thing that doesn’t belong to them, oh say like land, resources and all those jobs created from that theft, lol money huh……..

      1. you mean to say we bought the land,and there are plenty of jobs if people would get off their asses and stop collecting money from the government,but i suppose it is easier to drink and get free money,housing and so on. and hey why not start squeezing out a few lids to just to get that extra cash,the more you have to more you make.

        1. There is a reason the Nations keep winning law suits against Canada. They were screwed over with false promises, then shoved into piss hole areas that the Europeans did not want and then degraded and abused, children stolen, I could go on. Oh and we used biological warfare to annihilate and helped create the addictions in the communities to keep them down. Sound like some of WWII, hmm? We remember once a year about fighting atrocities like this, do we not? This degradation, destruction and poisoning did not end all that long ago and many communities are making the steps to get back to what and who they were before. It amazes me that many do still hold a level of belief in Christianity considering the role the church held in alot of this; no better than the Crusades or Inquisitions. I am glad to say that we can get to share in some of what they once were and now are becoming again especially as Canadians. Yes there is still the communities still in desperate need of help to get better, I hope that the Nations come together as a people and work together to heal these places. Yes there are issues in the Native communities but maybe look around you and see that these issues are everywhere else as well. If you have such issue with the problem how about you look deeper and find a way to help rather than simply attacking. From a 100% 4th generation import.

    2. Last I checked there was people of all races working and paying taxes. I know many a “white man” that do not work and collect a cheque.

  8. Certainly there’s a problem but as Gail points out it is within that community and they should be working on it in the community. Critical to understanding the problem is the murder rate in that community vs the general population. X10 maybe?

  9. The average Canadian is not any kind of target or focus for this campaign. Statistics Gail claims to have offered and provided do not compare to actual independent investigations and study. Thats a joke when referring to RCMP statistics and using that as a source base. What do you expect the RCMP to say about themselves? Police investigating the Police… National Aboriginal Women’s Association has enough information that can be requested along with other “Indian” organizations. It should mean something to you all when the united nations also recognizes the problem. RCMP stats are one of the main reasons an independent inquiry is being demanded

  10. Nice to see Gail the troll hanging around again sharing her words of non wisdom and maintaining the fear mentality. Any one really interested in why it is important #shutdowcanda?

  11. These thugs are nothing but trouble makers. I have continually suggested they read the RCMP REPORT and twice I have posted the link to the Report. These thugs aren’t interested in knowing the facts. We know who is doing the murdering of Aboriginals. The RCMP have scoured pages and pages of reports and data from 1980 to 2012. A Public Inquiry will take a few more years; it will cost millions of $$$$ and nothing new will be gained. Close to 90% of both murdered Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals cases have been solved. In these cases, only 8% of the killers are strangers. Some of the killers are the woman’s Aboriginal husband/partner. Some are other family members. Some are acquaintenances. The numbers are all in the Report.

    Another fact which stands out is some of the killers have had previous arrests and charges. Unfortunately when the male is Aboriginal, he is given a lenient sentence which really has not served any purpose. The Judicial system needs to be overhauled ASAP.

    This group planning this #ShutdownCanada will not believe any Report that puts blame on the Aboriginals. They want to see a Report that blames the Police, the white man, Mr. Harper, any person other than an Aboriginal.

    There is NO NEED for any further studies – the studies have been completed and people are starting to act on the findings. If Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Mulcair want another study, then they can pay for it. As a long time Canadian taxpayer, count me out.

    1. I agree, people tend to be murdered by people they know. It’s no different for any race and I can’t figure out who these people think are killing these poor women.

    2. Gail the only “facts” you are stating are from the RCMP themselves who are clearly a biased source, didnt your parents/ teachers ever teach you to never take the word of someone with a vested interest? we can only accept data from a third party that has nothing to gain or lose from the results, thats just the right way to do research.
      but something tells me you’re only seeing what you want to see, powerful thing the human mind is, when the reality is different from what they desperately want to be true, the brain will warp the information to make it “true” so it will fit their delusion.
      Remember, there’s nothing wrong with changing your mind as new information becomes available, that’s how a democratic system is supposed to work. and cut the “liberal vs conservative” bs, its not like that at all.

    1. Please site your reasons (FACTS) why you think Canada should be shut down. Why do you and the other Group members believe in racism – you obviously do when you talk about ‘white privilege’. You also believe in inciting riots when your leader Dan Wallace, and others, talk about having the right to engage in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.

      I await your response. Don’t just spiel off the Group BS – I expect FACTS.

      1. The average Canadian is not any kind of target or focus for this campaign. Statistics Gail claims to have offered and provided do not compare to actual independent investigations and study. Thats a joke when referring to RCMP statistics and using that as a source base. What do you expect the RCMP to say about themselves? Police investigating the Police… National Aboriginal Women’s Association has enough information that can be requested along with other “Indian” organizations. It should mean something to you all when the united nations also recognizes the problem. RCMP stats are one of the main reasons an independent inquiry is being demanded. Oh and no one is the leader of this campaign, yet another reason why your position is based on faulty reasoning or rational…

        1. First of all, YOU ARE THE LEADER – don’t hand me that bullshit!! I was addressing Sharon Lortie – not you. You are a total ahole. If you think I pay any attention to the UN – think again. They are the most screwed up organization – just look at the countries they have sit on the Committee for Human Rights – what a bloody joke. What independent investigations and studies are you referring to?

          Oh, and are you proud of inciting violence? Throwing bricks through the right windows of businesses, throwing molotov cocktails, setting up blockades and backing up those who are willing to get arrested. Not one person in this country has a right to stop another person from getting from Point A to Point B – it doesn’t matter what the purpose of their travel is. Get that through your damn thick skull. And what are you talking about when you talk about ‘white privilege’. BTW, where do you work? Or do you work at all? You seem to have all kinds of time to spend on your utter nonsense. You certainly have more time than what I had before I retired.

          You do not have any right to demand anything. A thorough investigation was done by the RCMP but you don’t want to acknowledge this Report. You can’t bear to even think of the fact that in some of the cases, other Aboriginals are responsible for the murder of the Aboriginal women. The only report you and your ilk will believe is the one that says Mr. Harper is responsible, other non-Aboriginals are responsible, the white man is responsible. You are taught so much hatred from the time you are born. May I suggest that you and your ilk get on the same page. Aboriginal Chiefs are always at odds with each other and always have been. Until the Chiefs and their Bands get on the same page, nothing much will be accomplished. No wonder Chief Shawn Atleo stepped down.

        2. Gail you are an idiot plain and simple. You are inciting violence when you run with that basic fear mongering… Sad to see you have not or are unwilling to hear from other points of view. You demand we seek out information and validation from the RCMP who are the problem to begging with.. Ironic as that is the base of your stance… You dismiss what other observers have noticed from an international level.. Must be hard when your own messiah complex is challenged as it confronts your inferiority complex. Perhaps you should be running for a seat in your riding with the hopes of getting a seat as an MP or MLA….

        3. Even more unrealistic is you also dismiss the years of intentional oppression that stems from residential schools and how that really has had a real impact on one race in this country… You and any other Canadian can not deny that but make a open and willing dismissal of such realities and the real life ramifications that have come from that past.. If you don’t like how our people are dealing with people like you on top of also dealing with the government you should take your head out of the sand and take a real look at what the problems are. It sucks to hear the truth as that is what you are attempting to hide behind some morbid sense of altruism… Gail you are not the saviour or the barrier of realism masking as truth.

  12. I think we need to give the Mounties report on Murdered First nations women, a widespread and broad distribution on the day of the protest, then we should demand from the Leaders an explanation of what exactly they are doing to remediate this situation, immediately after which we should demand that all treaty money be placed in the hands of the women of the tribes until the murders stop.
    The Mounties claim they solve 80% of the murders of women on the Reserves and most of those women are murdered by their families, their boyfriends or acquaintances. If the Murders are done by people from the reserves, how can outsiders help? Perhaps there is a reason so many First nations Women flee the reserves to live on the streets of towns away from their families. Time we found out.

    1. Unfortunately the Aboriginals don’t want to accept responsibility for their behaviour. At least the members of the #ShutDownCanada Group don’t want to accept responsibility. They are more into ‘all Governments are Terrorists, white man has white privilege, Gail is a troll (because I present FACTS), just do it. We have the right to civil disobedience’ and on and on.

      One problem I see is the Aboriginal Chiefs are not all on the same page. There is always infighting and there always has been. Until the Aboriginal community unites as one and presents in a reasonable manner – their problems and what they see as fair solutions – then we really can’t do more to help. There is little wonder that Chief Shawn Atleo resigned.

      1. How do you take responsibility for being a part of the oppressive part of main stream Canada Gail?
        The craziness you are spouting off is equal to kicking someone when they are down…. You should be ashamed of yourself because you are sounding allot like a residential school teacher.

        1. I am not even going to respond to your stupid nonsense. You are a paid protester that goes from protest to protest not having a bloody clue what the issues are. Who is paying you? David Suzuki Foundation? Tides Foundation of Canada? Rockefeller Foundation? The Saudis pay good money to do anything in their power to stop oil flowing in Canada. Follow the $$$$$

        2. lol yup your an idiot. You wear your ignorance like a badge of honour….. No one pays me like you are suggesting…. You really need some metal help. You do not seem to realize what you are sharing is border line hate mongering Gail. How old are you? you really should be ashamed of yourself

  13. Um, depriving our kids of education has nothing at all to do with making a political statement. I prefer to work towards positive change and participation by all in our economy. Participation is not a gift we give to politicians, rather it is something we all benefit from and contribute to. It may not be ideal, but there are more productive ways to make change. I will continue to shop at locally-owned retailers, buy local produce, make a living, pay my taxes and educate my kids.

    1. right because one day of action will forfeit everything you have ever worked for. one fucken day for the problems that are being ignored in canada. its not like your going to stop educating your kids and shopping at grocery stores while listening to “i think we’re alone now” forever. GEEZE.

      1. Your immature response tells me plenty about your character. What problems are being ignored in Canada and what is YOUR solution for fixing the problems? You see I went to school some decades ago now and we were taught to think for ourselves and present facts and solutions. We didn’t have this LIEberal nonsense thrown at us.

        1. As usual – when I ask a straight forward question – what problems are being ignored and what is your solution – 9 hours have passed and I do not see a reply. Typical LIEberal behaviour.

      2. For problems that are being ignored in Canada? or for problems that are to do with aboriginals and only aboriginals. How about a protest on how our Government is treating our veterans?

  14. Sorry, but I for one am fed up with this, when the natives want to look into the way their chiefs and others are running the reserves, take a look at who is doing the violence to their own people, and start saying lets look into all women not just aboriginals, maybe then, but until then, no. And the use of the term “white man” in the last sentence, the racist tone says it all.

    “The system has failed us miserably. There is no democracy and we the people have an obligation to demand justice for all.” the only thing that has failed you are your own leaders.

    1. Oh it offends you to be called a “white man” huh…. And who are your leaders? Harper? and you think he is not failing? lol

        1. exactly what I said, you say I object to natives using the term white man in a derogatory way, so I am asking you if you object to the term i stated as being objectionable, too simple for you to understand Dan?

        2. Ah I understand now. Well being called “Indian” is the legal term we as a people are called…. Do I like and is it a correct way to identify my people..

          The point is it happens and I don’t see any professional sports teams called Kansas city Whitey’s, The Chicago honkies, the Washington White skins….. What are you hung up other then being identified as a white man…

        3. I am not hung up on anything, just the way the term is used as it was in my first comment. I prefer the term Canadian, it is much more encompassing overall and denotes a term of equality, something the natives have not given in to yet.

        4. lol ok.. “Natives”…… hmm I had a cop come up to me one day and said he was a “Native, a native Canadian”…..

  15. I like the idea but if anyone is stupid enough to barricade the railways and roadways possibly getting people injured will deserve the many charges that will follow

  16. Had me with you until the last sentence. It ruined the article. It didnt capture your objective well at all. According to this article your objective is to have the government and people pay attention and take action. But that last statement made it sound like a race issue, like natives vs the white man. The government is not a person, let alone a ‘white man’. And shutting down the economy will affect all races, not just the ‘white man’. And as you see this is my point…. im so hung up on the nonsense of the last sentence that ive almost forgotten the point of your article.

    1. It was a quote from Ethel Pearson. I suggest you watch “Dancing Around the Table” from the national film board…

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