The Stop Community Food Centre is located on the territory of the Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Haudenosaunee, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
Given the historic context of the land on which The Stop resides, it’s imperative that we draw attention to the devastating impacts that decades of colonization have imposed upon Indigenous peoples. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and other racialized communities that are seeking to reclaim their identities, health, land, and community resources.
As such, we enthusiastically join the movement in support of the Wet’suwet’en people, their clan governance systems, and their hereditary chiefs. The architects of the Coastal GasLink pipeline have not secured the free, prior and informed consent of the Wet’suwet’en nation who remain opposed to the pipeline’s construction and have never ceded their territory.
The Canadian Government under the leadership of Justin Trudeau has committed to fulfill its obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UNDRIP expressly condemns forced removal in Article 10, stating that “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories.”
We call for the withdrawal of the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en territory, and support the right of the Wet’suwet’en people to continue in their actions to protect the lands, waters, and futures of their people. We also call on other departments and institutions across Turtle Island to join in condemning this state violence against Indigenous nations.
The Stop Community Food Centre calls on the Federal Government and the BC Government to respect the demands of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs:
- That the province cease construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project and suspend permits.
- That the UNDRIP and our right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) are respected by the state and RCMP.
- That the RCMP and associated security and policing services be withdrawn from Wet’suwet’en lands, in agreement with the most recent letter provided by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s (CERD) request.
- That the provincial and federal government, RCMP and private industry employed by CGL respect our laws and our governance system, and refrain from using any force to access our lands or remove our people.
There is no access to Wet’suwet’en territory without the consent of its stewards.