Mar 18, 2019 - Idle No More Co-Founder faces trial for protecting ancestral land

March 17, 2019

On February 26, 2017, a Saskatchewan Parks officer issued a warning to Idle No More co-founder Sylvia McAdam (Saysewahum) and her brother Kurtis McAdam (Saysewahum). The warning advised them to vacate their ancestral homelands, land that their family has lived on since before European encroachment and land that was promised to their relations during Treaty 6 negotiations. Sylvia and Kurtis did not comply with the order and now must stand trial for contravening Section 25(1) of the Parks Act. Both Sylvia and Kurtis face fines and the possibility of imprisonment if convicted.

Idle No More and Defenders of the Lands stand in solidarity with Sylvia McAdam (Saysewahum) and Kurtis McAdam (Saysewahum). We insist that Canada, including the province of Saskatchewan, adopt Call to Action 45 (i) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Report—that is “to repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius.”

At the heart of this legal battle is the Doctrine of Discovery. The Canadian government, including the provinces and territories, have, since the creation of Canada and the 1867 Canadian Constitution Act, assumed control over Indigenous lands.

The trial of Sylvia and Kurtis will take place on March 20-22, 2019, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in courtroom #5, starting at 9:30am. Please attend the trial and/or show your solidarity and support of the “accused.”

For more information, please access the following Go Fund Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/landless-no-more?fbclid=IwAR298vgmC9LPxdrN9xbpGqi5fCSaU-1hDGPCp-6hEAfARxA_fptGmGXRZrA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Treaty-6-Court-Case-Landless-No-More-620520195042556/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Contact:

Sylvia McAdam (306) 281-8158
Kurtis McAdam (306) 941-1544
Larry Kowalchuk (306) 529-3001 (Kowalchuk Law)