| CITIZEN’S
INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACTS OF THE URANIUM CYCLE Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium May 9, 2008 |
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Elder
(Dr.) William Commanda Elder (Dr.) William Commanda was glad to have the opportunity to offer the opening prayer at the Citizen's Inquiry in Ottawa on April 22, 2008. Background: Elder Commanda is the ninety four year old Algonquin Elder from Maniwaki, Quebec, and he has a passionate interest in the stewardship of the Ottawa River Watershed, the unceded, unsurrendered and unconquered traditional territory of his peoples on both sides of the mighty river, known to his ancestors as the Kichisippi. In 2004, he received the Bill Mason Award for River Conservation, and for several years he has been involved in the effort to designate the Ottawa River a national heritage river. It is well known that it cannot qualify for this nomination on one of the key requirements - a pristine nature - since it has been so badly polluted, contaminated and transformed over the past two centuries; now its special historic and cultural value and recreational potential serve to support the case for this designation. Elder Commanda serves as Honorary Chair of the Nomination Committee, and while the current effort is focused on the nomination of the river in Ontario, he has also communicated with Quebec, urging its engagement in the file, since the river constitutes the common heritage of all the Algonquins of the watershed, and he of course would like to see the entire river honoured and protected from further degradation. Key Issue: The uranium mining issue that has sparked this Citizens' Inquiry has direct implications for the Ottawa River. Elder Commanda has supported the effort to challenge the uranium test drilling in Ardoch/Shabot Lake in a peaceful manner, by conducting ceremonies and promoting dialogue. He arranged for ceremony by Algonquin Fire Keeper Peter Decontie, and information presentations by Mining Watch Canada, Eco Justice Canada and Ms. Lorraine Rekmans co-editor of This is My Homeland, and NDP representative, at the first protest gathering on July 8, 2007. He also included this topic on the agenda of The Awakening Gathering he hosted in Perth, Ontario in October 2007. As we say in our report on this Gathering, “Joan Kuyek, the hard working representative of Mining Watch Canada, provided us with factual information about the trigger issue in the area – uranium mining; it seems impossible to imagine the entire town would not want to avail itself o such researched information, as they come to addressing a key controversial issue of our times, one with potential impact on their very own children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, a crisis at the site prevented our Ardoch/Sharbot Lake First Nations and Settler Uranium Protest presenters from joining us, and so we missed out on learning about their dramatic summer of soul searching, struggle and sacrifice, though Larry McDermott, former mayor of Lanark Highlands, and representative of the First Nations of Sharbot Lake provided a brief overview of the protest.” Elder Commanda also offered the opening prayer at the September 28, 2007 POWER TO CHOOSE OTTAWA information session organized by ActCity at the Odawa Friendship Centre. As noted in his blog, this cause touches him personally. Since 1999, people in Elder William Commanda's community, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, must use bottled water, because of the uranium in the well water. Other than this great hindrance and cost to lifestyle, the impact on the overall health of the community is not assessed; but he is painfully aware that three young children within his inner family network are fighting cancer, and that one child was born with just one kidney. He notes also that in 2002, his colleagues participated in the Hiroshima Flame Walk from Seattle to New York City, a walk for world peace, mindful that many of their lands were used for the extraction of uranium and plutonium and the dumping of nuclear wastes, with disastrous consequences across the globe, and in violation of their sacred relationship with their lands. He notes also that in 2004, we were reminded of the horror of nuclear weapons when a delegation of thirty Japanese led by the then Vice President of Sony Company participated in a healing sweat lodge ceremony during his Circle of All Nations Spiritual Gathering, on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. He himself has conducted prayer and ceremony in Japan and across this continent concerning the aftermath of nuclear warfare and waste. He realizes that this is difficult work, and many have made great personal sacrifices to bring the subject to the attention of the public at large, and he will continue to pray, consistent with the beliefs of his ancestors, that, with the growing global acknowledgment and respect for Mother Earth as the both holder of our collective future and the ultimate equalizer, we will all benefit from a deepening understanding of the complexities of this file, and reconcile differences in recognition of the sacred essence of water, and in favour of the protection of future generations of life in this special area and elsewhere. He commends CAAMU on taking the initiative to launch this effort, was glad to see Algonquin contributions acknowledged so positively, and he looks forward to supporting the on-going work.
2. Notes from his blog http://web.mac.com/circleofallnations to describe specific activity on this uranium file, a part of his overall efforts to promote environmental stewardship and protection of the Ottawa River Watershed, and related Sept 2007 note. 3. Two documents presented by the Seventh Generations Fund for Indian Development (whose work he supports) to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues May 2008 – Agenda Item 3: Special theme: Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of Indigenous peoples and new challenges: Collective Statement on the Protection of Water and the Water is Sacred Collective Statement. Post Script: On May
9, 2008, Elder Commanda joined Chief Doreen Davis and the Algonquin
leadership from the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation Community in their
interventions on the Uranium Issues, with the Honourable Michael Bryant,
MPP, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Government House Leader, and reiterated
many of the points made in this file. Ironically, this was on the day
after the Elder’s session at the Nephrology Clinic with his deteriorating
kidney condition (note: over the past decade, his community drinks bottled
water because of uranium contamination of the water). |