International Women’s
Day 2012: Women Resist Canadian Mining Exploitation... In Defense of Mother Earth
by Women
of Diverse Origins of Montreal (WDO)
Women are playing
a crucial role in resisting a surge of mining and development
aggression taking place in Canada and around the world, led by
Canadian corporations.
We will hear from
some of these amazing women, and echo and celebrate their voices onSunday March 4,
at the annual International Women’s
Day event organized by Women
of Diverse Origins of Montreal (WDO),
an alliance of grassroots community groups.
Since
2002, WDO
have organized an International Women’s Day march and event that
reflects our awareness about the world context and the role of our
own struggles and actions in effecting change.
Teach-in,
workshops, cultural activities
Sunday, March 4, 9 am
to 4:30 pm
6767 Côte-des-neiges,
Montreal
The actions of
Canadian mining giants, and the Canadian governments doing their
bidding are part of an economic recovery plan to keep profits
generating for the business elite. Whether it be through Premier
Charest’s Plan Nord
in Quebec, or the Harper government’s courting of First Nations
leaders, governments are plying these corporations with subsidies,
tax holidays, finding ways to help them circumvent or ignore the
territorial rights of farmers and indigenous people.
This is
happening on Mohawk land around Montreal, in more remote parts of
Canada, as well as in Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, the Philippines,
Congo, India and other parts of the world.
Women are on the
ground with their communities resisting this aggression, and are
often criminalized and even killed to make way for bulldozers and
trucks. Many of our own community members came to Canada as migrant
workers because of the destruction and displacement caused by
Canadian mining companies in their countries of origin.
Our
International Women’s Day activity will focus on their experiences.
We will hear from delegations just back from the Philippines and
Colombia, who have witnessed first-hand the impact of mining in those
countries, as well as from women of indigenous communities closer to
home. We will share campaigns, have a choir workshop and other
cultural activities, and of course, share some good food. We will
also be making banners and placards for our yearly March
8 demonstration,which willdepart on March 8 at 6 pm from
Norman Bethune Square in front of Guy metro.
For information, contact: wdofdo@gmail.com;
see http://wdofdo.wordpress.com/
All are welcome.
Suggested donation at the door $5 (no one turned away).
Translation and Daycare provided.
