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September 29, 2021 - No. 89
Workers Step Up Defence of Their Right
to Safe and
Healthy Working Conditions
Demonstration in Front of Quebec
National Assembly Demands Withdrawal
of Anti-Worker Law
Quebec
National Assembly
Demonstration
Against the Dismantling of
the
Occupational Health and
Safety Regime
Thursday, September 30 --
12:00-1:00 pm
Organized by: Quebec
Federation of Labour (FTQ)
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• Quebeckers
Asked to Send a Message to Their Members of
the National Assembly
Defend the
Hereditary Rights of the Wet'suwet'en!
• Stand With
Wet'suwet'en Land Defenders
• Coastal GasLink
Destroys Archeological Site on Cas Yikh
Territory - Indigenous Environmental
Network
• Call Out for
Nationwide Support for Blockade on Unceded
Territory
Workers Step Up Defence of Their
Right to Safe and
Healthy Working Conditions
On Thursday, September 30, Quebec workers are
holding a demonstration in front of the Quebec
National Assembly to demand the withdrawal of
Bill 59, An Act to modernize the
occupational health and safety regime.
Following clause-by-clause consideration in
committee, the bill is now back in the National
Assembly and rumour has it that it could be
adopted tomorrow.
Workers, their unions and injured workers'
defence organizations are unanimous in saying
that the government does not have their consent
to move forward with this legislation. The law
is an undisguised negation of occupational
injury treatment, compensation for injured
workers and workplace prevention. It furthermore
violates the right of workers to themselves
determine what constitutes a healthy and safe
work environment.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government has
decided to impose the law on workers despite
their opposition because it answers to narrow
private interests that demand everything be done
at this time to help them compete with one
another for lucrative deals. They consider that
the workers' health and safety is a cost to be
cut and that workers are disposable. This abuse
of power jeopardizes the lives of workers who
have spoken out time and again to firmly reject
it.
Workers' Forum vigorously denounces the
arrogance and motivation of the CAQ and its
mentors. This government is willing to force
passage of this bill knowing full well that
workers consider it a danger to their health,
their safety and their lives.
All over the country workers are stepping up
the defence of their right to healthy and safe
workplaces. By fighting they will win because
their cause is just, their cause meets the
requirements of the times and the call of
history. All out to support this fight!
L'Union des travailleuses et travailleurs
accidentés et malades (UTTAM) has launched an
urgent action in the form of a letter campaign
to the Members of the National Assembly
(MNAs), asking them to vote against the
adoption of Bill 59.
 UTTAM writes:
"On September 28, the National Assembly began
its work for its final adoption of Bill 59
modernizing the occupational health and safety
regime. The modifications contained in this
bill constitute a major attack on workers'
rights.
"This is why, while there is still time, we
are asking you to send a message to your MNA
to let him or her know that you disagree with
these major rollbacks on workers' rights and
are asking them to oppose the adoption of this
bill.
"Take action now!
"Take a few seconds to send an automated
message to your MNA at non-au-projet-de-loi-59.ca.
"Thank you for this gesture of solidarity."
Defend the Hereditary Rights of
the Wet'suwet'en!
Workers' Forum stands with the
Wet'suwet'en land defenders and calls on workers
across the country to denounce the ongoing
violation of Indigenous rights in the name of
"the economy." All the fine words of
‘reconciliation' uttered by federal and
provincial politicians cannot cover up the
brutal colonial violence that has always been
used to steal the land from Indigenous nations
and is being used today to protect the oil and
gas and pipeline companies that are given carte
blanche to wreak havoc and trample
Indigenous rights and the rights of all and of
Mother Earth. It must not pass!
- Indigenous Environmental
Network -
On September 22, 2021, after days of conflict
between Gidimt'en/Cas Yikh Chiefs and members,
Coastal GasLink (CGL) and the RCMP, contractors
completely cleared an archaeological site which
has been destroyed with heavy machinery for the
construction of a methane gas pipeline.
 Gidimt'en chiefs
and supporters have been defending a number of
culturally significant archeological sites from
destruction on unceded Cas Yikh (Grizzly House)
territory belonging to the Gidimt'en clan of the
Wet'suwet'en people. The Coastal GasLink
pipeline company has obtained a Site Alteration
Permit (SAP) from the BC Oil and Gas Commission
(BCOGC) through a flawed and ineffective
consultation process and without the Free, Prior
and Informed Consent of the Wet'suwet'en
Hereditary Chiefs. The Wet'suwet'en have argued
for years that the pipeline route endangers
critical species, cultural use and heritage
sites, and is not supported by Wet'suwet'en land
use plans, particularly around the development
of climate change policies. This archaeological
site in particular, is significant to the
Wet'suwet'en in the protection of our cultural
heritage for future generations and for
protecting our oral histories and heritage
values for ongoing rights and title
negotiations.
The company continues to violate their own
regulations and conditions set forward by
governing bodies such as the OGC and their own
Environmental Assessment Certificates. Neither
CGL nor the BCOGC undertook consultation with
Cas Yikh or the Office of the Wet'suwet'en (OW)
for the permit. The consultation process and the
permitting system is deeply flawed and acts
merely as a rubber stamp process to allow
industry to continue. For example, files sent to
the Office of the Wet'suwet'en were password
protected and unable to be opened. Thus the
information contained inside was never able to
be reviewed, let alone consented to. Silence
does not equal consent and to push forward with
destroying a culturally significant heritage
site is deeply disturbing and violent.
An archeologist working with Cas Yikh recently
stated, about the cultural site that CGL is now
threatening:
A site alteration permit was granted for the
purpose of clearing GbSs-8 to make way for the
Coastal GasLink pipeline, but no information on
the proposed work/clearing activities has been
shared with OW, Wo'os, Cas Yikh, or this
report's author. What is known about the
archaeology of Ts'elkay Kwe Ceek is dismal. This
is especially concerning given the sheer
intensity with which the landscape was inhabited
and used (according to oral and written
testimonies) and the concentration of habitation
and use sites (lithics, trails, and cultural
depressions). As a result, any destruction to
archaeological heritage in Ts'elkay Kwe Ceek
should be seen as a gross miscalculation on
behalf of the proponent and their
archaeologists. Indeed, given that no
consultation or consent was granted for the site
alteration permit, the course of site
destruction is highly irregular and likely
illegal.
Many measures were taken to prevent the
destruction of this site, including a Cease and
Desist letter sent to all parties, including
provincial ministers in charge of lands and
forests, in which hereditary chief Dini ze' Woos
stated:
To be clear, we do not authorize or consent to
the removal of, or any "alteration" or impacts
to, our archaeological heritage. According to
the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples -- a declaration implemented
by the BC Government under Bill C41, which
states:
4. Article 11 (1). Indigenous peoples have the
right to practise and revitalize their cultural
traditions and customs. This includes the right
to maintain, protect and develop the past,
present and future manifestations of their
cultures, such as archaeological and historical
sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies,
technologies and visual and performing arts and
literature. (2). States shall provide redress
through effective mechanisms, which may include
restitution, developed in conjunction with
Indigenous peoples, with respect to their
cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual
property taken without their free, prior and
informed consent or in violation of their laws,
traditions and customs.
The work that is continuing just hundreds of
meters from Gidimt'en Checkpoint, a reoccupation
site belonging to Cas Yikh, is in violation of
the provincially legislated DRIPA [BC's
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples Act passed in November 2019]. It
is happening without the consent of Cas Yikh and
therefore we demand that the permit be revoked
and a proper consultation process begin.
For further information please go to: yintahaccess.com
Media contact:
Jennifer Wickham, Gidimt'en Checkpoint Media
Coordinator
Email: Yintahaccess@gmail.com
Phone number: 778-210-0067
 
On September 25 Wet'suwet'en land defenders
erected a blockade to prevent access by
Coastal GasLink to a drill site at the Wedzin
Kwa river. The blockade was established to
stop the drilling under the sacred headwaters
that nourish the Wet'suwet'en Yintah (land).
Land defenders are calling for support and for
those who can to come to the site of the
blockade to assist.
This action follows a series of
confrontations in recent months between
Wet'suwet'en and Coastal GasLink (CGL)
contractors, the latest of which was the
destruction of an archeological site on
September 22.
Gidimt'en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo'
issued the call on the day the blockade was
set up to all Wet'suwet'en and all supporters
from across the country to take action in
their support. The call pointed out that all
five clans of the Wet'suwet'en have
unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and
have not provided free, prior, and informed
consent to Coastal Gaslink to do work on
Wet'suwet'en lands. The Wet'suwet'en will do
everything in their power to protect their
waters and uphold their laws.
(To access articles
individually click on the black headline.)
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