By Derrick O'Keefe - January 6, 2012

Over the next few years, the Harper government will spend tens of millions of dollars celebrating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812...[The] hype about a war fought 200 years ago is in part designed to reinforce a false image of consensus in Canada today. In this way Harper's War of 1812 obscures the reality of Harper's political and resource wars of 2012.

January 6, 2012 - Toronto Media Co-op

On December 20th 2011, a member of the G20 Investigative Team came to his home at Sagatay Men's Residence to serve [Ryan Rainville] with an appeal of his sentence. The implication of this action is that his sentence is too light. It is clear that Ryan’s pride in his convictions and anarchist values have led them to target him in an attempt to send a clear message to other anarchists, that our politics and bodies will be criminalized if we do not fall in line.

By Pamela Palmater - rabble.ca

If Canada's national security laws permit such broad surveillance of our activities -- then my question is what First Nation activities are NOT considered a potential threat to Canada? I would like to know how much money across all federal departments are allocated to spying on First Nations people? I would also like to compare that to the costs to provide housing, water and basic necessities of life to First Nations in need. I am guessing that I would not be entitled to this information either.

By Aiyanas Ormond - December 15, 2011

The Conservative Omnibus Crime Bill (OCB) is the legislative component of the mass incarceration agenda in Canada. It will significantly increase the number of incarcerated people in Canada, at a huge cost...The OCB targets groups that are vulnerable to labeling and vilification: ‘drug dealers’, ‘terrorists’ and ‘human traffickers’. In reality the people who will fill the new jail spaces are the poor, Native folks already over-represented among incarcerated people, people who are addicted to drugs and criminalized immigrants and refugees.

By Susan Allan - 12 December 2011

Like its counterparts around the world, the Gillard government is slashing spending on education, health and welfare in response [to] the deepening global financial crisis. In the first three months since Labor’s May budget and its “tough-love” approach to welfare, more than 20,000 unemployed Aboriginal people have had their welfare payments suspended. This amounts to 20 percent of all Aboriginal people on welfare. Nationally, 10 percent of all unemployed have incurred suspensions.

By James Mackay and Niigaanwiwedam James Sinclair - Sunday 11 December 2011

The [Canadian] government's response to the crisis has been a combination of arrogance and bullying...[Prime Minister] Stephen Harper...stood up in parliament to argue that widespread corruption on the part of band leaders was to blame..."It is incredible that the Harper government's decision is that instead of offering aid and assistance to Canada's First Peoples, their solution is to blame the victim, and that the community is guilty, and deserving of their fate."

December 8, 2011 - Linchpin/Common Cause

Throughout his court proceedings, Ryan proudly proclaimed his anarchist values and defended the use of property destruction during anti-capitalist protests that weekend to disrupt the economy...Ryan eventually plead guilty to three counts of Mischief Over $5000 and Breach of Peace. On October 31st, 2011 with at least a dozen supporters present, Ryan made the following statement to the court.

By The Defenders of the Land - December 6, 2011

The Defenders of the Land...condemned reports that in 2007, the Harper government established a national and international police surveillance network to spy on Indigenous Peoples and their supporters for defending Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and land rights..."Many of the so-called 'communities of concern'...are members of our network. They are not extremists or terrorists. All of their protests or political actions were in defence of their constitutionally recognized and internationally affirmed right of self-determination and land rights as Indigenous Peoples.["]

By Tim Groves and Martin Lukacs - Media Co-op

The federal government created a wide-ranging surveillance network in early 2007 to monitor protests by First Nations, including those that would garner national attention or target “critical infrastructure” like highways, railways and pipelines...Formed after the Conservatives came to power, the RCMP unit’s mandate was to collect and disseminate intelligence about situations involving First Nations that have “escalated to civil disobedience and unrest in the form of protest actions.”

By Annie Urban - November 23, 2011

The contrast is staggering. In the large cities of southern Ontario, Occupy Ottawa and Occupy Toronto protesters were evicted...from the tent cities they set up last month to protest economic disparities. One thousand kilometers further north...the residents of the Attawapiskat First Nation have been living in tents and sheds without water or electricity for years and no one is doing anything about it.

By Pamela Palmater - rabble.ca

No one in their right mind could stand before all Canadians and claim that our justice system is not broken and does not discriminate against anyone. Only a right-wing extremist, drunk with "white privilege" and power would even have the nerve to say something like that and ignore all the evidence to the contrary - including evidence that comes from the very justice system he defends.

By DAVID CORREIA - November 23, 2011

...[Albuquerque Police Department] officers are violent by nature, self-selected to the force because of the opportunity to kill with impunity. The numbers seem to suggest as much. Police killings in Albuquerque are three-times what is found in comparably sized cities and is similar to New York, which has 14-times the population and a police force 34-times larger than APD...And there’s ample evidence of a frightening blood lust among some APD officers...[such as one who] posted his job description on Facebook as “human waste disposal.”

By Krystalline Kraus - November 20, 2011

So the Canadian myth that we're all loving and polite people gets exposed again if you're non-white, non-Western or Indigenous...I would say I have not been taken aback from the spate of anti-Indigenous commentary coming from the detractors of Occupy Toronto. It ain't pretty but it's real.

By Harsha Walia - October 14, 2011

I wish I could start with the ritual "I love you" which the Occupy Movement is supposed to inspire. To be honest, it has been a space of turmoil. But also, virulent optimism...What I outline below are not criticisms of the Occupy movement. I am inspired that the dynamic of the movement thus far has been organic, so that all those who choose to participate are collectively responsible for its evolution and development. To all those participating -- I offer my deepest gratitude and respect.

November 8, 2011 - Vancouver Media Co-op

Following Gregor Robertson, Suzanne Anton made talk of respect and acknowledgement of the Coast Salish people; the Musqueam and Squamish peoples; the [Vancouver Police Department] attacked violently the Sacred Fire of the Elders at the Occupy site. They came with the fire department, and violently accomplished the putting out of the fire being peacefully defended.