By World BEYOND War, April 26, 2021
Watch the recording of this event to learn about the Blue Scarf Peace Movement, an Indigenous struggle against the militarization of their lands, and the campaign to stop the Canadian government from buying new fighter jets.
This Earth Day event on April 23 2021 featured brief presentations by the authors of two new books: “Nutaui’s Cap” by Bob Bartel and “I Keep the Land Alive” by Tshaukuesh Elizabeth Penashue. “Nutaui’s Cap” is a children’s book about the NATO fighter jet training in Labrador from the 1980s and how it adversely affected the Innu people and how they resisted this military activity in their territory. “Nitinikiau Innusi: I Keep the Land Alive” is based Penashue’s experience leading the Innu campaign against NATO low-level flying and bomb testing on Innu land over two decades. Penashue and many Innu people were arrested and imprisoned for protesting and occupying the Goose Bay runways and they also travelled across Canada and Europe to raise awareness about their struggle to protect their land.
Authors Bob Bartel and Tshaukuesh Elizabeth Penashue read from their books and discussed the long, courageous struggle by the Innu people against the Canadian Air Force and NATO fighter jet testing in their territory.
We also heard briefly from Tamara Lorincz, co-founder No New Fighter Jets Coalition and member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, and Brent Patterson, director of Peace Brigades International – Canada, about the campaign to stop Canada from buying 88 new fighter jets for $77 billion and how you can help cancel this costly, carbon-intensive procurement.
This event was co-sponsored by the Basilian Centre for Peace and Justice, Pax Christi Toronto, World BEYOND War, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, SheCycle, Camp Micah, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Development and Peace Toronto, and KAIROS.
