The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of June 3, 2019

231 Call To End The “Canadian Genocide”

On June 3rd, Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its final report at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. After more than three years of thorough investigations, the authors of the Inquiry delivered their harsh verdict to the Canadian government by calling the mistreatment of the Indigenous communities’ female and 2SLGBTQQIA members a “Canadian genocide”. They came up with a list of 231 “Calls for Justice” – legal imperatives to end the state-led genocide in Canada. “As a nation, we face a crisis: regardless of which number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is cited, the number is too great. The continuing murders, disappearances and violence prove that this crisis has escalated to a national emergency that calls for timely and effective responses. This is not what Canada is supposed to be about; it is not what it purports to stand for”, said Marion Buller, the Chief Commissioner of the Inquiry, in her speech at a ceremony on Monday (EOTA).

Take 1: This report is, perhaps, one of the most shocking revelations for the Canadian state and Canadian society in the last few years. In order to address the tragic legacy of Canadian settler colonialism in a comprehensive manner and call a halt to the genocide, four main pathways are named in the document: historical, multigenerational, and intergenerational trauma; social and economic marginalization; maintaining status quo and institutional lack of will; ignoring the agency and expertise of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Following Justin Trudeau’s official apology to the Inuit people in March this year, the Inquiry offers another propitious moment for Canada to reflect on its controversial history and make 2019 a point of no return to its colonial practices.

The full report can be accessed here.

Tyrmas! Russian North Against Moscow Waste

On June 2, over five thousand people gathered in the streets of Syktyvkar, the capital city of the Komi Republic, to oppose the building of a landfill near the village of Shies in the neighbouring Arkhangelsk Oblast. Among the participants of the protests were activists from the village itself, who came to Syktyvkar to share the recent information about the ongoing struggle against waste from Moscow households. They argued that the construction of the landfill will bring major environmental damage not only to Shies alone, but also to the nearby villages of Urdoma (Arkhangelsk Oblast) and Madmas (Komi Republic) (IBO).

Take 2: The slogan “Tyrmas!” means “enough” in the Komi language, one of the largest indigenous languages in the Russian North. Organized by the local Communist Party, the Sunday protest had clear political claims, namely calls for the resignation of the local and regional governments, as well as the intention to announce an indefinite strike if the construction works do not stop until June 16. So far, the Shies case has been the most sensational one since the beginning of the so-called “waste reform” in January 2019 and Moscow’s unfair quest for its waste disposal.

Schoolkids Stand Up For Climate. And you?

A week-long World Summit of Students for Climate (WSSC) took place in Joensuu, Finland, from 29 May until 5 June 2019. It brought together over two hundred school children and ninety teachers from all over the world for several days of intensive lectures, workshops, and collective climate actions. On June 5, the World Climate Day, the participants released a Climate Action Plan and a Climate Agreement of Schools for the period of 2019-2025, calling for active tree-planting, better waste recycling and management mechanisms, and establishing of close partnership and student networks for the participants (EOTA, WSSC).

Take 3: Following the recent student climate demonstrations which rallied all over Europe triggered by actions of the Swedish young climate activist Greta Thunberg, the World Summit of Students for Climate marks another significant initiative in reshaping climate education and attitude of the young generation, and a platform to help them get seen and heard.

First Ruling in Dene and Cree Languages

Last week, Canada’s Federal Court issued its first ever ruling in Dene and Cree languages, when passing sentence on the lawsuit in Fort McMurray No. 438 First Nation, northern Alberta. In January this year, band councillor Samantha Whalen organised a series of protests against the leadership of the band office of Fort McMurray No.438 First Nation, including its CEO Brad Callihoo. That action led to several months of being suspended from her duties. On May 29, Samantha Whalen was reinstated as a band councillor and made the court speak Cree and Dene (CBC).

Take 4: There is no doubt that this local victory, which took place in Fort McMurray No. 438 First Nation last week, is a big step forward towards decolonization of Canada’s legal system. The ruling was not only translated and published in Dene and Cree – its summary was also recorded and is available on the CBC website. This can also be seen in a broader context of Canada’s recent efforts at reconciliation with its indigenous peoples, which will hopefully lead to a total revision of Canada’s current internal politics.

Arctic Council’s Latest Recommendations on Emissions Reduction

Earlier this month, the Arctic Council (AC) Working Group on Black Carbon and Methane updated its recommendations for mitigating the impacts of “powerful short-lived climate pollutants”. Along with four major points listed in 2015 – mobile and stationary diesel-powered sources, oil and gas sector, residential combustion and solid waste – two more recommendations were added, that is better wildfire management and improved agricultural practices (Arctic Council, EOTA).

Take 5: The latest recommendations from the AC Working Group on Black Carbon duly took into account devastating wildfires, which stroke Arctic states recently and continue to pose an immediate hazard to local communities and wildlife. Although the progress report provides a through overview of “lessons learned” and best practices, its calls for action remain quite modest. Keeping in mind the ever growing impacts of climate change and urge for radical changes, the Arctic Council should probably take a more binding and imperative stance.

The full version of the summary of progress is available here.