SOLEMN DECLARATION OF THE GRASSROOTS PEOPLES COALITION Ki-low-na, Suknaqin (Okanagan) Territory, November 24-25, 2005 SHAME ON CANADA!

CANADA RESPECT YOUR CONSTITUTION! We, the grassroots Indigenous Peoples, we have gathered in Ki-low-na, to assert our inherent Indigenous rights and sovereignty as peoples, with continuing ownership of our lands and resources. We, the grassroots Indigenous Peoples and original inhabitants of what is now called Canada call on all Canadians to stand up for the respect and recognition of inherent indigenous rights and Title to this country. We, the Indigenous Peoples are calling on Canada and the international community to recognize our jurisdiction and ownership of all unceded, unsurrendered and undefeated indigenous territories of OUR ANCESTRAL soil and waters. Impoverishment of our Indigenous Peoples will disappear as Canadians and their Governments recognize our inherent Indigenous Title and Rights. We share deep concerns about: extreme poverty, homelessness, epidemic disease amongst our own peoples, the apprehension of our children and their removal from our communities and families the threats to indigenous languages and cultures; the violations of the rights of Aboriginal women, including lack of investigation of serial killings; These issues cannot be resolved without addressing the root causes stemming from a long history of colonization and oppression of our peoples. We are calling on Canada to recognize the sovereign position upheld by our ancestors and still binding today and to implement the constitution of Canada to: STOP violating the Canadian Constitution, especially Section 35 recognizing Aboriginal and Treaty Rights! STOP violating indigenous rights through Canadian policies of extinguishment and assimilation! STOP enabling and subsidizing corporations by giving them free access to indigenous land and resources! STOP promoting corporate interests over indigenous title and rights! STOP poverty caused by the Crown governments claiming exclusive jurisdiction over our indigenous territories and resources! START honoring existing treaties and STOP building debt bondage through comprehensive claims treaty making processes! We will continue to assert our sovereignty and take our concerns to the international level. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has recently repeatedly called upon Canada to implement the indigenous right to self-determination and stop violating indigenous rights through their policies of extinguishment and assimilation.

We are asking for international support and must work together to: STOP the expansion of Sun Peaks Ski Resort at Skwelkwekwelt in Secwepemc Territory! STOP the plans to build a ski resort at Sutikalh in Statimc Territory! STOP logging in Nuxalk Territory! STOP mining in Thaltan Territory! STOP mountain pine beetle logging under the Stewartship Plan! STOP the harassment of the Pilalt people who exercise their Aboriginal right to fish at Cheam! STOP resource extraction from Treaty 2 territories in Manitoba! STOP the criminalization of our peoples who exercise their Aboriginal Title and Rights! We do not believe in the so-called New Relationship, between the Province of British Columbia and the BC AFN, the First Nations Summit and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. The provincial government continues to promote corporate interests over indigenous rights. Whereas we believe that OUR LAND IS OUR FUTURE! The objectives of our grassroots coalition are: to promote awareness about Aboriginal and historic treaty rights; to implement our indigenous laws and honor traditional governing systems, built upon our hereditary chiefs and clan mothers, as the basis for a stronger future grassroots peoples movement to develop strategies for the assertion of Aboriginal and treaty rights on the land; to hold elected leaders accountable and ensure that they protect Aboriginal and treaty rights as the foremost priority; to develop and foster a process of respect, honor and integrity by which we advocate for the grassroots people to ensure more culturally, economically and environmentally sustainable development to continue working with non-indigenous allies to secure recognition of indigenous rights We, the grassroots Indigenous Peoples, are gravely concerned about the direction the Assembly of First Nations has been steered in by the Paul Martin government, which is to separate the provision of programs and services from our Aboriginal and Treaty rights. The AFN has moved on side with the long-standing agenda of the Liberal government to terminate our rights and assimilate our peoples through their illegal policies and chronically under funded programmes. None of the documents signed off on by the Assembly of First Nations and the national Aboriginal organizations are binding on us, the grass-roots Indigenous Peoples, because we have not agreed and we collectively hold our indigenous rights as nations. We, the grassroots Indigenous Peoples commit to encouraging our fellow Indigenous Peoples to promote these objectives at the local, regional, national and international levels for the unborn and Seven Generations to come.