[R-G] Letter to Council of Canadians

[Anthony Fenton]

August 31, 2007
Letter to Council of Canadians
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1345

[Andrea from People's Global Action picked up the CoC's petitions at  
the anti-SPP demonstration and decided to make a few points while  
offering to deliver them.]

Dear Maude and Staff at the Council of Canadians,

I just wanted to write to let you know that the 10,000 petitions you  
delivered with great fanfare to the gates of the Chateau Montebello  
last week are safe. You know, the ones in the three clear plastic  
bins with the blue lids. The ones featured in that photo on your  
website ( www.canadians.org).

You are probably frantic right now. You've likely been searching for  
them since you put them down in front of the line of riot police and  
retreated back to the family friendly zone when you finished your  
media scrum and speeches. I have no doubt that you have been doing  
everything in your power to locate and retrieve them, considering  
your commitment to representing the voice of progressive social  
movements in this country, and your concern for democracy. This was,  
after all, a petition addressed to the Prime Minister, which demanded  
that the Security and Prosperity Partnership be debated in  
parliament. And although you were prevented from delivering them at  
the summit site, in spite of your negotiations with the RCMP who  
assured you it wouldn't be a problem, you surely still intended to  
bring them home to Ottawa with you, where you could have delivered  
each and every one of those hand-signed sheets to the Prime  
Minister's Office.

I understand that it was a tense afternoon, and that's probably why  
you left them behind. Only a couple of hours after you told the media  
that the police were on our side, they began tear-gassing and pepper  
spraying us. And then they were caught on "your line" wearing masks  
and carrying rocks, looking a lot like provocateurs. It's hard to  
remember to collect your props when you're surrounded by so much  
potentially violent chaos – even if it's on your side. (Which is why  
you left the police with the names, signatures, and addresses of  
10,000 of your supporters, right – because they're on your side…?)

I must admit that I've found it a little bit strange that I haven't  
seen any messages on anti-SPP email lists indicating that you're  
looking for the petitions. And no one has been in touch with me  
directly. But then, who would have thought some anarchist from the  
People's Global Action Bloc would bother to pick up three crates of  
petitions calling on the government to defend Canadian sovereignty  
and resources by putting the SPP to debate in parliament?

Fair enough. I probably wouldn't organize a campaign around a  
petition –- especially not a petition about the SPP that contains no  
reference to migration justice, indigenous sovereignty struggles, or  
the fact that the precious energy and environmental resources that  
the SPP throws into jeopardy might not be 'ours' or 'our  
parliament's' to debate.

But I do respect the utility of a diversity of protest tactics. And I  
trust that you at least respect your own tactics -- enough to believe  
that each of the petitions 10,000 people cared enough to sign should  
be delivered to Stephen Harper.

Which is why, as the riot cops advanced, and no one from the Council  
seemed to be gathering up the petitions, I asked some friends to help  
me lift them into my van and drove them home after the demo. They're  
currently sitting in my living room. If you email me a FedEx account  
number, I'd be happy to ship them to the PMO's office for you.

Sincerely,
andrea