© Courtesy of RAVEN
WHO KNEW SOLIDARITY COULD BE SO MUCH FUN? A renaissance is underway in this country. After centuries of repression, Indigenous languages and cultures are undergoing a vital resurgence. As irrepressible as roots that break up concrete, stories—like peoples— have a powerful will to survive and thrive. At RAVEN, we find hope in the resilience of Indigenous leaders who stand up to protect our shared natural environments. Now, we are calling on people everywhere to stand with First Nations leaders who are taking legal action to defend the Earth for future generations. Most people are unaware that, though Indigenous Peoples in Canada 18
have some of the world’s strongest environmental rights, those rights are only meaningful if Nations can afford to uphold them in court. That’s where RAVEN comes in. We use the power of the crowd to fund legal challenges that have protected ecosystems, upheld Indigenous rights, and created better laws.
HERE ARE A FEW RAVEN CAMPAIGNS: Beaver Lake Cree Nation is taking on the tar sands with a legal challenge that aims to force governments to honour the land agreement (treaty) that is intended to ensure First Nation’s ability to survive
and thrive. A win in court would require decision-makers to adopt ecosystems thinking—transforming business-as-usual in Alberta’s oil patch and defending a safe climate for everyone. Heiltsuk Nation is in court to seek legal redress for the Nathan E. Stewart oil spill. The coastal B.C. nation is claiming title to a rich marine area to enshrine their sustainable stewardship practices into law. The case brings together Indigenous mariners, human rights defenders, and people who love orca whales, coastal rainforests, and wild salmon in an unprecedented alliance. According to Heiltsuk counsellor Jess Housty: “There is no force in the country more powerful than the movement we are building together.”
