We have witnessed the impact of ongoing settler colonialism from the attacks on Wet'suwet'en land defenders, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2-Spirit folks, and unmarked graves at residential schools.

In spite of this, Indigenous land defenders continue to resist against capitalist resource extraction, colonial invasions and genocide.

Settler colonialism does not exist in the past tense but is a current ongoing process in which we are all implicated.

This land where we work, organize and fight for worker rights is the traditional territories of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. When we meet, we call for land back to the holders and caretakers of these territories. 

We further acknowledge that Tkaronto, or Toronto, is covered by Treaty 13, signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, in which the peoples received payment of 10 shillings (about $60 in 2021) and the distribution of 2,000 gun flints, 24 brass kettles, 120 mirrors, 24 laced hats, 96 gallons of rum and a bale of flowered flannel for the land; and the Williams Treaty, signed with the Chippewas of Lake Simcoe and the Mississaugas of the north shore of Lake Ontario, in which the peoples received one-time payments ($25) that were a fraction of their land’s estimated value. 

This territory is also subject to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peacefully share and care for the Great Lakes region. The dish with one spoon also means that we all eat out of the Dish (which is Southern Ontario) - all of us that share this territory - with only one spoon.

Despite centuries of colonial theft and violence, this is still Indigenous land and will always be Indigenous land. As workers, we stand in solidarity with our comrades in their struggle against colonial and state violence. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other - from turtle island to Palestine - we have nothing to lose but our chains.

The Mississauga Nation welcomed settlers from across the seas
When they arrived in their territories Such beauty revealed before their eyes
Was beyond their ability to describe
In all the languages that the settlers spoke
There were no words that could evoke
With any clarity a single thought
What Mother nature’s splendour brought
It was from Indigenous tongues that the settlers learned
the language of the Earth in all Her idioms
Toronto from Tkaronto
Tree standing in the water
A meeting place where small fish could gather
Nearby hills where alders grow
That was called Etobicoke
And in the autumn, before the winter snows
The passenger pigeons rested in Mimico
And to the west, where the great waters flow
The lake and lands were called Ontario
Eagles soar high with prayers for manitou
The Mississauga peoples smudge and launch their birch-bark canoes
Three sisters: corn, bean and squash
The planting season has begun
Tobacco is offered a gift to Grandfather Sun
Sage, sweetgrass and cedar to Grandmother Moon
There is peace, joy and harmony in the treaty lands called A Dish With One
Spoon

- Duke Redbird

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