Rally to End Family Separation
June 30, 2018 – 1 p.m.
In the spirit of equality, diversity, and inclusivity, Canadians across the country will rally in protest of the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance and Family Separation policy in the United States – and to demand a strong response from our government here in Canada.
Despite the Executive Order signed by Mr. Trump last week, there is no plan to reunite the 2300 children who have been separated from their families since early April. The administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy is still in effect, meaning that all undocumented asylum seekers continue to be detained. Adherence to this policy means that the threat of continued family separation is very real.
The Rally in St. John’s will be held at 1 PM on JUNE 30th, 2018, at the COLONIAL BUILDING.
The Rally will target Canada’s response on three fronts:
1. A demand for a strong official statement from Canada on the human rights violations going on the U.S.
2. A demand for Canada’s withdrawal from, or the elimination of, our Third Safe Country Agreement with the U.S.
3. A demand that Canada examine and fix our own family separation policies, which affect both migrants and Indigenous families.
Speakers in St. John’s will include:
Details are still coming together – expect three speakers, and a musical guest TBA. Confirmed speakers:
Barbara Barker is a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. She has worked across the country, including in Indigenous communities along BC’s Highway 16 or, more familiarly, the Highway of Tears and the Downtown East Side in Vancouver. As a staff lawyer with the NL Legal Aid Commission, Barbara has worked in the Provincial Director’s Office, taking files all over the Island and The Big Land, including Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Nain. She is a member of the Law Society of NL’s Indigenous Education & Action Committee, as well as its Education Committee, and serves on the Expert Advisory Panel for the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. She was recently employed by Memorial University as the Aboriginal Cultural Education Coordinator in the Aboriginal Resource Office, and presently works as the Legal Services Solicitor for the NL Legal Aid Commission.
City Councillor Maggie Burton grew up in Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador. She moved to St. John’s in 2009 to study music at Memorial University. She is a musician, violin teacher, poet, and leadership coach. She was elected to St. John’s City Council in 2017. Maggie is a mother of two young children, Jack and Ursula, who teach her so much every day.
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For More Information:
March On Canada is a national, grassroots, activist network and evolved from the Women’s March movement of 2017.
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Media Contact, St. John’s:
Elisabeth de Mariaffi
(709) 749-2139
edemariaffi@gmail.com
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