Petition: Tell Parks Canada to say No to transfering the land under the Champlain Monument to Orillia and demand that Parks Canada & the City of Orillia engage in a democratic process and a proper consultation with First Nations land rights holders in line with the Truth & Reconciliation commission and UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples'. 

 It is difficult to believe that Parks Canada and the city of Orillia would appear to not have studied the legal implications of not properly providing consultation to First Nations. Both are obligated to achieve free, prior, and informed consent, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples' (UNDRIP).

We'd like to remind you of some treaty history that is pertinent to you. Canada and Ontario agreed to a settlement with the Chippewa Tri-Council of the Coldwater Narrows Land claim. The surrender of these lands was deemed "invalid" and so this dispute was settled back in 2012. There was a clause in this settlement that stated that First Nations must be consulted when crown lands become available. The First Nations have the legal first right of refusal on crown lands. Parks Canada must not arbitrarily pass ownership of the Champlain Monument land to the city of Orillia without the consent of the Chippewa Tri-Council (Chippewas of Rama, Beausoleil First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island).

On May 21st, the mayor of Orillia unceremoniously interupted an educational event  meant to teach elementary students about the history of this land from an Indigenous perspective. The students were asked to leave so that an installation of the Champlain monument could take place by the City of Orillia. The educational event which had a permit to run the program was disrupted. Once it became clear what was being re-installed it immediately sparked an outcry by many people in Orillia and the surrounding communities and especially Indigenous communities that have long taken offense to the patriarchal and colonial figure towering over the Indigenous people below in a patronizing manner. 

The mayor was supposed to wait for a democratic process to take place with city council, and rely on the results of a working group as well as the feedback from ongoing consultation with Indigenous communities. The mayor  decided however to unilaterally move the statue back claiming it would be placed there to save money on storage. This explanation doesn't really hold water since the other pieces of the monument are still in storage. The mayor's actions led to an outcry of anger by residents of Orillia, surrounding areas and Indigenous people who deeply hoped this would take place in a way that would be respectful of the Indigenous communities nearby and that would promote dialogue and a deeper understanding of the Indigenous history and perspective of this land. This has so far failed to happen. Racist rhetoric is on an upswing from white settlers claiming that not returning the monument is cancel culture while failing to recognize or understand the history of colonization. Many have been attacked on social media and several have received death threats.

Due to these events, we demand that Parks Canada not accept the land transfer under where the Champlain monument currently exists, thereby preventing the Mayor from exascerbating this crisis and creating anymore harm in the community. The mayor is already quickly pursuing this land transfer likely so that he does not need to go through official city council democratic processes. We also ask that you demand the mayor engage in proper consultation with First Nations in the true spirit and intent of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)  so that no more harm is done.