First Nation youth from northern Ontario protested a major meeting between hundreds of Chiefs and Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa on Thursday July 17. The federal government had set up the meeting with the Chiefs in a tightly controlled event that was held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. Jeronimo Kataquapit, an Attawapiskat First Nation youth leader led a group of 20 other young First Nation protesters to the entrance of the meeting and were turned away by security. Media had also been blocked from the event.

“When people come into your home, you don't stand by and watch them do whatever they want. You protect it,” said Kataquapit speaking to reporters outside the meeting.

The meeting only included an invited list of leaders and participants to take part. At mid day, the group of northern youth attempted to join the meeting when they marched to the building’s main entrance and were met by RCMP officers who denied them entry.

Speaking at a rally later in the day, youth representatives voiced their displeasure of these government bills.

“These current bills are a continuation of the doctrine of discovery, a document that does not consider us human. That is what these bills are. As a treaty rights holder, as someone with inherit rights I reject Bill C5 and Bill 5”, said Cedar Aisipi, Attawapiskat FN.

She was joined by several youth leaders at the rally.

“We all understand we can’t be silent, silence has never gotten us anything as First Nation people. So we will take the stand and fight for the land and fight for our rights and our way and we'll make ourselves heard,” commented Cohen Chisel, Lac Seul FN.

Despite the challenge of high wind and some rain, the protesters held their rally against the elements to speak to supporters.

“It isn't right for us to be legislated away and that is not something that is going to happen again in my lifetime because I come from a long line of assimilation the same as many people that are standing here today,” said Ramon Kataquapit, Attawapiskat FN.

Their youth group was mainly comprised of young representatives from throughout northern Ontario, along with supporters from the rest of the province. The group’s main leadership include Jeronimo Kataquapit, Attawapiskat FN; Ramon Kataquapit, Attawapiskat FN; Cohen Chisel, Lac Seul FN and Cedar Aisipi, Attawapiskat FN. Ramon Kataquapit and Chisel lead Okinawak, an Ontario wide First Nation youth led movement that have held major rallies against the provincial Bill 5 in Toronto this summer.

During the day’s events, youth organizers and their allies held rallies to march to the Chiefs meeting and a protest event on Parliament Hill where several presenters spoke to supporters. Speakers included Elder and Traditional Teacher Conrad Iahtail, Attawapiskat FN; Shem Mattinas, Attawapiskat FN; Keisha Paulmartin, Attawapiskat FN; Isaiah Moore, Moose Cree FN; Courtney Paulmartin, Attawapiskat FN and youth representatives from Neskantaga FN. The youth protesters represented several youth led movements including Youth Rising Together, Urban Youth of Timmins, Mushkegowuk Youth Council and Assembly of 7 Generations.

Their protest is part of a larger movement of youth that now include Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok, a protest group of young First Nation walkers who are journeying by foot from Timmins to Toronto’s Queens Park to protest Bill 5 and Bill C5. The group includes First Nation youth Tristan Ashishkeesh, Sage Iahtail, Craig Koostachin, Naomi Fletcher and Konstantinov Wesley.

Jeronimo Kataquapit was in the city to attend the meetings after leaving his wilderness protest but plans to return to their remote location in the north by the end of the week. He has been leading a wilderness protest on the Attawapiskat River with his family for the past 30 days with his brother Jonathan and their parents James Kataquapit and Monique Edwards. Kataquapit initiated this protest against Ontario’s Bill 5 and Canada’s Bill C-5 as a way to help his community and members show to government and developers that their people still actively occupy, live on and use the land. They’ve travelled 400 kilometers on the Attawapiskat River to set up a permanent camp on the the site of river crossings where potential future work may take place as part of the Ring of Fire mining development in this region. They are now working in cooperation with Neskantaga FN which is located 100km west of their camp.