Around 20 students gathered in the lower courtyard of St. Thomas University campus, some holding signs and some draped in the flag of Labrador, in support of the protests against flooding the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam reservoir without the consent of all Indigenous peoples of Labrador.
“[This rally] is to let them know that they’re not alone in the protests and that we’re standing in solidarity with them,” said STU student and Labradorian Jessica Lyall. “A lot of people have come up and said ‘why haven’t I heard about this issue before?’ It’s been ongoing for quite some time.”
Lyall said one of the most important requests is for Nalcor, the company responsible for the hydroelectric dam project, to clear all the organic materials from the reservoir area before it’s flooded to minimize methylemercury contamination.
“We want 100 per cent of the affected area cleared, not partial, we want full clear or full stop.”
Lyall said there were a number of protesters that were arrested in Labrador. STU student Blake Sheppard-Pardy’s cousin Marjorie Flowers and her childhood friend Emily Wolfrey were two of those arrested.
She said when her great-aunt Shirley Flowers saw them being arrested, she was brought back to her time in residential school.
“[My great-aunt] taught me the importance of the land and the culture, she taught me to hold on to what I believe in, she is home fighting and I’m standing with her,” said Sheppard-Pardy in a speech.
“Watching the arrests this morning was like something out of a nightmare,” Sheppard-Pardy said, reading the words of her great-aunt. “I felt helpless as I heard crying and screaming ‘you’re hurting me.’ The feeling was so helpless that I almost became a child watching my mother cry as her children were being taken away from the dorm.”
Sheppard-Pardy said she wants her kids and the future generation to be able to grow up and live how she lived.
“I want to be able to fish and hunt and gather like we always have.”
Mark Landry, St. Thomas native studies professor, said the protests have been going on for some time.
“Right now we have three people on a hunger strike, we have somebody on his fifth day of the hunger strike. So there’s a real danger of his health right now. And we have, of course, politicians trying to tell him that this is self-harm and a bad thing,” Landry said.
He said it is important to show support.
“We’re hoping that the [protesters] will continue until they are satisfied with the situation.”
