NO ONE IS ILLEGAL march from Montreal to Ottawa: FINAL ORGANIZING UPDATE : IMC Maritimes

To all friends and allies of non-status migrants in Canada:

Please take the time to READ and ACT on this final organizing update about the week-long, 200km, NO ONE IS ILLEGAL MARCH ON OTTAWA that begins in less than five days (Saturday, June 18)! We rely on your participation and support.

We are marching in solidarity with all non-status persons in Canada, and in support of the main demands of the Solidarity Across Borders network: the regularization of all non-status persons in Canada; an end to the deportation and detention of migrants; and the abolition of security certificates.

This e-mail contains up-to-date information about our march, for people in the Montreal-area, and ALSO for people outside of Montreal who wish to get involved and support the march, in whatever way. Whether you march, or you support us from where you live, your solidarity is appreciated and needed! Read on ...

Info:
514-859-9023 (messages only)
sansfrontieres@resist.ca
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org

[sections below include: The March Begins; Cote-des-Neiges Street Party; If You Are Marching; Shuttles Against Borders; Buses to Ottawa; Bikesheviks; How You Can Help Now!; Pressure the Immigration Minister; Make a Donation; Why We Are Marching?]

::: JUNE 18: THE MARCH BEGINS :::

The No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa begins this SATURDAY, JUNE 18 at NOON. We will be gathering at the corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine (metro Atwater). Even if you can't march the entire route, do attend the first day of the march, to give the marchers an large and enthusiastic send-off from Montreal.

We will march through downtown Montreal, along Ste-Catherine Street. We will go north along St-Laurent and St-Denis, and west along Jean-Talon. We will be marching through Montreal's historic and contemporary immigrant neighborhoods, including Parc Extension and Cote-des-Neiges

If you're from the Montreal-area, JOIN US on June 18, and bring along your friends for our child-friendly march through the streets of Montreal.

::: JUNE 18: COTE-DES-NEIGES STREET PARTY! :::

The first day of the No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa will end, around 6pm, at Kent Park in Cote-des-Neiges for a unique neighborhood street party!

The street party features live outdoor performances by

NOMADIC MASSIVE (Montreal-based hip-hop collective)
&
SYNCOP (le raï, le choui, le reggae, le chaâbi, le raga et l'hip hop; Algeria
meets Quebec!)

[more acts to be confirmed]

ALSO: live theatre, kids programming, graffiti expo, banner-making, community meal. dance performances and more.

To get to Kent Park: March with us from Atwater metro through the streets and hoods of Montreal (see above)! Or, get off at metro Plamondon, exit at Plamondon and walk three blocks east until you reach the park (corner of Chemin de la Cote des Neiges).

INFO: http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org
http://www.nomadicmassive.ca
http://www.syncop.org

::: THE REST OF THE MARCH (June 19-25) :::

After staying the night at a community center in Cote-des-Neiges, the march continues at 9am (sharp) on Sunday, June 19, from Snowdon metro. Again, we encourage all Montreal-area supporters to join our march as we move west, thru Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Lachine and Dorval on the way out to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.

On Monday, June 20, the March will depart at 8am from the Harpell Center in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, and leave the island of Montreal on the way to the ferry at Hudson. We will take the ferry to cross the Lake of Two Mountains, and continue on to meet our allies and friends at Kanehsatake. June 20 is also World Refugee Day.

From Tuesday, June 21 until Thursday, June 24, we will march on the highway along the north shore of the Ottawa river in Quebec. We will be staying in St-Andre on June 21, in Papineauville on June 22, in Thurso on June 23, and in Orleans, Ontario on June 24 (crossing the river at Masson to Cumberland and on to Orleans).

On Saturday, June 25, we will march into Ottawa! We expect to arrive on Parliament Hill at 4pm.

Updated details will be posted on our website.

::: JOIN THE MARCH! :::

We are expecting at least 100 people to be marching the entire route to Ottawa, including a core of people representing directly concerned migrant communities in Montreal. There might be many more. Aside from marchers from Montreal, we have confirmations of marchers joining us from Toronto, Chicago, Edmonton, Vancouver, Quebec City and also Mexico City!!

Our march is inclusive and open to all. There will be vehicles accompanying the march for kids, older folks or anyone else who might need a break. If you have any concerns about marching with us, just get in touch.

You DON'T have to march all week to participate. We are organizing shuttles (read below), and we encourage you to participate when you can.

::: IF YOU ARE MARCHING :::

Try to register in advance, so that we can properly plan for your participation. You can register by visiting http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/feedback

Food and water will be provided during the march, as well as basic overnight housing at schools, churches and community centers (as well as camping).

Be sure to consult our "What to Bring" document if you intend to march (e-mail sansfrontieres@resist.ca for a copy). Also, here's some basic info from our medical and physical training crew:

"Walkers are strongly reminded to wear a hat or other sun protection and comfortable walking shoes. Bring a water bottle, rain-gear, a warm jacket, sun-screen, clean socks and a positive attitude. Comfort = distance!"

::: A PREVIEW OF THE MARCH :::

Dozens of organizers have been working for months in preparation of the March on Ottawa, organizing everything from housing and food, to outreach, to producing a 24-page newspaper. Here's a statement from the art committee, to give you a preview:

"The NO ONE IS ILLEGAL March includes interactive art and theatre elements to convey our opposition to borders, and our solidarity as human beings. The bird is our guiding symbol, as we walk, young and old, with our masks, human figures, our flags, kites and banners. Birds are borderless, and their flight is the ultimate symbol of freedom and hope. Our diversity, healthy craziness and human bonding will complement the anger, sweat and tears of our struggle for dignity and justice, as we march to Ottawa. A big bad puppet will join us, with other puppets and surprises too. This will be a true cultural event in which all the marchers can participate. Art, theatre and culture is a human right for all to enjoy and take part in."

::: SHUTTLES AGAINST BORDERS :::

The first two days of the march (June 18-19) will be in Montreal, and accessible by metro (metro Atwater on June 18 at noon, and metro Snowdon on June 19 at 9am).

There will be shuttles for everybody who is planning to join the march from Montreal between Monday June 20 and Friday June 24.

If you:
- have a car available to shuttle marchers between Montreal and the march,
- don't have a car but can volunteer as a shuttle driver, or
- need a ride between Montreal and the march...

Please let us know as soon as possible! Here's how:

1. download the document at
http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/node/54#attachments
2. answer all the questions
3. email the completed questionnaire to navette-ssf@yahoo.ca

::: BUSES TO OTTAWA (JUNE 25) :::

Buses are also leaving from Montreal to Ottawa on Saturday, June 25 at 9am sharp, to return later that evening. The buses leave from in front of the Hall Building at Concordia University (1455 de Maisonneuve West, near metro Guy-Concordia).

To reserve a space on the bus from Montreal to Ottawa, please phone 514-859-9023 (leave your name and telephone number clearly and slowly) or e-mail sansfrontieres@resist.ca. We are asking for a $10 voluntary to help meet expenses. Children ride free of charge.

There are also buses being organized from Toronto to Ottawa on June 25. For more info, nooneisillegal@riseup.net or check out http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org

::: CALLING ALL BIKESHEVIKS :::

This is a call out to all those who are interested in biking some or all of the March. The role of the bikers will be to arrive at each destination ahead of the march in order to pass out fliers and newspapers to the community. As well, since parts of the route to Ottawa will be along a bike path, there will be days that some of the bikers can provide childcare by biking along with the kids who are participating in the March.

We are currently working out the logistics of how bikers can get on and off the march if they are not coming along for the entire duration. Most likely, vehicles with bike racks will be joining the march each day, and returning to Montreal each evening. If any of you have bike racks or bike trailers to donate to us for the duration of the march, we would appreciate it lots. We are also hoping to host a bike maintenance workshop before the march.

To join or help the Bikesheviks, e-mail: l_pourtavaf@yahoo.com

::: STAYING IN TOUCH WITH THE MARCH :::

There are two ways to stay in touch with march from June 18-25:

1) Consult our website at http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org for updates; 2) Phone the main march phone at 514-848-7583 for info about shuttles,
buses, and how to support or join the march between June 18-25.

Media -- independent, alternative of corporate -- are asked to contact the media cell at 514-568-8283.

::: HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW! (MONTREAL-AREA) :::

There are various aspects of march organizing for which we urgently require your help and mutual aid:

-> If you have a VEHICLE that can be used to shuttle participants to the march from Montreal (from June 21-24 inclusive) e-mail navette-ssf@yahoo.ca

-> The logistics committee is desperately looking for TENTS, SLEEPING BAGS, MATTRESS' and COOLERS. If you have any of these and can lend them to the march please contact Joshua at joshua_parr@hotmail.com or 495-3137, as soon as possible.

-> The FOOD committee is looking for VOLUNTEERS to prepare meals in Montreal daily; meals will be driven out to march participants. Food preparation happens at the People's Potato kitchen at Concordia University. To volunteer, contact Marie-Eve (zobulee@yahoo.ca or 279-9032)

-> Phone Calls: We encourage all supporters of Solidarity Across Borders to phone their acquaintances and friends THIS WEEK, and encourage them to attend the first day of the march in Montreal (June 18 at noon, corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine) as well as the last day in Ottawa (June 25: rally at Parliament Hill at approximately 4pm).

::: PRESSURE THE IMMIGRATION MINISTER :::

One important step you can take NOW is to contact, by phone or fax, federal Immigration Minister Joe Volpe, and tell him you support the No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa, and our main demands. Ask him to meet with our march. You can reach the Immigration Minister in Ottawa at (613) 992-6361 (phone) and (613) 992-9791 (fax). You can also reach him at his riding office in Toronto at (416) 781-5583 (phone) or (416) 781-5586 (fax). Be polite and patient, but also persistent. Make sure your message is heard loud and clear.

::: MAKE A DONATION :::

We still need donations to help us meet the various costs of this march (bus rentals, gas and many other costs). Any donation, $5, $50, $100 or more, is greatly appreciated. We are currently asking for up to 250 people to donate $50 each, which will help us meet a large part of our costs. So far, at least 100 people have donated, but we need a lot more!

If you can contribute to the 250x$50 plan for the Solidarity Across Borders March on Ottawa, write a cheque in the name of "Solidarité sans frontières" with "250x50" in the memo line.

All cheques can be mailed to the following address:
Solidarity Across Borders/No One Is Illegal
c/o QPIRG-Concordia
1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, #204
Montreal, Quebec

::: SUPPORT AND ENDORSEMENTS :::

The organizers of Solidarity Across Borders are gratified by the incredible support shown by grassroots groups and individuals, as well as women's organizations, unions, student groups and autonomous collectives from all over Canada. A full list of supporters and endorsers is available on our website at: http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/endorsements

::: WHY WE ARE MARCHING? :::

[The following is the text of the flyer that will be passed out during our march:]

The No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa is organized by Solidarity Across Borders, a Montreal-area network of self-organized migrants, refugees, and immigrants, and their allies. We are marching, step-by-step, over 200km, from June 18-25, 2005. From the immigrant neighborhoods of Montreal, to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, we refuse to be invisible and silenced.

We are marching through the lands of the Mohawk and Algonquin peoples, and publicly supporting their demands for sovereignty and self-determination.

We are marching to support our main demands: 1) the regularization of all non-status people in Canada; 2) an end to the deportation and detention of migrants; and 3) the abolition of racist security certificates.

We are marching because hundreds of thousands of people live in Canada without status. These people -- our friends, co-workers, schoolmates and neighbours -- make up the social, economic and cultural fabric of cities like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Without status, and deemed "illegal", thousands of migrants are forced to live in poverty, without sufficient access to health care or education, and in great fear of being detained or deported, all the while being the most exploited in the workplace.

We are marching because there is no such thing as an "illegal" human being, only unjust laws and illegitimate governments.

We march on the 10th anniversary of the "Bread and Roses" March against poverty, organized by Quebec women, and the 70th anniversary of the On-to-Ottawa Trek, organized by unemployed workers during the Great Depression; we march in the tradition of those previous efforts for social and economic justice.

Our march is directly inspired by Shamim Akhtar, a Pakistani refugee claimant and active member of Solidarity Across Borders. Shamim first proposed the idea of a refugee march to Ottawa in the summer of 2003. Unfortunately, Shamim and her family (including 4 children) were deported in the summer of 2004.

We march almost one year later with Shamim very much in mind, as well as all our other friends and allies who have been removed, detained, forced underground or forced into sanctuary in the past years: Wendy Maxwell, Sergio Loreto, the Cordoza family, the Daschevi family, Zahoor Hussein, Fahim Kayani, Tilo Johnson, Daniel and Irina Isakov, Mohamed Cherfi, Ahmad Nafaa, Ahmed Abdel Majeed, Faraz Abu Zimal, Ali Naqvi, the Ibad family, the Butt family, the Syed family, Dawood Khan, Eduardo Perez, Gorka Salazar, Mourad and Nadia, the Vega family, the Borja family, the Ayoub family, the Ayele family, Sanya Pecelj, Samsu Mia, Amir Kazemian, Kobra and Hassan, Adrian Dragan, Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah, Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Adil Charkaoui and many, too many, more.

We have written hundreds of letters, collected thousands of signatures and organized dozens of demonstrations. We have successfully fought deportations and detentions, but have also seen our family members and friends permanently removed from our lives.

For every arbitrary detention, for every summary deportation, for every minute spent in jail without charge or trial, for ever anxious and dehumanizing day spent waiting for status -- all the days, months, years that the government has stolen from us -- we will take back minute by minute, with every step, on our march from Montreal to Ottawa. Join us and take back stolen time.

::: STAY IN TOUCH :::

main number: 514-859-9023 (messages only)

march phone number (for updates about the march between June 18-25): 514-848-7583

media cell: 514-568-8283

e-mail: sansfrontieres@resist.ca

web: http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org