To commemorate Canada's birthday on July 1st, 2006, the newly formed Indigenous Resistance Organizing Committee (IROC) held an Anti-Canada Day Rally and Community Feast. Around 300-350 people came to Oppenheimer Park to hear speeches, singing and drumming, and were served "traditional foods such as salmon and deer." When this was finished around 150 demonstrators gathered to march to Canada Place where Canadians were officially celebrating being Canadian.

Along the route, slogans were painted, and an officer doing video surveillance was paint-bombed as well. The message of the rally was that "Canada has nothing to celebrate in regards to the ongoing opression of Indigenous Peoples."

When the marchers arrived outside of Canada Place, a line of nearly 30 to 40 police officers greeted them. The celebrating Canadians stood "perplexed and curious," some even applauding the protesters; and a Native family attending the Canada Day festivities decided to cross the line and join the demonstration.

The goal of IROC was to "celebrate our continued survival as Indigenous Peoples, to show our opposition to official Canada Day celebrations, and to mobalize our people into the resistance movement."

Many thanks are given to those who attended, helped, donated, and supported in this community effort.

IROCommittee(at)gmail.com Tel: 604-682-3269 ext.7424

Anti-Canada Day street march and action
Vancouver, July 1, 2006

Indigenous Resistance