NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Thur, Oct. 20, 2016
MUNFA AGM Votes in Solidarity with #MakeMuskratRight Campaign
Members of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA) have voted overwhelmingly to support a motion in solidarity with the communities and aboriginal peoples in Labrador who are campaigning to #MakeMuskratRight.
At MUNFA’s October 19 Annual General Meeting, a motion was introduced from the floor, asking that MUNFA state publicly that:
At this critical moment in our province’s history, and in keeping with the principle of respectful nation-to-nation relationships, MUNFA stands in solidarity with Labrador’s communities and Aboriginal peoples by offering our support for the Nunatsiavut Government’s #MakeMuskratRight Campaign. As such, we support its appeal that government:
• Remove the wood, brush, vegetation, and topsoil in and around the Muskrat Falls reservoir before flooding;
• Institute robust environmental and health protection monitoring and management in partnership with the Aboriginal peoples of Labrador and with the support of an independent Expert Advisory Committee.
The proposers of the motion framed it in terms of faculty members’ duty to uphold Memorial University’s “special obligation to the people of this province,” as stated in the University’s vision statement.
During the debate, MUNFA members spoke on a range of issues. These included specific concerns for the physical and mental health of those affected by the Muskrat Falls project and support for the human and cultural rights of the aboriginal peoples of Labrador, particularly against the backdrop of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
In endorsing this motion, MUNFA has joined the growing list of organizations to have expressed solidarity with the #MakeMuskratRight campaign. Among others, these include the Memorial University Students Union (MUNSU), the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), and Amnesty International.
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For further information, please contact:
MUNFA 709.864.8642 (office) or munfa@mun.ca
Articles related to this media release:
MUN Faculty Association Joins Growing List of Organizations Against Muskrat Falls Flooding
