On June 21, the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC), the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative (CEJI), and community activists from across Canada came together at the Supreme Court of Canada to symbolically reverse the process of dispossessing Aboriginal peoples from the land. In a twist on the "blanket exercise" that dramatizes the forced separation of Aboriginal peoples from their home, we rolled out blankets from across Canada, symbolizing our commitment to restoring right relations with Aboriginal peoples, and joining in the Jubilee call for a truly independent commission to implement Aboriginal land, treaty, and inherent rights.

In the spirit of earlier aboriginal trains and caravans that brought this same message to communities across Canada, it was decided by both the Aboriginal Rights Coalition and the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative that a Blanket Train to Ottawa would help highlight the petition in our communities. Trains converged from the West, the East, the North, and from Southern Ontario, and we carried the blankets that symbolize the land we once shared, stopping along the way to pick up bundles of blankets from individuals and communities on or within travelling distance of the train route. 

» Go here to see Reflections on the Blanket Train including more photos 

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» Go here to see Reflections on the Blanket Train including more photos 

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