Speaking truth to power – SCHRM hosts meeting in University-Rosedale
Members of Toronto’s Honduran community with speakers Karen Spring and Yurissa Varela, front, second and third from left, and Tyler Shipley and Yves Engler, back row. -AWARE Simcoe photo
AWARE News Network
The Simcoe County Honduras Rights Monitor hosted a meeting in Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s riding last week. County residents mingled with Honduran activists and Toronto voters at the St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Church on September 18 2019.
Speakers were Karen Spring, originally from Simcoe County, a human rights defender whose husband Edwin Espinal was recently released pending trial after 19 months in jail under horrific conditions; Yurissa Varela, Honduro-Canada Solidarity Community member; Yves Engler, Montreal-based author and activist and Tyler Shipley, author and York University professor.
Karen’s mother Janet chaired the meeting and provided an account of her family’s lack of success in obtaining assistance from Freeland and her department. “We received really no respect,” she said, noting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Freeland met with the families of political prisoners from other countries, like Venezuela, but would not even respond to emails with regard to the case of Espinal, a political prisoner and the spouse of a Canadian citizen.
Varela talked about her work with Honduran refugees and the tragic circumstances that drive people to leave their land and migrate to other countries.
Mohawk elder Danny Beaton opened and closed the meeting with a unity song.
Engler focused on the hypocrisy of Freeland’s foreign policy and traced back for over a century the history of Canada’s present support for oligarchs and criminals in Central and South America – all on behalf of economic interests.
Shipley expanded on the theme. Canada is founded on two principles – capitalism and the dispossession of indigenous peoples, he said. And that struggle over land continues today with Canada throwing its support behind mining and tourism companies in Latin America.
Speakers at the University-Rosedale meeting on Honduras, with chair Janet Spring at right.
Speakers and members of the audience called for targeting of the Canadian companies involved, and for efforts to ensure that Freeland is not re-elected. Freeland has been dogged by protesters at recent meetings – Town hall cut short – Warmonger disrupted.
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