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E. Hunter Harrison, President and CEO
CN Railway
935 De La Gauchetiere Street West
16th floor Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2M9
March 31, 2009
Mr. Harrison,
I am writing to encourage you to drop CN’s lawsuits against three activists, Shawn Brant, Jason Maracle and Tara Green, of the Tyendinaga First Nation.
In April and in June of 2007, some of the Tyendinaga Mohawks blockaded a CN rail line between Toronto and Montreal in protest against the injustices suffered by their First Nation. Specific issues included their impoverishment and the lack of action with respect to the pollution of their water so that it is not fit to drink or even to bathe in and with respect to the return of lands that were unlawfully taken from them. Shawn Brant has spent months in jail as a result of his participation in those blockades.
It is my opinion that CN (and the previous railroad companies that became part of CN) played a significant role in creating the impoverishment of First Nations people, and that CN continues to unjustly profit from its so called “rights of way” through First nations territories. I feel that it is completely inappropriate for CN to pursue these lawsuits in these circumstances.
Your website claims that “CN seeks to promote a harmonious working relationship with the many Aboriginal communities along its rights-of-way across Canada… through a climate of mutual trust and understanding”.
Your continuation of these lawsuits is not an act of mutual trust.
I understand that lawyers representing CN will be arguing in a Toronto court on April 7, 2009 that much of the statements of defence and counterclaims of the Defendants should be struck out. I urge you to reconsider and to instruct your lawyers to simply drop the lawsuits.
Sincerely,
_____________________________________________________________________
Fax to:
514-399-5985
Email:
Robert Noorigan (Vice-President) or Janet Drysdale (Investor Relations) from the link: http://www.cn.ca/en/investors-shareholder-contacts.htm
Mail to:
E. Hunter Harrison, President and CEO
CN Railway
935 De La Gauchetiere Street West
16th floor Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2M9
Call in at:
514-399-6450
(you will reach the office of Bryan Tucker, the Senior Manager of Public Affairs and Media Relations)
514-708-6450
(Bryan Tucker’s cell phone)
