February 20th is the World Day of Social Justice, a day established in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly. For us at RAVEN, this isn’t just a day we mark once a year – social justice is a practice we work to embody Every. Single. Day. We are dedicated to dismantling systems that don’t serve everyone — that exclude, devalue, and harm those for whom the system wasn’t made. This year’s theme is “Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice.” But before we discuss how we’re bridging gaps, it’s important to remember that many gaps of injustice are intentional.
One of the impacts of ongoing colonialism in Canada is the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples from decision-making processes and policies about their own land, which in turn impacts their health, well-being, safety, autonomy, and cultural identity. This intentional process of colonialism aims to keep Indigenous Peoples separated from their culture and community, which was and is experienced through incarceration, Residential and Day “Schools,” and the child welfare system. Intentional separation and exclusion have caused systemic discrimination toward Indigenous Peoples, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit individuals, and the continued and unchecked exploitation and extraction of resources from Indigenous territories.
When Indigenous Peoples pursue justice through the courts, they are faced with even more systematically upheld barriers to and within the legal system. These gaps include a lack of access to proper legal representation due to the deliberate destabilization of Indigenous economies and wealth, making lawyers financially inaccessible, and the exclusion, ignorance, and denial of Indigenous legal systems, customs, and traditions in the legal system, which makes appearing at court or partaking in legal processes challenging and isolating.
RAVEN aims to fill systemic gaps by supporting Indigenous-led litigation that pushes back against colonial legal systems with the hope of restoring decision-making for the land to the communities who live on them. Let’s take a closer look at some RAVEN-supported campaigns and how our partnerships are addressing gaps in social justice movements.
Gitxaała Nation: Protecting Lakes, Rivers, and Ocean Water
In 2023, Gitxaała Nation took B.C. to court after discovering the pollution of Lax K’naga Sts’ool (Banks Island) by the Yellow Giant gold mine in 2015. By the time of the discovery, the mining company was bankrupt and had abandoned the site, leaving Gitxaała to clean up the mess that contaminated lakes, rivers, and the surrounding ocean water of the island. At the core of this issue is how B.C. grants mineral staking claims to extractive companies without the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. The ongoing legacy of environmental racism that the Canadian government has done little to mitigate is also an ongoing core issue. A legacy that allows corporations to pollute lands and waters, and then abandon the mess for Indigenous communities to deal with.
After a partially favourable decision in September 2023 that resulted in a halt to existing mining activities for five years on Gitxaała’s territory and to new claims in parts of Gitxaała’s territory for three years. Gitxaała appealed the part of the decision about B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Gitxaała went to the Court of Appeal in January 2025 to hold B.C. accountable to its own DRIPA.
RAVEN and the incredible community of supporters continue to show up in solidarity with Gitxaała’s litigation efforts through fundraising to cover legal fees. Additionally, through our Community Action Fund, we provided funding and support for Gitxaała Hereditary Chiefs, elected leadership, and community members to attend the hearing as the act of bearing witness is a vital part of Gitxaała’s cultural and legal traditions.
Kebaowek First Nation: Saying No to Nuclear Waste
In July 2024, Kebaowek First Nation went to the Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario to halt the construction of a nuclear waste disposal facility along the sacred Kichi Sibi (Ottawa River). It was proposed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), despite the displacement of culturally significant species, destruction of 37 hectares of old-growth forest, and the risk of drinking water contamination to millions of people downstream. Kebaowek is seeking the implementation of article 29.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into Canadian law as outlined by the federal government passed Bill C-15 in 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA 2021).
RAVEN has been supporting Kebaowek’s litigation efforts through fundraising to cover legal fees and, on the day of the court case, RAVEN hosted a rally to boost the visibility of the case in the media and show the court and the government that the public stands with and supports Indigenous rights. The world is paying attention and now more than ever the ripple effects of implementing UNDRIP in Canada will be felt internationally, adding to a growing global movement for social justice and human rights.
How RAVEN’s Work Bridges the Gaps
The gaps in the Canadian legal system are there for a reason – to disenfranchise Indigenous Peoples by enforcing laws that sever ties they have to their land while keeping extractive industries from needing to get the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. These gaps allow the government to avoid accountability for the promises they have made to Indigenous Peoples around reconciliation and to every single one of us around climate change. Instead of respecting Indigenous Peoples’ inherent right to the land, the government and, by extension, extractive companies, choose to ignore and minimize the requirement of consultation, reinforcing the colonial structures that continue to harm the land and the people who have been in reciprocal relations with all relations since time immemorial.
We don’t pretend that RAVEN is the solution to the larger structures and systems of colonialism, but every case supported and every Nation that pursues justice is part of a larger movement that believes collective power can transform the future to hold a world where Indigenous Peoples’ rights and title are respected, upheld, and celebrated!
Today on the World Day of Social Justice and every day we are working toward that future. Want to be a part of transforming the future? Get involved with RAVEN and help us bridge the gaps in social justice by starting your own fundraiser, hosting an event, or making a donation to support Indigenous-led litigation.
