On February 24, 2020, shortly after the Ontario Provincial Police arrested Indigenous land defenders in Mohawk territory of Tyendinaga, I spoke to Indigenous lawyer, scholar and activist Pam Palmater.

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On February 24, 2020, shortly after the Ontario Provincial Police arrested Indigenous land defenders in Mohawk territory of Tyendinaga, I spoke to Indigenous lawyer, scholar and activist Pam Palmater.

In the interview, Pam argues that Justin Trudeau's recent demand that the rail blockades be dismantled, which was swiftly followed by the OPP's arrests, was an inappropriate and undue influence on law enforcement.

Pam also argues that Trudeau's press conference on Friday of last week was replete with "propaganda" and that, whatever most Canadians may feel about the actions being taken in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en, "human rights are not a popularity contest."

Our discussion can be watched here:

Authors Website: https://dimitrilascaris.org/

Authors Bio:

[Republished from Dimitri Lascaris blog] Dimitri Lascaris is a lawyer, journalist and activist. After graduating from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1991, Dimitri began his legal career at the Wall Street law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, first working from the firm's New York offices and then joining the firm's offices in Paris, France. While at Sullivan & Cromwell, Dimitri acted for the underwriting syndicate in what was, at the time, the largest initial public offering of common stock in United States history. He also acted for issuers and underwriters in numerous other cross-border securities offerings.

In 2004, Dimitri joined one of Canada's leading class action law firms, Siskinds LLP. While at Siskinds, Dimitri co-founded and led Canada's largest and most accomplished team of securities class action lawyers. From 2004 to 2016, the Siskinds securities class actions team recovered more than $450 million for aggrieved investors. In 2012, Dimitri was named by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada, and in 2013, he was named by Canadian Business Magazine as one of the 50 most influential persons in Canadian business. Canadian Business Magazine described Dimitri as the "fiercest legal advocate for shareholder rights."

In July 2016, Dimitri retired from Siskinds and the practice of law in order to devote himself to activism and journalism. He is now a correspondent and Board member of The Real News Network.

In Canada's 2015 federal election, Dimitri ran for the Green Party of Canada in the riding of London West. Subsequently, he served as Justice Critic on the shadow cabinet of the Green Party. He is currently the Justice Critic in the Shadow Cabinet of the Green Party of Quebec.