|
Cold shower for Daishowa Tens of thousands of retailers agree: as a gesture of solidarity with the Lubicon Cree people, they refuse to purchase paper bags made by manufacturing giant Daishowa. Now, the courts agree with them too. >> On Monday, Judge David MacPherson of the Supreme Court of Ontario refused Daishowa's request for a permanent injunction which would have put an end to the boycott of its products. Daishowa argued the boycott was illegal, but MacPherson ruled that boycotts are "a reasonable form of public expression." >> The boycott began in 1991 as a response to Daishowa's clearcutting of forests in a region of Northern Alberta that the Lubicon nation claim as part of their ancestral lands. >> According to Dan Berman of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC), "this is a victory for us and for Canadians. The decision protects the public's right to put pressure on transnational corporations over their business practices." The decision means the ARC and the Friends of the Lubicon can resume organizing the boycott after a three-year hiatus of court battles. Berman says they are giving Daishowa 10 days to state its intentions. Should they choose to appeal the decision, the case will go to the Supreme Court of Canada. >> The Daishowa boycott is unique because the company does not sell to individual consumers. As a maker of bags and newsprint, Daishowa sells only to other companies; it's hard to tell people not to shop at Woolworth's because of the grocery bags. Says Berman: "We have to approach company owners, but approach them as citizens, and convince them to participate." >> Currently, 40 companies representing 43,000 retailers refuse to purchase from Daishowa. --Philip Preville
|