Basic rights infringed by denying services

Page 5

Dear Editor:

Re: Lubicon Cree-Windspeaker October 2005

Once again, the Lubicon Cree are moving into the spotlight, or at least the leaders are. A Lubicon delegation will be going to Geneva to witness the United Nations Human Rights Committee question Canada on its unethical tactics of negotiation.

The government has to come to the table in good faith since the land of the Lubicon is continually being compromised by logging and large-scale oil and gas extraction. I truly hope that this initiative will provide a conduit towards a long-awaited Lubicon land settlement. Too many Elders have died without realizing their dreams of re-affirming the title of their homeland and benefiting from the vast resources.

In a country as rich as Canada, Little Buffalo, Alta., the home of the Lubicon Cree, is still without the basic amenities that other Canadians take for granted, like indoor plumbing and services for the elderly. Some of the Elders that we cherish and respect greatly are without services such as medical transportation, heating fuel and working furnaces. Services the Lubicon Crees can provide.

If all Lubicon supporters such as the Friends of the Lubicon and others in the Canadian mainstream truly support Lubicon membership, they too would not ignore some of the basic human rights infringements in Little Buffalo. Please do not think or say, 'Oh, those are just the dissidents. They deserve what they get.' I often hear other Canadians criticize the government in an effort to make conditions better, but they are not treated poorly or told they do not belong to Canada. I applaud the Lubicon leadership in challenging the tactics of the Canadian government in how they treat Aboriginal people. Let's work together.

Billy Joe Laboucan