Horsman's remarks damned

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CALGARY - Recent statements by Alberta's intergovernmental affairs minister, Jim Horsman, that the entrenchment of Native self-government in the Constitution "would have an extremely destructive effect on Canada" has drawn sharp criticism from Native leaders.

A February 27 press conference at the University of Calgary addressed Horsman's comments, with rebuttals coming from Harold Cardinal, representing the Prairie Treaty Nations Alliance (PTNA); Sam Sinclair of the Metis Association of Alberta (MAA) and the Metis National Council; Dorothy Wabasca, vice-president of the Native Council of Canada (NCC), and Arnold Goodleaf from the Assembly of First Nations.

One item which has been disturbing to native leaders has been the issue of trilateral agreements, particularly from the viewpoint of Treaty Indians. Cardinal charges that "provincial governments have no role and no right to intrude into the Treaty self-government discussions of our people." The basis for his argument is the fact that the Treaties were bilateral arrangements between Indians and the federal government. Now that the province has entered the area in the constitutional talk, provincial politicians speak their minds. One who did so was Horsman.

Natives are highly concerned with the entrenchment and security of Aboriginal rights, said AFN spokesman Arnold Goodleaf. The mandate of the AFN, he said, is: (1) "to protect what we have now in the constitution so...govenrment...cannot take away what we already have now," and (2) "to enhance what we have now."

The AFN, explained Goodleaf, is participating at the conference table for fear that arbitrary decisions by the government might be effected if Native representation is absent. As for those Natives who boycott the talks, he said "we have to respect each First Nation's (Indian Band's) rights to take the approach they feel is appropriate for themselves."

Goodleaf said that statements from Horsman are "probably evidence of the kind of attitudes we're running into at the tables," and government would likely "go ahead and amend the Constitution without our participation and, probably to the detriment of our situation."

The NCC purports to be in a "different situation" in that its membership, which includes all Natives, has been divided by federal legislation. Wabasca took exception to Horsman's comments that the entrenchment of Native rights and self-government "would fling the vast areas of Canada into purgatory." She challenged Horsman to live under the same conditions as Natives: "It's worse than purgatory and all we are asking is for us to have the chance, the opportunity, to become part of Canada."

MAA President Sam Sinclair also criticized Horsman and charged the province with "trying to weaken our position when we're only about a month away from dealing with the biggest issue of the country in our times." He commended all Native groups for "pulling together" moreso this year than ever before.

Recognition of the Metis people in the Constitution, said Sinclair, is no different than that espoused by Louis Riel 100 years ago. That position may be even tougher now, he contends, "because there's more of the redneck attitude about government." He further criticized the province, which he maintains preaches to the rest of Canada about how well it takes are of Alberta's Metis on the settlements, but neglected the "50,000 or more of us that are landless."

Cardinal professed that, because "Horsman and the Alberta government generally refuses to acknowledge that self-government is already an inherent right under the section 35, does not mean that we don't have the right." To strengthen his line of argument, he referred to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision on self-government with respect to the Musqueam Indian Band which recognized the right of Indian sovereignty.

If government tries to back off from entrenching Aboriginal rights to self-government "we won't sit still," said Cardinal. "If they don't d that, they're going to be in court," if that's what it takes to "have our rights recognized, defined and implemented," he concluded.