Just the beginning

Page 6

With all the "hot spots" across the country this summer, even the most casual observer should get the point that Indigenous people in this country have had enough.

It may begin in Burnt Church, but it certainly doesn't end there.

From band office occupations designed to put some muscle behind demands by grassroots people for changes in the way band governments are run to the conflicts involving the leaders of those band governments with provincial and/or federal governments, there are so many situations it's hard to keep track.

The most common theme is protection of land and demands for a share of resources. First people battle with companies that have been licensed by provincial or federal authorities to harvest fish, timber or other resources from land under claim or land subject to Aboriginal title.

Native leaders have also been getting involved in the mainstream political process in varying ways to get their point of view on the record.

In British Columbia, where most of the land is not covered by treaty and is open to assertions it remains under Aboriginal title, Chief Arthur Manuel, chairman of the Shuswap Tribal Council and the Interior Alliance, has challenged Stockwell Day to a debate on the Canadian Alliance's Aboriginal Affairs policy.

Day is running in a Sept. 11 byelection in the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding (which includes the city of Penticton). Recently elected leader of the former Reform Party, Day needs to earn a seat in the House of Commons in order to properly lead his party.

"The entire Okanagan-Coquihalla federal riding is subject to the Aboriginal title of the Aboriginal nations that are located here," said Manuel. "We are issuing a direct challenge to Stockwell Day to come and publicly debate the Canadian Alliance's Aboriginal Affairs policy. In our view, the biggest political, legal and economic issue facing the future in this region is whether Aboriginal title, rights and interests will be recognized and accommodated. Obviously, Stockwell Day has aspirations to become prime minister, so for the First Nations in the Okanagan-Coquihalla and across Canada we want him to explain why the Canadian Alliance is prepared to breach the Constitution and Supreme Court of Canada rulings, such as the landmark Delgamuukw decision. We are giving him until Sept. 5 to respond to our challenge."

Leaders all over B.C. say they are fed up with negotiating modern day treaties dealing with their traditional homelands and watching logging trucks removing valuable timber from that land while the negotiations are in progress. Blockades are cropping up with regularity in the province.

Takla Lake First Nation has blocked a road to stop Canfor from logging in their territory, leaving dozens of trucks stranded in the northeastern town of Fort St. James. The blockade has brought messages of support from neighboring bands and tribal councils. A B.C. Rail line has also been blocked.

"We have a proprietary interest in every tree that leaves our land," said Chief Lana Teegee. "We have never given up our proprietary interest on B.C. Rail's right of way."

All over the province band councils are thinking of abandoning the treaty process. In one case, a band made deals directly with the resource companies. The Hartley Bay band, near Prince Rupert, signed two such deals even as it continues to negotiate with provincial and federal officials.

In the north, Native leaders addressed the Wildlife Ministers' Council of Canada meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut on Aug 15. Congress of Aboriginal Peoples president Dwight Dorey gave the ministers an earful, saying Indigenous peoples will become endangered species if Bill C-33 becomes law.

"Bill C-33 is supposed to address issues and concerns with respect to endangered species," he said. "As this bill is currently written, that could include the Aboriginal peoples of Canada."

He suggested that the people who will be most affected by the bill have not been consulted by the government, common complaint from Aboriginal leaders, and introduced 34 amendments the government committee should consider. This could become a major issue, especially in the north, if Dorey's advice isn't heeded.

Meanwhile, in Manitoba, Leonard Daniels was threatening to start a hunger strike until Manitoba Hydro and Indian Affairs take action to address the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation's (near Pukatawagan) many concerns. Daniels, a leader of the Ossitoskakiwak Warrior Society said that, in addition to the housing shortages and other problems that commonly plague First Nations, there was a thermal oil spill from an electrical power plant that has contaminated more than 1,000 cubic metres of band land.

In Ontario, the Union of Ontario Indians is ready to do what it takes to stop a plan to ship Toronto's garbage north. Forty-three First Nations in northeastern Ontario have condemned the plan to use an obsolete mine near Kirkland Lake as a mega-dump.

"Dumping on Mother Earth is not our way," said Grand Council Chief Vernon Roote.

The chiefs don't buy Premier Mike Harris' assurances that the project is environmentally safe.

In Quebec, logging in the LaVerendrye Wildlife Reserve that is located on unceded Algonquin territory has resulted in a standoff north of Maniwaki. Provincial police, loggers and Native protesters have been eyeing each other warily across the barricades for a couple of weeks.

National chief Matthew Coon Come's strong support for the direct action on the waters of Miramichi Bay could encourage other groups to begin direct action to get their particular situation dealt with.