Look back in anger

Page 4

January 1997

The co-chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples said roadblock politics should disappear if the government moves forward on the recommendations in the commission's report. Georges Erasmus said confrontations likely wouldn't occur once Aboriginal people have their own government and parliament. Though the report, researched during the previous five years at a cost of $58 million, was released at the end of 1996, the federal government has yet to issue a formal response to the findings, or take action on any of the recommendations.

Two white men were sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for the 1995 killing of a Native woman in Regina. The men were originally charged with first degree murder, but were convicted of manslaughter. Native leaders and women's groups were outraged by the sentence.

February 1997

Aboriginal communities across the country took part in a national day of protest to voice their disapproval of proposed Indian Act changes and to condemn the federal government for pushing for the act's modification. The Indian Act Modification Act died in Parliament upon its dissolution in preparation for the federal election. Jane Stewart, the new Minister of Indian Affairs, said she definitely will not be reintroducing the bill.

Sixteen members of Manitoba's Waterhen reserve were committed to stand trial on charges of intimidation and mischief for their roles in last year's standoff at the reserve. Those charged are accused of blockading the lone road into the reserve and intimidating the community to the point where 400 members felt the need to flee. Four weeks of negotiations proved ineffectual and the RCMP were forced to storm the barricade.

The chiefs of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs were not happy with a decision of then Grand Chief Phil Fontaine who chose to hire a gang leader as an advisor to help his program combat Native gangs in Winnipeg. The gang leader was fired from this advisory position after he was charged with drug trafficking. While some of the chiefs called for Fontaine's resignation, a meeting with the 18-member AMC executive resulted in the grand chief retaining his job.

March 1997

A 17-year-old Mi'kmaw girl from Caledonia, N.S. was denied entry to the House of Commons because a Parliament Hill security guard considered the eagle feather she carried a weapon rather than the sacred object it is. In the end, Melissa Labrador accepted apologies from the guard, the Minister of Indian Affairs and the Speaker of the House, but said the incident shouldn't have occurred in the first place. "It's not about apologies. It's about being recognized as who we are and not put in that position. I still want people to know what happened and to make sure it won't happen again," said Labrador.

April 1997

Acting Sgt. Kenneth Deane was convicted of criminal negligence in the fatal shooting death of Native protester Dudley George. George was shot during the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park near Sarnia, Ont. The occupation was held to bring attention to claims that a burial ground was located in the park. Deane's conviction was applauded, but Native leaders called the sentence handed down on July 3 "a joke." Deane was given a conditional sentence of two years less and day to be served in the community. Calls for a public inquiry into the shooting and the involvement of the provincial government have fallen on deaf ears. Provincial Premier Mike Harris and former Solicitor General Robert Runciman have been implicated.

Like father like son - Jim Keegstra's son Larry was accused of spreading hate when, during a workshop in Red Deer, Alta., it is alleged he said that witchcraft in Canada is routed through Native culture, the Roman Catholic church and some prime ministers. He said suicide pacts, multiple personalities and women seeking authority indicate the use of witchcraft is on the rise. The elder Keegstra will be remembered as the former high school teacher and mayo of Eckville, Alta. who was convicted of promoting hatred against Jews for telling his students that Jews plotted for hundreds of years to take over the world, and that the Second World War Holocaust which killed $6 million Jews in Nazi death camps didn't occur.

May 1997

Native people living near the Swan Hills toxic waste treatment plant in northern Alberta were urged by their leadership to throw out wild meat because it may have been contaminated by the plant's toxic chemicals. Dioxin, a chemical known to cause cancer, had been found during tests of meat samples. People living near the plant were also tested for toxic contamination after a series of leaks at the plant. The welfare of pregnant women and breast feeding infants was also a concern. Results of the tests will be available next April.

A verdict was reached in the Gustafsen Lake, B.C. standoff trial. Eighteen people faced charges ranging from mischief to attempted murder for their roles in the month-long dispute which began when they refused to vacate land that they believed was both sacred and unceded Native territory. William Jones Ignace, known during the occupation as Wolverine, was found guilty of willful mischief endangering life by obstructing lawful operations of property; possession of dangerous weapons, firearms and explosives; discharging a firearm at a peace officer; and assaulting a peace officer with a firearm. He was found not guilty on other charges including attempted murder. He was sentenced in July to four-and-a-half years.

June 1997

The Federal Court of Appeal threw out a 1995 judgement that ruled in favor of upholding Bill C-31. Bill C-31 became law in 1985, restoring treaty status to thousands of people. Since that time, the bill has been fought on the grounds that bands, not the federal government, should establish band membership. The late Chief Walter Twinn of the oil rich Sawridge First Nation led the charge to get the judgement thrown out. The court ruled that the judge's rling in the 1995 decision as suspect and biased.

The Province of Newfoundland celebrated the 500th anniversary of the arrival of John Cabot to North America. Innu Nation President Katie Rich called for demonstrations, saying there is nothing to celebrate because Aboriginal people inhabited Newfoundland for thousands of year before Cabot. The Native people's lives changed dramatically with the arrival of the Europeans, including the lives of the Beothuk people, who were killed by "white" diseases or hunted to extinction by Europeans and their Indian allies.

September 1997

A Reform Party representative said Aboriginal people will never be treated equally in Canada until they assimilate. Gree Tsang of Saskatoon believes Aboriginals should become part of the social mainstream instead of looking to the past and claiming special status. Tsang heads Reform's effort to reach out to ethnic communities.

November 1997

Former Supreme Court of Canada Judge Bertha Wilson said Canada's jails are filled with a disproportionate number of Aboriginal people. She blames this on the indiscriminate application of western-style justice, ignorance of Aboriginal culture and views on justice.

December 1997

Federal support of a provincial government's attempt to limit the scope of the tax-exempt rights of Aboriginal people put the feds in a conflict of interest in breach of its fediciary duty. "It's quite clear that the federal government is setting itself up as an adversary of Aboriginal people in this case. That's a long way from the new minister's vision of partnership and co-operation, said Chris McCormick, a tax issue watchdog.