Lubicon, Siddon stuck at stalemate

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Negotiations to settle the 50-year-old Lubicon land claim remained deadlocked following yet another attempt to kick-start stalled talks.

In their first meeting since the Lubicon rejected Ottawa's last offer, Indian Affairs Minister Tom Siddon and chief Bernard Ominayak could only agree to further meetings.

Band membership remains one of the key sticking points in negotiations, which have revealed few bright spots since 1988 when federal and community negotiators agreed to the size of a future reserve.

"I don't think we are very far apart," Siddon said, as he emerged from several hours of closed-door meetings with various Lubicon representatives in an Edmonton hotel. "(But) we can't build a community with empty houses or vacant classrooms."

The Lubicon say they have 500 legitimate members who should be counted in estimating their value of a final settlement. In their latest offer, federal negotiators suggest the number is closer to 250 because some Lubicon are on other band lists or have joined new communities like the Woodland Cree.

Ottawa's latest settlement offer is worth more than $50 million if it accepts the Lubicon membership estimates. But the final value could be much less if based on lower membership estimates.

Siddon hinted that the new constitutional accord on self-government might provide new avenues for settling the membership dispute. He said Ottawa will increasingly have to move away from the "constraints" to the Indian Act, which sets out federal policy on determining band membership.

"Basically we are at an impasse on the membership issue," he said. "Our position is still that the Lubicon will determine who the Lubicon people are."

Siddon also met with a group of women from Little Buffalo who have written letters to several newspapers supporting Ominayak's tough stand in the talks. The women have publicly accused Siddon of "playing games" with public opinion and backing off earlier agreements on issues like band membership.

Siddon met with the women in response to their demand for a meeting. But little progress was made in bringing the two sides closer together after more than an hour of private talks.

"I don't think he understands anything about what we are trying to do. Otherwise, he'd be more reasonable," said spokeswoman Marrie Auger, who attended the meeting with two of her four children.

While Siddon said he is "personally concerned" about impoverished conditions at Little Buffalo, the women accused him of "talking in circles" and said he lost his temper when faced with repeated questions.