Media ignores significant Aboriginal rights victory

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It's surprising that the mainstream media has chosen to ignore George Adams' Supreme Court victory (see page 1), because at no time has Canada's top court ever unanimously declared the permanence of Aboriginal rights.

The oft mentioned Guerin and Sparrow decisions may have described tests for determining Aboriginal rights, but in both cases the court ruled against the Aboriginal participants. In the Adams case, however, Aboriginal people won.

So it is surprising that, while August's Van der Peet decision on Aboriginal fishing rights was worthy of headlines across Canada, there has been hardly a peep about the Adams case. There was a brief mention of it when one of Canada's lawyers tried to describe Mohawks as "immigrants to the colony of Quebec." The fact that this argument was resoundingly trounced by the Supreme Court was never reported.

The implications of the Van der Peet decision were debated on opinion pages from Toronto to Vancouver, as pundits attempted to understand and clarify Canada's obligations to its Aboriginal people. Of course, the gist of the debate was that Aboriginal rights in Canada had been both clarified and narrowed. But the Adams case loudly declares that Aboriginal rights are unanimously recognized by the Supreme Court, and that Canada cannot infringe on those rights.

It is a new day for Aboriginal people across Canada, and yet the mainstream media either have chosen to ignore this story or are unable to comprehend its significance. This information is vital to all of the people of Canada. The Adams decision will affect the relationship Canada has with Metis, Inuit and Indian people, and it should be reported as a story of significance.

Of course, George Adams isn't a million-dollar ball player spitting in an umpire's eye. George Adams is a Mohawk fisherman who stood up for his rights and won. His victory will forever impact Aboriginal relations in Canada.

You heard it hear first, folks.