Native leaders snubbed at Meech Lake

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The leaders of the four national Aboriginal peoples organizations are angry that they have been totally ignored at the constitutional talks held at Meech Lake recently.

"It is incredible that Brian Mulroney and the premiers can contemplate such major amendments to Canada's Constitution without us, especially when most of the agenda items affect us," said Georges Erasmus, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the group representing the First Nations in Canada.

The Aboriginal leaders met in Ottawa for the first time since the March 26-27, 1987, First Ministers Conference on Aboriginal Rights, which failed to achieve an amendment on Aboriginal self-government.

"Senate Reform, federal proposals on a new amending formula and a variety of other items on various provincial constitutional agendas will affect Aboriginal and Treaty rights," said Smokey Bruyere, president of the Native Council of Canada (NCC), which represents over 1 million non-status and Metis people in Canada.

"We have a responsibility to protect our rights in the Constitution and we must participate at the Meech Lake meeting and other constitutional meetings where necessary," he added.

"We've been talking all along about completing the circle of Confederation by recognizing our inherent right to self-government," said Zebedee Nungak, co-chairman of the Inuit Committee on National Issues, representing the Inuit in Canada. "Instead of completing the circle, they are closing the circle amongst themselves."

"The Aboriginal leaders ended last month's constitutional conference with unprecedented unity amongst us on a common constitutional amendment," said Yvon Dumont, representing Metis National Council (MNC), which represents Metis people on the prairies. "That unity appears to be solidifying," he added.

The Aboriginal leaders sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney recently insisting that they participate at the Meech Lake meeting on April 30 at the table as participants on most of the agenda items. The leaders also pointed out that Section 35.1 of the Constitution requires that the Aboriginal people be invited to FMC's on the Constitution when items affect them. Most of the Aboriginal leaders are in Iqaluit during the week of April 27 at the meeting of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada.

In addition to having a role in all FMC's on comprehensive constitutional change agenda items, the leaders called for an ongoing process to deal with unfinished business on Aboriginal and Treaty rights items.