New group will give Indians a legal voice

Page 3

The Alberta Indian Law Foundation will give Alberta Indians a legal voice ? something they don't have now, says Edmonton lawyer Bob Reiter.

"In other provinces they have law centres for Natives or legal studies for Native (but) Alberta has nothing," he said.

The foundation was incorporated three weeks ago and is seeking support from Alberta Indian bands.

Rallying support for the fledgling organization was one of the broader purposes of a recent conference held in Edmonton on Taxation and Indian Economic issues.

A banquet was held on the first night of the conference to explain and promote the activities of the foundation.

The foundation will conduct legal research into issues of current importance to Alberta Indians. It will also help to educate the Indian public about legal issues by setting up an Indian Law Library and sponsoring conferences and workshops.

An Alberta Indian Law Resource Centre will be established by the foundation within a year.

The president of the Indian Association of Alberta (IAA) Gregg Smith says the foundation is a non-profit society and is non-political.

In a key note address to the banquet he emphasized the importance of the organization remaining non-political.

"We hope the support is there to structure an Indian Law Foundation that will be able to research and do work without any political influences. I don't think it can operate if we let it become a political organization. I feel very strongly about that," said Smith.

Bob Reiter says people who work for the law foundation will not be allowed to work for Indian bands or any government agency dealing with Indians.

"We want it to be strictly an unbiased resource centre," he said.

Smith says there are many ways tin which the law foundation would benefit Alberta Indians. The cited instances of Indian bands and individuals who have hired lawyers to do work that has "already been done."

A law foundation would preclude the need to keep "re-inventing the wheel," stated Smith adding that the foundation would also be helpful to young Natives entering the law field.

"We have to start utilizing and encouraging our students," he said, "And through a law foundation I think that can be done."

In his closing remarks Smith told the banquet, "Let's start it (law foundation) off small. Let's test it out in what it can do in an initial year and have people contribute towards it."

The law foundation will seek funding from benevolent and charitable organizations as well as both the provincial and federal governments.

Alberta Indian leaders attending the conference and banquet were asked to make donations of $2.50 per capita towards the foundation.