OTTAWA REPORT

Page 2

William Vander Zalm

Premier of British Columbia

Parliament Buildings

Victoria, B.C.

Dear Bill:

I'm writing about that comment you made a few weeks ago - the one where you said you wanted to live on a reserve and visit with Indian people for a few days.

Right off the bat, I have to give you credit for good intentions. After all, you're a millionaire and you've never been known as being too concerned about the downtrodden or the underdogs of society. But now that you're the premier, I guess you recognize the need for a better public image, at least when it comes to Indians.

Now, just where should you go? You can pick just about any reserve in the province and you will see what Indian life is like. You'll often see 10 and 12 people jammed into a two-room shack that should be condemned. If you stay for any length of time you'll see that many adults have never had a permanent job and have almost no hope of ever getting one. And you may see the wild drinking binges, the kids left alone to sniff gasoline and break windows, maybe even the fights, killings, battered wives and suicides.

I called your office the other day and learned that you've got 45 invitations to choose from. So while you're deciding when and where to go, I'll give you my suggestion.

Look at your map of British Columbia. In the middle of the province, 200 miles northwest of Prince George, you'll find Ingenika. That would be a good place for you to talk to some Indians and see some of the problems your government has created and the little it's doing to solve them.

A hundred Sekani Indians live at Ingenika. They didn't always live there though. They used to live at a place called Fort Graham. But they were flooded out 23 years

ago by B.C. Hydro, your government's power company. B.C. Hydro built a dam and named it after the premier of the day - W.A.. Bennett. The Indians got next to nothing

in compensation and were moved to a piece of provincial Crown land at Ingenika.

As you very well know, Bill, the matter of their Aboriginal title to their tribal territory, like other land claims in the province, is still a long, long way from being settled. One special problem at Ingenika today is that the new location is not a reserve,

so Ottawa wont' give the band money for housing, sewers, roads or other improvements. Your government has always said that Indians are a federal responsibility so it's done absolutely nothing for the people there.

If you do decide to visit Ingenika, Bill, I should warn you right off that because of the lack of government aid the living conditions there are a far cry from the Victorian elegance of the Empress Hotel. For starters, all the houses ar small log cabins with just two multi-purpose rooms. There's no running water, so there's no sink, bathtub or toilet - just an outhouse out back. There's no electricity - that means kerosene lamps, no television, no refrigerator, no electric or gas stove, no kitchen or household appliances. There's no central heating - just a wood-burning stove that's used for heating and cooking.

Of course, it would be a lot easier to haul water now than in January. That reminds me of your wish to make your visit before the weather gets bad.

Just what do you men by that Bill? Are you saying that you just want to be a fair-weather friend"

If so, I've got news for you. Except for maybe the Seminoles in Florida, being an Indian means having some sharp memories of life in the cold. In places like Ingenika it means waking up with snow on your blanket and ice in the washbasin. It means chopping wood for warmth and chopping ice for water. And it means you don't take your time on a mid-winter trip to the outhouse.

If you visit Ingenika, Bill, look around and see if the people there are getting a fair shake from your government. Ask yourself if you would want your wife and children to live in such conditions. While you're at it, ask yourself if the proposals of Indian leader aren't the answer to th problems at Ingenika and elsewhere. Ask yourself if you can justify your government's continuing reluctance to make a just land claims settlement for the Indians at Ingenika and the rest of the province. Lastly, ask yourself if you can go to the First Ministers Conference next year and vote against Native self-government.

Ask yourself those questions, Bill, no matter where you go. The answers, if you're sincere, may change your government's stand at the next constitutional conference. And if living with Indians, even for just a few days, does change your government's attitude, maybe you should persuade the other premiers and the prime minister to do the same thing.

Yours truly,

Owenadeka