Treaty 6 delegation make presentation to United Nations

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A Treaty 6 delegation, headed by Chief Eugene Houle made a presentation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission hearing on Indigenous peoples, on February 27 at Geneva, Switzerland.

A tape of the oral presentation by Chief Houle of Saddle Lake, was recently obtained by Windspeaker.

Chief Houle alleged that Canada violated the human rights of Indian people, in hope that the U.N. Commission will pressure Canada into recognizing and respecting the rights of Indian people in Canada.

Chief Houle said that Canada and other countries have and are denying Indians their rights to self-determination and the right to development.

"The United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Guatemala, countries continue to violate the rights of Indigenous peoples regardless of the ratification or non-ratification of the Human Rights covenant," said Chief Houle.

Canada had signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1966. This covenant reads "All peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."

As an example of a Canadian violation, Houle pointed to the government's treatment of the Lubicon Lake Indian band, who have been waiting acting on their 46 year old land claim.

"Indigenous people have worked for years to have our voice heard by the international community. We were stopped when our work plan was altered, because the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples was cancelled last summer," Chief Houle told the commission hearing.

"Now we understand that the working group will be limited to five working days instead of the requested eight days, due to lack of funds," said Chief Houle.

The Working Group on Indigenous Peoples meet every year, in August to hold conference on allegations of human rights violations.

He told the commission hearing, that the United States who withdrew their nation's financial contribution to the U.N. in recent years, was the cause of the limited funds for the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples, one of the activities under the Human Rights sub-commission.

"The United States of America, who never ratified the Human Rights covenants, the minimum standards of protection of prisoners and other instruments, withdrew its charter base customary contribution to the work of the United Nations. A direct result of cancellation of the work of the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples and the Sub-commission," charged Chief Houle.

"How ironic, the United States became rich from the lands of Indians. Take our lands and withdraw your money," said Chief Houle.

Chief Houle said the U.S. "chose not to ratify the covenant for fear of exposure to international scrutiny for the ill-treatment of indigenous inhabitants of the lands in America."

He also reminded the hearing audience, of the present imprisonment of David So Happy, an Elder of the Yakima Indian Nation and his son in U.S. federal prisons for violating fishing laws in their home territory.

"We remind you, that David So Happy Sr., Elder of the Yakima Indian Nations and his son were sentenced to five years in a United Stated federal prison, for exercising their right to self-determination. A right extended to all people all over the world. But not yet recognized by the United States as applying to indigenous peoples," said Chief Houle.