UNION’S DEMAND BEFORE BI-BI COMMISSION:

‘Justice, equality for Native Indians’

Last week the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union presented a brief to the Bi
Bi Commission which was meeting in Vancouver. The union’s brief, presented by union sec-
retary Homer Stevens, gave extensive coverage to the problems facing Canada’s Native In-
dian people. The PT here presents some excerpts from that brief:

The discrimination and segre-
gation suffered by Negroes inthe
United States has its counterpart
in the discrimination and segre-
gation suffered by Canadian In-
dians, A once proud, happy and
flourishing people have been hu-
miliated, impoverished, isolated
on reservations and subjected to
every form of shameful discrim-
ination,

This is a blot on Canada’s
reputation, It degrades not only
the victims but those responsible
for it, as well as those who allow
it to continue,

(The brief devotes a major
section to opposing the provisions
of Bill C-130, “An Act to Provide
for the Disposition of Indian
Claims,” It charges the bill is
heavily weighted against this
country’s 200,000 Native Indians
and urges the bill be changed to
ensure that the rights of Native
peoples are protected.)

The key question for Native
Indians as for all Canadians, is
remunerative employment in
conditions of equality—employ-
ment enabling a decent standard
of living in accordance with Ca-
nadian standards,

But job and income opportuni-
ties for Native Indians are much
less than for other Canadians,
This is illustrated by the fact that
in 1962 fully 32,3 percent of the
resident Indian population was
in receipt of relief, The figure
for B,C, and Yukon was 16,1
percent,

Even on relief Indians suffer
discrimination, Our information
is that the $22 a month paid to
single Indians on welfare is ap-
proximately one-third the amount
paid to non-Indians,

Native Indians are denied many
types of work simply because
they are Indians, Where they are

» allowed to work, skilled jobs or
supervisory responsibilities are
denied to them, The professions
are practically closed to them,

This discrimination appears to
extend even to the Indian Affairs
Branch of the federal govern-
ment, How else can one explain
the fact that out of a staff of
2,582 in 1962-63, only 25lor less
than 10 percent were Native In-
dians? For B,C, the percentage
is- even less, Out of 1,515 teach-
ers employed by the department,
only 100 are Native Indians,

If anyone should answer that
Indians are not employed because
they are not educated, then let us
remind the Commission that the
Canadian government has had
since 1867 to implement a pro-
gram of education and employ-
ment, Is 97 years not enough?

The problem of employment
and income for Native Indians
involves also their land, fishing
and trapping rights, Indians on
reserves are denied prior rights
to surrounding lands, , . , Indian
housing, more often than not and
especially on the reserves, is
usually slum housing, There are
few slum areas in our rich

cities which are worse thanthose
in which Indians must live....

Educational facilities for Na-
tive Indian youth are inadequate
and obviously do not equip their
young people to go out into the
world on par with other young
Canadians, In 1962, only 3,830
Indian youth were in high school,
Significantly three-quarters of
them were in Grades IX and X,
only 367 in Grade XII and only
30 in Grade XII,

The total of Indian youth in
Canadian universities in 1962-63
was only 57, Of these, 35 were in
their first year, 12 inthe second,
two in their third year, five in
their fourth and three in their
fifth,

That Indians who comprise
close to two percent of our popu-
lation should have only 57 in uni-
versity shows that something is
drastically wrong both with the
education of Indian youth and
their opportunities,

Recreation and cultural facili-
ties on the reserves are very
inadequate; in some places en-
tirely absent,

Native Indians do not enjoy
self-government, as do other Ca-
nadians, The Indian agents have
far too much power and authori-
ty, Only three of B,C,’s 189
Indian bands administer their
revenues,

To cope with these and related
problems we would propose the
following:

® The one and most important
single step that could be taken
to overcome the backwardness,
depression and lack of opportuni-
ty on the reserves would be for
the government to take special
steps, in co-operation with the
Native Indians, to establish in-
dustries on or near the reserves,

Their object should be to pro-
vide steady year-round employ-
ment for all Native Indians, who
desire and need it, This would

create opportunities and a future
for Indian youth, we

® Hand in hand with the estab-
lishment of industries and the
restoration of land and resources
must go education; Obviously,
Special courses are needed to
fill the particular needs of the
many and varied Indian communi-
ties, And the Indians themselves
must have a say in determining
what will be taught to their chil-
dren, It should go without saying
that great efforts should be made
to train Indian youth to be teach-
ers for their own people,

® We feel strongly that more
attention and effort should be
given to writing up the history of
our Native Indians, with the ob-
ject not only of having Canadians
generally, gain a better appre-
ciation and understanding, but
more particularly to help de-
velop among Indians a pride in
themselves and their background,

@ A government subsidized
housing program is desperately
needed on the reserves to clean
up the slums and provide mod-
ern homes with all facilities,
Special funds should be provided
to build recreational and cultural
facilities on the reserves, with
emphasis on an Indian directed
program that will preserve and
develop the rich Indian culture,
with its languages, songs, dances
and special crafts,

© All forms of discrimination
against Indians should be banned,
The various governments can set
the example by hiring Indians,
Open up all trades and occupa-
tions to the Indian peoples,

These are some of the mea-
sures that, in our opinion, need
to be taken to correct an historic
injustice and to restore some of
the self respect lost by past
actions, We appeal to your Com-
mission to make full use of the
opportunity provided byits terms
of reference to help bring justice
and equality to our Indian peoples,

The discrimination and segregation suffered by Negroes in the U.S. has its
counterpart in the treatment of Canadian Indians, charged the United Fishermen
and Allied Workers Union in a brief before the Commission on Bilingualism and
Biculturalism in Vancouver last week.

With only 10 days leftinour
30th Anniversary Financial
Campaign to raise $18,000,
both Greater Vancouver and
the rest of the province are
zeroing in on their targets and
a real battle is shaping up to
determine which two Press
Clubs will win the City and
Provincial Press Shields for
the best work during the cam-
paign, :

Five clubs are in the thick
of things in the province—each
having gone over the top of
its quota, They are: South
Surrey, Trail, Vernon, Na-
naimo and Sointula, To each
of them we say “Congratula-
tions, and keep going!”

In Vancouver, though no
Press Club has as yet reached
its quota, the CityShield could
go to any of the following:
Frank Rogers, Bill Bennett,
North Shore, Vancouver East
or Victory Square,

Which Clubs will win these
Shields during our 30th Anni-
versary year? Only time will
tell, but time is rapidly run-

ning out, ...

Only ten days left
to collect $7,000
in PT Drive —
for finances
Club competition
for Press Shields
sharpening up

Mass petition opposes
further transit cuts

A delegation consisting of
Paddy Neale, representing the
Vancouver and District Labor
Council; Councillor Russell
Hicks, representing Burnaby
Municipal Council; Mrs, Alice
McKenzie of the Central Council
of Ratepayers; John L, Hayward
and Charles Stewart, repre-
senting the ‘Hydro Authority’s
Transit Employees, presented
25,780 signatures on a petition
against further Transit Service
Cuts to Dr, Henry F, Angus,
Chairman of the Public Utilities
Commission, last week in Vic-
toria,

Public Utilities Commission
chairman, Dr. H.F, Angus, con-
sidering the petition submitted

by the delegation, has stated the.

PUC has no authority to do any-

May 21, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pog?

thing about transit cutback®
B,C. Hydro; that its functiO® |
primarily that of enforcing ie

chise agreements as they ™™ |
to fares charged. :

PUC rulings over the past
years on transit matters
its jurisdiction, both in Te’.
to the old B,C, Electric and HY,
Authority, challenge the V4"
of the PUC chairman’s oa a
for doing nothing about
transit cutbacks, since
structures are inseparable ~
transit services provided.

chal

co

Alderman Hugh Bird,
man of the Vancouver City
cil City Service Committe’
to have accompanied the
gation, but was not able ss)
so due to illness,