CANADA.

Indians demand a national government

QUEBEC — ‘This is a critical period in our political
development as Indian nations. What will be accom-
plished here will demonstrate to Canada and the inter-
national comniunity our ability to recognize our weak-
Nesses and move constructively toward attaining full
political autonomy as Indian nations,” said Del Riley,
president of the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB), at

~ the opening of the Assembly of First Nations, held from
May 18 to 21.

“Our task at this assembly is to put in place a structure
which represents us all, *’ Chief Riley said. Replying to a
question at a press conference, he stated: ‘“Yes, we want
a national Indian government.” .

Welcoming to Quebec City the 200 Indian chiefs, as
well as the representatives of the Council of Elders,

grand chief of Hurons, Max Gros-Louis said: “‘I strongly
hope that this meeting will make a long step forward in
the establishment of our Indian government ... _

“If Canada had lived up to its obligations,” continued
Chief Gros-Louis, ‘‘or had been as just to the Indians as
to the immigrant, Indians would not today be the only
group in this country who are in a worse spiritual,
economic and social condition than at the time of dis-
covery”’ of the country by white men.

‘The indigenous people of Canada find themselves
the only people here who have been denied political
freedom. The right to govern themselves was first im-
peded, then eroded and finally eradicated by the
Government of Canada ... History shows that Canada
needed more Indian lands ...

Indian Act a Farce

‘The Indian Act has been, from its inception, a
farce,’’ declared Chief Gros-Louis. “‘Since 1876, when
the first act was legislated to codify any laws pertaining
to Indians, Indian lands have shrunk to nothing and
Indians have become not a race of people but a legal
definition. So much for Canada’s protection of the In-
dian.”’ ;

Each Indian band (community) has its chief. There are
at present in Canada 573 bands distributed in some 2,500
reserves. The Indians of Canada have set up 18 provin-

- cialand territorial organizations; of which the majority~

find themselves within the NIB. :

The assembly in Quebec was only one stage in the
birth of an Indian government. As Chief Del Riley ex-
plained, the previous stage had been reached in De-
cember 1980, when the interim council of first nations
was named. :

These are Chief Joe Stacey, president of the Con-
federation of Quebec Indians, and Chief Charles Woods
(of Alberta), president of the interim council of chiefs
who presented two formulas offered for discussion in
Quebec which sought to.change the structures and func-
tions of the NIB.

First Nations Assembly

- The two formulas suggested basically propose to
create an Indian parliament — an assembly of first .na-

Del Riley, president of the National Indian Brotherhood opens Assembly of First Nations. The Assembly was called

as an initial stage in gaining full political autonomy for the Indian nations.

tions — of which the members will be the chiefs of Indian
and Dene governments across Canada, with the
participation of the representatives of the Council of
Elders and, in one of the two formulas, with the presi-
dents of the different existing Indian organizations.

In one formula the Indians of Canada would join with
the Indians of the USA and the council of first nations
would be composed of representatives on the following
territorial basis: north, south, east, west, instead of by
provincial borders. In the other formula, the council
would. be composed of chiefs representing the actual
provinces and territories. © = é ed

The purpose of this assembly and of the council of
chiefs would be to discuss national international ques-
tions; to exercise a sovereign statute; to guarantee and
protect aboriginal rights; to guarantee and protect the
rights set down in treaties ‘“‘I hope that in these next
few days we will know finally who speaks in the name of
the Indians, we or the governments,”’ declared Chief
Charles Wood during the press conference: :

An Elder Speaks

The president the NIB, Del Riley, and Chief Dennis
Alphonse of British Columbia, vice-president of the
council of chiefs, both insisted on the necessity for In-
dians to remain united, to guard against splits.

‘“*The constitutional debates divide Canada. They

> J

have the same devastating effect on us. Unity is essential
for the tasks we have before us,’’ said Chief Riley.
‘‘We are at a very critical time in our history,”’ said
Wallace’ Labillois of the Council of Elders of the NIB,
“‘And we are at an even more critical time in the history
of the world. More critical because each day we live
under the shadow of a bomb which could obliterate
everything. More critical because the gasoline coming
from the boats of 130 countries or more, may at who
knows what moment, wipe out all our fish, all our ducks,
all our geese. More critical because it doesn’t matter
whether acid rain falling in the north comes from
-Montreal, Toronto or Chicago. Acid rain, tanks, the
bomb, they’re all part of the same disease ...’’ elder
Labillois continued.
“I’ve already told the senators and the MPs in Ottawa:
I want to be sure there are still going to be Indians here in
10,000 years. Our protests concerning your constitution
are aimed at that.”’

+

Inuit want ‘slow down’ in Lancaster Sound

OTTAWA — Inuit Tapirisat of
Canada (ITC), the organization of
the Inuit people of the far north,
Called on the federal government,
May 29, to go slow on the explora-
tion of Lancaster Sound in the
North West Territories, and to
Settle Inuit land claims before
further development. Lancaster
Sound is north of Baffin Island.

__ Duringa three-day workshop in
Carleton University here, ITC
Protested the government’s
willingness to allow exploration
without adequately considering
the Inuit inhabitants of the area.

he association, representing

Inuit in Canada, says Inuit land
Claims must be settled if local in-
abitants are to have an adequate
Voice in the future of the region.
Caster Sound is a vital area

for several reasons. First, it is rich

‘lM wildlife and supports major
Portions of several species of

al S and birds. The area is
SO proving to be rich in mineral
and hydrocarbon resources. And.

SiNce it is on the eastern mouth of

the Northwest Passage, Lancas-
ter Sound may become an impor-
tant tanker and LNG (liquified
natural gas) transportation route.

ITC wants the federal govern-
ment to consider the multiple uses
of the region and not to sacrifice

the interests of the aboriginal,

people in favor of development. If

Tnuit land claims and the question

of Nunavut, the autonomous re-
gion sought by the Inuit, were set-
tled first, says ITC, then aborigi-
nal people’s interests would be
protected.
This concern was reflected in
the reports of the Environmental
Assessment Panel (EARP) on
Lancaster Sound Drilling of 1979
as well as the Arctic Pilot Project
Environmental Assessment Panel
of 1980. The former concluded
that Norlands Petroleum Ltd.,
was not sufficiently prepared to
undertake exploration with

minimum risk to the environ-
ment. The latter recommended

more mammal research and con-
trol of possible shipping routes.

In the government draft Green
Paper which followed, ITC feels
the concerns and needs of Inuit
living in the area were not addres-
sed. Furthermore, the Green
Paper did not sufficiently deal
with the various possible options
for development, but emphasized
resource development.

The prospect of at least one

major oil spill occuring in the
Northwest Passage in the next 20

years raises a lot of concerns to

the inhabitants of the area. Such
may come about due to projec-
tions of year-round tanker traffic
through Lancaster Sound.

ITC is concerned about the
environmental impact — of
development and questions

whether the federal government
shares this concern. Already sev-
eral exploration companies are
busy in the Lancaster Sound area
and development is to begin as

"early as 1982. ITC fears that the

traditional Inuit economic pur-
suits of hunting and fishing may
be damaged by mining and proba-
ble oil spills.

Food not a weapon say farmers

SASKATOON — Darlene
Henderson, women’s president
of the National Farmers Union,
told delegates to an international
conference on détente, peace and
social progress in Sofia, Bulgaria
that food should never be used as
a political weapon.

‘*As Canadians we believe that
we must overcome the narrow
consideration of world economics
and political shortcomings so that
food may be a vehicle for the re-
lief of human suffering and estab-

lishment of world peace,’’ she
said.

Henderson and Allan Ling, a
national board. member of the
NFU, represented the organiza-
tion at the ‘‘International
Dialogue on World Peace,
Détente and Social Progress’’
held in Sofia, Bulgaria May 21 and
22. They were among 112 delega-
tions from 80 countries in Europe,
Asia, Africa and North and South
America.

In her address to the confer-
ence, made public here, June 22,
Henderson explained that the
NFU believes Canadian farmers
have a right to live in peace to
develop agriculture to its fullest
potential through co-operative ef-
fort with fellow Canadian work-
ers. She said this development
could be undertaken without
exploitation of any other segment
of society and without exploita-
tion of farmers anywhere else in
the world.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 26, 1981—Page 7