“BRITISH COLUMBIA

Continued from page 1
the band in resolving those injustices,” he
Ee. A legislative director Clay Perry told
conference that the union was “pro-
yindly grateful” for the Nanaimo band’s
ngificent act of solidarity” in support-

plidarity through support for their agenda,”
e said.
* a press conference on the site of the
wilway picket line, Chief Jerry Brown reit-
the band’s support for the TWA,
adding that the stand taken by the band on
ipe transport of logs “reflects long standing
grevances of the band in regard to the rail-
yay and the uses made of the line over the
jst 100 years.”
More than 50 people, Nanaimo band
bers and unionists, were gathered
gong the tracks. Several participants in the
Bc. Fed conference came down to the
wicket line to demonstrate support.
“ Kistener told reporters that as of Mon-
fay, the TWA picket line had been taken
jown and picketing would continue by
Nanaimo band members with the full sup-
rt of the IWA to settle grievances with the
(PR. Several hundred metres down the
yack, more than a dozen rail cars loaded
yith logs remained standing on a rail spur

Nanamio band council member Max
said the original agreement covers
CPR right-of-way through the reserve was
jo cover only the transport of coal “and
yhen the coal was finished, the tracks were
up.” Coal has not been mined in
Nanaimo since the 1950s.
| Despite that, he said, the CPR continues
haul toxic chemicals along the line, carries
| pot regular herbicide spraying of the right-

of-way near reserve housing and has left the
line unfenced despite repeated requests for
protection for children on the reserve.

“The band lives in constant fear of a toxic
spill,” Brown said. “The railway has never
built fences or crossing guards despite the
fact that these things were promised as early
as 1883.”

Settler told reporters that the band

members were “tired of being manipulated
by government and the railways.

“We haven’t benefited from this track for
100 years,” he said. “We’ve never been
compensated for the lands that were taken
to put in the line.

““We’ve tried to be nice but it hasn’t
worked. We have to get militant. Our
people have died on the tracks. The trains

Nanaimo Band takes on CPR, backs IWA

run through our back yards day and night,”
he said.

“Enough is enough.”

Brown emphasized that the band council
had met and voted to keep the picket line up
to compel the CPR to resolve the outstand-
ing grievances.

“Until they do,” he said, “the trains
won’t be going through.”

Fed-Native meet affirms solidarity

NANAIMO — Delegates to a joint B.C:
Federation of Labor-Native conference on
land claims declared Monday, “There can
be no real economic and social justice in this
province until aboriginal people enjoy full
economic and social opportunity ... and
that economic and political justice can only
come from a process of negotiations that
recognizes the right to self-determination
and transfers sufficient resources to aborig-
inal people under their jurisdiction.”

The declaration was part of a joint state-
ment issued by the conference after two
days of detailed workshop discussions and
plenary meetings. Delegates wound up with
a spontaneous standing ovation as the
statement was adopted unanimously.

Some 120 delegates from Native organi-
zations throughout B.C. took part along
with 60 unionists. Trade union representa-
tion was less than organizers had hoped for
but all of the key resource unions were in
attendance as were the public sector unions.

The meeting was also marked by consid-
erable unanimity and although some poten-
tial conflicts remain, notably in the area of
fishing rights, the conference opened the
door to joint resolution of them.

Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council chair
George Watts, a co-chairman of the confer-

ence, said the conference had gone farther in
adopting a joint position than many had
expected, reflecting the growing labor-
Native solidarity.

“This meeting is long overdue and the
process can’t stop here,” B.C. Fed secretary
Cliff Andstein told delegates Monday.

He said that the conference discussion
would result in expansion of the statement
on aboriginal claims which will go to the
federation convention late this year.
Another major conference will also be held,
likely in the spring, he added.

Watts called the conference and the
statement it adopted “a challenge to the
trade union movement to go back and edu-
cate its members” about Native issues.

As for his own constituency, he said, “if
we can’t go and educate our own people
about the trade union mvoement then we
have let these people down. We will have
sentenced our own children to a world that
is not acceptable.”

The full test of the conference statement
reads:

We, aboriginal and labor leaders of Brit-
ish Columbia, make the following declara-
tion, confident that through dialogue and
mutual undertanding we can make com-
mon cause to win political, economic and

social justice for all the people of our pro-
vince:

@ We live in a province of vast reources
and wealth, yet in many instances,’ these
very riches are exploited and, in some caes,
wasted and destroyed, benefiting a powerful
few, as many face unemployment and
governments seriously undermine our
economy.

@ The refusal of the federal and the B.C.
government to undertake negotiations to
settle aboriginal claims is a denial of aborig-

* inal peoples’ political, economic and human

rights.
@ We say today there can be no real

economic or social justice in this province -

for all until aboriginal people enjoy full eco-
nomic and social opportunity. This will not
be possible until aboriginal people are rec-
ognized as distinct people with the inherent
right to self-government. The rights of abo-
riginal people are reaffirmed in the Consti-
tution and these must be reflected in
comprehensive settlements regarding their
land and sea resources.

@ Furthermore, we say that economic
and political justice can come only from a
process of negotiations that recognizes the
right to self-determination and transfer suf-

see CONFERENCE page 15

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