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Saskatchewan hopes to secure full and equal rights for its Native Indians

Bonner satisfied Saskatchewan to negotiate with

in Indian death

Attorney-General Robert Bon-
ner this week said he is “now
satisfied” that RCMP at Wal-
liams Lake do not make a
practice of taking intoxicated
Indians outside of town and
leaving them to “sober up.”

When Cyril Shelford (SC—
Omineca) earlier made the
charge in the legislature that
an Indian woman froze to death
after being abandoned outside
of town by a Mountie, he pre-
cipitated a debate that caused

the appropriation for RCMP
policing to be held up.

Bonner claimed that the wo-
man had been left in care of
her husband, who was subse-
quently charged with man-
Slaughier. The husband was
later acquitted.

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Ottawa on Native Indian rights

REGINA

“That we may be forgiven for some of our sins of theft, murder and rape of a great and

roud American people,” a five-point program for Native Indians in the province was proposed
in the Saskaichewan legislature last week by W. J. Berezowski (CCF, Cumberland).

Recognising that many questions concerning the Indians were still under federal jurisdic-

tion, Berezowski nevertheless urged’ immediate action by the province to give Indiane the vote,

the same rights to Indian peo-
ple under various laws, the
same benefits and opportuni-
ties for education, the same
benefits under social welfare
and also under public health
legislation.

He said: “The government
... to the extent that the con-
stitution permits and to the
extent that the Indian treaties
can be fully respected ... can,
open the doors of democracy
with its rights, freedoms and
justice, basic justice as I call
it, which can be embraced by
our’ brothers of Ameriran
origin.”

This was the least that could
be done to wipe out the stain
of European conquest. “By ac-
cepting the philosophy of hu-
man equality and accepting
these people as equals we may
be forgiven for some of our
sins of theft, murder and rape
of a great and proud American
people.”

He charged that insult has
been added to injury, when
“the natives of Canada were
robbed of their land, brought
to degradation, established in
in concentration camps which
we refer to as reserves thus
losing all his self respect, pride
and dignity.”

Rejecting any proposals for
commissions or committees to
study the question, he said
“studies have been made. for
the past 100 or more years.
The only solution is legislation
which will give equailty and
basic justice.”

He expressed the opinion
that our purpose “should not
be forced assimilation of the
Indian people and that the
problem could only solve itself
in time.”

A strong note of. condemna-

tion of the attitude of society
to the Indians was contained
in his statement.

“Because of the discrimina-
tory Indian Act and other fed-
eral and provincial Acts these
people are looked down upon
and are not as a rule accepted
into our contemporary society.

“Few of these people no mat-
ter how well educated, can
find a place in our industry or

‘professions. Our attitude bars
them from living a normal life.

in this society and because of
this discrimination they too do
not relish living in a commun-
ity which ignores them.”

Using the treatment of In-
dians for drunkeness as an ex-
ample, Berezowski pointed to
the women’s jail in Prince Al-
bert and the sentences given
to Indian women. Of the 164
women prisoners in 1953-54
there were 140 Indian.

Some 85 per cent of the
convictions against the Indians
were made under the Indian
Act for the simple offense of
drinking. Sentences under the
Indian Act for drinking usual-
ly involved three months of
imprisonment or stiff fines but
people convicted under city
ordinances for the same of-
fences usually received only
nominal fines.

Berezowski called for legisla-
tion by the provincial govern-
ment in its next session, to
“save 18,000 people in Sas-
katchewan,” declaring that our
whole attitude must change if
“we are to build a good Saskat-
chewan.”

John H. Sturdy, minister
without portfolio, speaking in
the debate, said the “call for
remedial action becomes
stronger day by day and must
result in government program-
ing to include ‘welfare’ and
the whole general question of

future Indian development and
advancement which is ‘citizen-
ship.’

Sturdy said it was the gov-
ernment’s intention to extend
to the Indians the provincial
franchise, “and I hope we can
persuade the federal govern-
ment to do likewise. . . I also
think certain priviliges, how-
ever .doubtful these priviliges
may be, of the Saskatchewan
Liquor Act should be extended
to the Indians.” (Indians in On-
tario were given vote and equal
liquor rights last year. They
do not yet have a federal vote
unless they quit the reserve.)

The minister also called for
a.comprehensive research pro-
gram to determine alternative
lines of development “in or-
der that integration may be
defined and planning goals
specified.”

He charged that the adminis-
tration of Indian affairs is be-
set with bureaucracy, that Ot-
tawa is too far away from the
problem and the solution: of
its day to day difficulties.

“T do not say this as a critic-
ism of the minister and his
staff,” he said. “I think they
are doing a creditable job,
much better than has been done
before. But eventually, I think
the administration must be
transferred to the provinces,
and God knows the provinces
aren’t anxious to assume more
responsibilities, especially fin-
ancial,”

A resolution was unanimous-
ly passed calling for negotia-
tion with the federal govern-
ment “with a view to imple-
menting such programs as will
lead to an effective integration
and advancement of Indians”
and “prepare drafts of legisla-
tion tending to place the In-
dians on a basis of equality
with citizens of this.province.”

Tests for
drunken
drivers

Last week “the Saskatche-
wan legislature with only two
votes in opposition gave sec-
ond reading to legislation mak-
ing it possible to revoke the
driving license of any person
refusing to take a breath test
to determine whether he or
she is drunk.

The bill provides that any
person who has over .15 alco-
holie content will be presumed
to be under the influence of
liquor for the purposes of this
act.

Provincial Treasurer C. M.
Fines said that in Saskatche-
wan alone in 1955, 141 drivers
were involved in 125 fatalities.
Of these drivers, 43 were re-
ported to have been drinking
— over 30 per cent.

“We had hoped that with
enough general public safety
education, we could get our mo-
torists to comply with our
traffic laws,” he .said. “But
that alone has not worked.
Control of the driver license
is the one weapon that can end
this mass murder.”

Biiterly opposed by the Lib-
eral opposition because of its
compulsory features, this act
will be the first of its kind in
Canada. To date 26 states of
the U.S. have some legislation
providing for tests. It has been
proposed in Ontario by a legis-
lative committee, but was
dropped from legislation.

Until now, conviction by the
courts for drunken driving
was necessary before licenses
were revoked, and experience
has been that convictions were
hard to obtain. This will give
the Highway Traffic Board the
right to revoke based on the
test alone.

“An officer bases his decis-
ion in driving. while impaired
on several factors,” Fines ex-
plained, “but he needs ‘the help
of scientific facts to support
decision’s based on the sus-
pect’s erratic driving and phy-
sical signs of intoxication.

“When an officer stops a
suspect his decision involves
considerable responsibility. He
must either remove him from .
the wheel and subject him to
prosecution or he must let a
potential killer continue to
drive.

“The officer is under a ter-
rific moral pressure to be just
both to the subject and to the
public. Chemical testing re- >
moves all doubt of the officer’s
duty.”

He also reported to the legis-
lature the resolution passed
that day by the Saskatchewan
Highway Safety Council stat-
ing that it commended the

‘government for its stand on

breath tést legislation and “this
council is in fuil support of
any means that wil result in
a reduction of traffic fatalities
on our streets and highways.”

Fines said this was the type
of reaction he had been get-
ting from all over the prov-
ince.

MARCH 29, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 9