Pages 6, 7 Art as mail as art: those are the signature themes of Jesus Romeo aldamez whose unconventional silkscreens are displayed in Vancouver this month. The crisis created by Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait have signalled a new instability in the global political and economic order. Page 2 September 3, 1990 50 cents Volume 53, No. 30 ks head off Oka crisis pe es Native paddlers brave the waves during weekend event that warned: “The strait is dying.” A few canoeists tipped, a kayak was temporarily missing, and a U.S. Navy ship came close to a collision with a swimmer. But a few mishaps were anticipated, and organizers and participants in the first an- nual Save the Strait marathon and fair Aug. 25 deemed the event a success. “Not a financial success, as yet, but definitely a successful event,” commented spokesperson Laurie MacBride of the Save Georgia Strait Alliance. After months of planning following the creation of the anti-pollution alliance ear- lier this year, some 100 boaters and swim- mers, accompanied by about 50 escort vessels, set out from the shores off Nanaimo at about 6:45 a.m. for the 26- kilometre crossing to Sechelt. A fair the next day on the Sechelt Band lands attracted several hundred par- ticipants, MacBride said. The alliance is now preparing to raise funds for a conference, entitled “State of the Strait,” next Feb. 23-24 in Nanaimo. The alliance, which involves groups such as Greenpeace and the Nanoose Con- version Campaign opposing nuclear- capable weapons testing at the Canadian Forces base, warns that “Georgia Strait is dying,” she said. “We must act soon to save it. And we teach that local people are the ones who can take action.” The first vessels started pulling into Sechelt around 10:15 a.m., having braved five-foot waves, MacBride reported. Participants included a voyageur canoe paddled by members of the Nanaimo na- tive band, kayaks, other craft and swim- mers. One, 24-year-old Fin Donnelly of Port Moody, swam the distance in nine hours, 25 minutes. “That’s within three minutes of the record. But he had to face a _five-foot chop, and it was only his second ocean swim,” MacBride noted. A rescue vessel had to retrieve three canoeists who tipped, and a few frantic PHOTO — CATHERINE LANG hours were spent looking for some kayakers who had taken an unscheduled rest at a island. But the closest call was when the U.S. non-combative Navy ship, the Bedford, came to close to running down a swimmer. Quick action on marine radio alerted the commander of the vessel in time, Mac- Bride said. MacBride said the alliance had alerted the commander of the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Testing Range, which hosts the testing of U.S. anti-sub- marine and other nuclear-capable weapons at a range in the strait, before the event. “He had assured us that the range was not going to be active that day,” she said. The flotilla was guided by an RCMP guide vessel and the CFB Comox-based ship, the Black Duck, MacBride reported. On the evening of August 29 unarmed Mohawk defenders and Canadian soldiers worked together to dismantle the first bar- ricade on the Mercier Bridge, on the edge of Kahnawake. There was a collective sigh of relief among First Nations people and for most Canadians. The relief was under- standable for this country had been brought to the verge of the unthinkable — an in- vasion of the Mohawk nation by a heavily- armed military that could have led to a slaughter. ats The ramifications of that are, for the time being, only conjecture. Due to the restraint of the Mohawk nation, its defenders, and the efforts of its negotiators, such a tragic out- come was averted. Still, given the lack of good faith shown by the Bourassa and Mul- roney governments in the previous weeks, the wounds done to the country by the crisis at Kahnawake and Kanesatake will take a long time to heal. Had a bloodbath occurred those wounds would have been fatal. The path for peaceful negotiations is now clear as long as the Quebec and Mulroney governments negotiate in good faith. But there was one potential, major stumbling block as the Tribune went to press. The barricades at Kanesatake near Oka remained up and were still being defended as the Kahnawake barricades came down. Two key factors in the peaceful disman- tling of the Kanesatake barricades centre on whether the federal government gives a firm commitment that the disputed land at the golf course be returned to the Mohawks, with complete title, and that the Quebec Assembly pass legislation amending the Quebec Police Act so that the provincial police are accountable to politicians. The threat of police retaliation remains a real and widespread concern among the Mohawk nation. That fear is well-placed. The crisis was precipitated when the heavi- ly-armed Surete du Quebec attacked a peaceful barricade that wasn’t disrupting any major thoroughfare. In the name of nine extra holes of golf, a see OKA page 8