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Lubicon Crees: How to add injury to injury
Monday, August 21, 12:00 to 1:30
Information Picket at Department of Indian Affairs: "How to add injury to
injury"
(The Department of Indian Affairs is in the tall brown buildings to your
left as soon as you cross the Booth St. Bridge and enter Hull. Take #8 bus
from Rideau centre.)
The information picket is to raise awareness about the undue pressure being
put on the
Lubicon Lake Indian Nation during land rights negotiations. The Department
of Indian Affairs is threatening to stop providing social assistance to
members of the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation who don't live in the community of
Little Buffalo, even though Little Buffalo has no running water, no extra
housing, and no public infrastructure to speak of. The new policy could
decimate Lubicon
membership as members are forced to join other nations or turn to the
province for social assistance. The change is due to go into effect on 1
September (in two weeks). The Lubicons have called off
negotiations and asked for public support.
All welcome
more info: 777 3058
Background www.tao.ca/~fol
The Lubicon Lake Indian Nation wants to negotiate a land rights settlement
which will secure a future for its people. Although they were promised a
reserve
in 1939, the federal government has not honoured this promise. The Lubicons,
who live in northern Alberta, have never ceded their land. Nevertheless,
their self-sufficient hunting and trapping economy was decimated by massive
oil and gas exploration in their land in the early 1980's, forcing many
Lubicons to turn to social assistance just to survive. Meanwhile, oil and
gas companies have made off with over $10 billion in revenues from Lubicon
lands.
In 1981, the federal government agreed to provide social assistance to the
Lubicons until they arrived at a land rights settlement. The current threat
to cut members off welfare contravenes this agreement and puts undue
pressure on the Lubicons during negotiations. It forces Lubicons to join
other Nations or turn to the province for social assistance. The Lubicons
believe it will decimate their people.
Please join us to call on the Federal government to honour their agreement
to provide
social assistance to Lubicon members until they can negotiate a land rights
settlement which provides the Lubicon nation with reserve lands and economic
development. Many individuals and organisations have already done so,
including the Assembly of First Nations, the Treaty Chiefs of Alberta, David
Suzuki, the Canadian Labour Congress, the National Union of Public and
General Employees, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Society of Friends
(Quakers), Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Public Service Alliance-Canada,
and the Canadian Autoworkers. Join us at the picket or send a fax or email
to Minister Bob Nault. Faxes can be sent directly from
www.tao.ca/~fol/nault.htm
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