[OPIRG-EVENTS] Tues.May 27 - lunch hour - Join Lubicon Supporters on Parliament Hill

[Katherine Gunn <kglist@magma.ca>]

                  Join us on Parliament Hill -
            any time between   11am and  1pm
                     on Tuesday, May 27
 
Lubicon Cree Elder in Ottawa to Commemorate Prime Minister 
Chrétien's 10-year Old Commitment to Justice for the Lubicon  Cree


On May 27 it will be exactly ten years since then Leader of the 
Official Opposition Jean Chrétien wrote to Friends of the Lubicon 
expressing his support for a swift settlement of the Lubicon Lake 
Indian Nation's land rights. 
 
To commemorate Mr. Chrétien's 10-year old commitment, and to 
remind the Prime Minister that the remedy for this injustice is now 
within his grasp, Lubicon elder Reinie Jobin will join Lubicon 
supporters in hosting a public information session on Parliament Hill 
from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, May 27.

Outaouais Lubicon Solidarity (OLS) invites everyone to join 
us on Parliament Hill for updates on the Lubicon situation, and for 
more information on the "Countdown to Justice: Unfinished 
Business" campaign, including how to participate. Free campaign 
posters will be available.  All visitors will also be welcome and 
encouraged to include their own message to the Prime Minister on a 
giant letter.

For more information please see our web site at 
         http://www.lubiconsolidarity.ca
or contact   Ed. Bianchi at 613.235.9956  
______________________________________________________
 
 Countdown to Justice: Unfinished Business
 
In 1993, as Leader of the Opposition, Jean Chrétien wrote a letter 
expressing his support for a settlement of the Lubicon Lake Indian 
Nation's land rights.
 
He wrote that "time is wasting" and that it was "time for action," 
and that he "consider[ed] the Lubicon claim to be a priority."
 
These were welcome words for the Lubicon, who had been waiting 
since 1939 for the Government of Canada to fulfill its promise of 
reserve lands. For this small Aboriginal society in northern Alberta, 
the years had brought social and economic collapse-the result of 
resource exploitation that destroyed their traditional hunting and 
trapping economy. For the oil and logging companies that moved 
into Lubicon territory with the sanction of the Government of Alberta, 
the years were profitable: oil and gas revenues, for example, 
reached $500 million per year.

Nine years have passed since Chrétien wrote his words of support 
for the Lubicons. There is still no settlement of Lubicon land rights. 
It's our hope that Prime Minister Chrétien will fulfill his promise 
before leaving office in February 2004. A settlement is certainly 
possible within that time: the issues are well defined and the 
relevant technical work has been done. What seems to be missing 
is the drive to conclude a fair settlement. With Mr. Chrétien's 
personal involvement, direction and willpower, Lubicon land rights 
could, at long last, be resolved.

Chrétien has made clear that he is looking to leave behind a proud 
legacy when he finishes his many years of service as Prime 
Minister. To fulfill the promise of a fair Lubicon settlement after so 
many years would be a tangible legacy that would win acclaim, not 
only from Canadians, but from the many people around the world 
who have expressed concern over this long-standing human rights 
tragedy.
 
More importantly, it would provide the Lubicon people with the 
means to survive on their now-devastated land.
 
http://www.lubiconsolidarity.ca/



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