The OPP's top cop came out swinging on the first anniversary of the Caledonia standoff saying the federal government is missing in action, leaving police to "hold the fort."
"It'd be nice if they understood the volatility of the situation," OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said yesterday in Caledonia. "If they did, perhaps there'd be more enthusiasm about getting it resolved."
He said that in the past year, 3,000 officers have worked in the town.
"We've learned this year how much procrastination goes on in resolving these issues," he said.
The notion that Ottawa isn't taking negotiations seriously doesn't reflect reality, a spokeswoman for Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice said.
"Absolutely there is political will on behalf of the federal government to see this dispute come to an end," said Deirdra McCracken.
But yesterday, the province, the OPP and native leaders were all on the same side -- laying responsibility at Ottawa's feet.
That was the message from native leaders who held a news conference in the 1864 council house in Ohsweken, the traditional seat of government returned to them in January.
Allen MacNaughton, the Mohawk hereditary chief, told the packed room this past year has been one of disappointment and broken promises. He said Canada has not provided any proof to substantiate its claim that Six Nations surrendered the Plank Road lands, property that includes the contentious Douglas Creek Estates.
He pointed to an old map which shows Six Nations land marked as "sold" a month before Canada argues it was even surrendered.
Leroy Hill, a sub-chief with the Confederacy, said it would be a "goodwill gesture" for Six Nations to be given the reclamation site.
"If they continue to show disrespect to our people, then the people will tell us to sit back and let them take care of it," Hill said.
When asked what the chiefs had to say to a growing desire in Caledonia to see the protest site cleared, Hill smiled and said coyly: "We cleared that land a year ago," which prompted applause.
Yesterday's anniversary was a particularly emotional one for Dawn Smith, one of the original Six Nations protesters who blocked the road into the construction site last year.
Smith was seriously injured in a car crash last July, leaving her with multiple injuries including a broken pelvis and shattered right leg.
With a cane in one hand, she climbed the few front steps of the old council building. Wearing camouflage pants and a Confederacy sweatshirt, she stood at the top of the stairs and raised her hand triumphantly as friends snapped photographs.
"At one point, I didn't know if I would walk again," she said. "To be able to walk onto the site again today, the same way we did a year ago -- it was very special," she said, beaming. "It's history in the making."
Smith said she and Janie Jamieson saw their job last year as opening a door for the Confederacy. Now the Confederacy has opened many more doors, she said.
"We knew it'd take time to resolve this. We knew there'd be no quick fix."
The day was quiet both at the protest site and in town. Black ribbons decorated many homes and businesses, marking what some were calling the "unhappy anniversary."
Otherwise, it was like any other day in what started as a crisis but has since become part of everyday life -- a life defined by simmering tension, reduced commerce and, lately, resignation.
'We knew it'd take time to resolve this. We knew there'd be no quick fix.' -- Dawn Smith