Talks go badly between government, native group on cutting rights

Fri Mar 16, 8:14 PM ET

QUEBEC (CP)

A meeting between Quebec government officials and an aboriginal group fighting for cutting rights in a provincial reserve ended when the government said the aboriginals didn't have the status to negotiate.

Andre Maltais, an official with the Native Affairs Department, said the meeting was not a negotiation but an attempt to better understand the aboriginals' position.

He also said there is no evidence the Confederation of Aboriginal People of Quebec has any official status granted by other aboriginal organizations.

Maltais cited provincial Native Affairs Minister Geoffrey Kelley as saying there also could be not progress in the file if illegal acts were commited.

Highway 117 through the La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve north of Ottawa was blocked on Monday by a group pressing for logging rights in the reserve to support themselves. They also wanted some say in forest management.

The barricade came down when they apparently were told they would meet with government officials.

Guillaume Carle, who says he is a spokesman for aboriginals in the region, said he hoped natives would be able to harvest already fallen trees which are not being claimed by any forestry company.

He said there had been an agreement three weeks ago to allow this and area residents had invested in equipment but had been denied access to the wood in the end.