Now that the 'political smear' of Mike Harris has failed, it's time to address native issues

Can't we just get along?

By CHRISTINA BLIZZARD
Ottawa Sun

Make no mistake, there is no smoking gun linking former Premier Mike Harris to the tragic shooting death of aboriginal protester Dudley George.

In his report on the events leading up to the death, Mr. Justice Sidney Linden emphatically states that Harris did not exert political influence on the way the OPP policed the 1995 native stand-off at Ipperwash Provincial Park.

That's the good news. The bad news, for Harris, is that Linden believes that in uttering the words "get the fucking Indians out of the park," Harris demonstrated a racist attitude. In fact, in testimony, Harris himself admitted that had he said that, he would consider it racist.

HUGE FAILURE

It wasn't the only time the "r" word came up in the exhaustive report. While the inquiry came about because of allegations of Harris' political meddling -- and those have been disproved -- what Linden has unearthed are problems that are far more disturbing.

George died as a result of a huge failure of the OPP at Ipperwash that dreadful night of Sept. 6.

They were confused and disorganized. Communications were so bad that they had no idea whether the aboriginal protesters were armed. Taped conversations demonstrate shocking attitudes and hostility to native groups.

While senior officers were conscientious, they misjudged, were misinformed, misguided. The cops were heavily armed and in full tactical gear, but they didn't have a simple bullhorn to communicate with the park occupiers. And that was vital.

Had the cops been able to talk to the protesters, they could have reassured them that they had no intention of entering the park to remove the demonstrators. They simply wanted the protesters to leave the adjacent sandy parking lot.

"The OPP decided to march down the road on the night of Sept. 6 because they misperceived the intentions of the occupiers, just as the occupiers misperceived the intentions of the OPP," Linden said.

Not that he completely absolves Harris. He says the former premier's determination to bring the stand-off to an early resolution may have eliminated other policing options -- such as negotiation.

Dudley's brother Sam said yesterday that he's pleased with Linden's unequivocal statement that Dudley was unarmed. He said Linden had vindicated his brother of any wrongdoing. Sam said he still feels that Harris owes his family an apology.

But for now he says we all need to take a deep breath.

'WORK TOGETHER'

"I think the most important recommendation in this report is that we all try to work together," Sam George said after the release of the report.

Harris' lawyer, Peter Downard, said the former premier sees George's death as a "regrettable tragedy," but he isn't going to apologize. He said the report clearly showed that Harris didn't cause George's death and didn't interfere in policing.

And while there will be those who will try to spin this to complete the demonization of Harris, the evidence for that just isn't in the report.

"Mr. Harris has been cleared of charges made by politicians for many years, including by Premier (Dalton) McGuinty when this inquiry was ongoing," Downard said.

"We now know that those allegations were unfounded and wrong and they should be seen for the political smear that they always were," he said.

All told, Linden's report cost $25.6 million -- $13.3 for the cost of the commission itself, $12.3 in lawyers' fees.

Linden makes some sound recommendations -- especially when it comes to the controversial land settlements. He suggests setting up a Treaty Commission of Ontario to look at the claims -- although it's not clear how that will work, since aboriginal affairs are a federal responsibility.

The big question now is whether this will be enough to halt the summer of protest that is brewing in the aboriginal community. And no one really gave us a short answer to that yesterday. Will this report be enough to allow the native protesters to bow out of the Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia gracefully -- and perhaps boost McGuinty's political fortunes? Will it halt the so-called "day of protest," planned for June 29?

It remains to be seen whether the aboriginal leaders can calm the hotheads within that community.

Let's hope so. Linden's report is an olive branch, a hand stretched out in peace that acknowledges injustices of the past and looks for ways to resolve them in future.

Let's have no more futile deaths.

We should all heed Sam George's wise words. After all, can't we all just get along?

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INQUIRY IDEAS

Key recommendations urged in yesterday's report from the Ipperwash Inquiry:

- The federal government should immediately return the former Camp Ipperwash army base to the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.

- Ottawa should issue a public apology, with appropriate compensation, for its failure for more than 60 years to honour its promise to return the lands to the First Nation.

- The Ontario Provincial Police should publicly apologize to Cecil Bernard George for excessive force used during his arrest the night Dudley George was killed. The apology should by delivered in person by the OPP commissioner, or his delegate.

- The Ontario government should create a permanent, independent agency to oversee the settlement of native land and treaty claims.

- The province should create an aboriginal affairs ministry with its own minister and deputy minister. Native affairs have traditionally been made the responsibility of the province's attorney general.