Steve Lambert
Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 07:00
Brantford Expositor
National - Canada's native leaders are walking a fine line as they plan for a national day of protest on June 29. They hope to be dramatic enough to draw attention to poverty on reserves, stalled land claims and other issues, yet most insist they aren't thinking blockades or confrontation.
"We don't want to cause a major disruption in the lives of Canadians, but at the same time, we also want to make sure they understand that this is a crisis," Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said in an interview this week from Ottawa.
"First Nations poverty is not just a burden on our communities. It's a burden on the country."
The AFN and the RCMP renewed a long-standing protocol this week, with June 29 in mind, aimed at ensuring that protests are peaceful and laws are obeyed. But native leaders are aware that the news media, and Canadians in general, pay more attention to their concerns when there is conflict.
Fontaine himself recently pointed out that public sympathy for aboriginal concerns was highest during the Oka crisis in 1990.
Shawn Brant, a Mohawk protester from the Bay of Quinte First Nation who led a 30-hour rail blockade in April near Deseronto, Ont., said a group is planning an action within a "framework of economic disruption," but were co-ordinating with other communities as to which infrastructure would be targeted.
"We have our plans made, and it's really just contingent on circumstances that come up within the course of the next seven or eight days ...," Brant said.
"We're not going to close a highway that's already closed or a train line that's already closed. If that's done, then we're going to adjust ourselves accordingly. We want to be the most effective that we can be," Brant said.
In Mohawk First Nation of Akwesasne, however, plans are underway for a peaceful gathering at the base of the Seaway International Bridge, where district Chief Larry King confirmed that former prime minister Paul Martin would be speaking.
King said there would be no blockades.
"We're calling it a day of solidarity, it's not a protest, we're trying to get away from the aggressive tone or agenda. It's a day of unity," King said.
Sam George, brother of Dudley George, is scheduled to speak at an information event in North Bay, along with Union of Ontario Indians Grand Chief John Beaucage.
Terrance Nelson, chief of the Roseau River reserve south of Winnipeg, made national headlines last month when his reserve announced plans to block rail lines on June 29. He withdrew the threat Wednesday in response to recent federal movement on his community's land claim - the transfer of a small parcel of land northwest of Winnipeg.
Nelson made a similar blockade threat last year, and also withdrew it. He has never been afraid to court controversy to make his point that aboriginals have been denied access to the wealth generated by forestry, mining, hydro development and other resource-based activities on their traditional land.
He wants June 29 to do more than raise awareness among Canadians. "It was never really my goal. I know that Phil Fontaine wants this educational kind of stuff happening. For me, it's pretty clear that the only real powers that be are the Americans under the NAFTA agreement."
Nelson said the day of action can be deemed a success only if it is strong enough to catch the attention of the U.S. corporations that buy Canadian resources and convince them to put pressure on the federal government.
"Industry must be forcing the government to the table," Nelson said. "If the indigenous people actually can pull off a significant warning on June 29, it (will be) a wake-up call. And if that happens, the Americans are going to be saying, `Look, get this thing settled.' "
"The greatest danger is that June 29 fizzles totally, and if that happens, Canadians will go into a false sense of security," he said. Nelson seems to be in the minority, however, as many native leaders say they want to gain public support and avoid disruptions.
"By and large, I think the vast majority of the First Nations and aboriginal people are committed to building support through establishing solidarity with many other socially responsible Canadians," said Grand Chief Stewart Philip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, who plans to take part in a peaceful march in downtown Vancouver.