[Indigsol] 3-DAY OTTAWA/GATINEAU PICKET IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ALGONQUINS OF BERRIERE LAKE

[Angela Schleihauf]

3-DAY OTTAWA/GATINEAU PICKET IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ALGONQUINS OF BERRIERE
LAKE

NO COUPS D'ETAT in ALGONQUIN TERRITORY
HANDS OFF BARRIERE LAKE
HONOUR SIGNED AGREEMENTS

******************************

WHERE: Lawrence Cannon's office at the Ministry of Transport
330 Sparks Street, OTTAWA, near the corner of Wellington and Kent

WHEN: Wednesday July 16 12:30pm-5pm and Thursday July 17 10:00am-5pm

WHERE: Department of Indian Affairs, Corner of Wellington and Montcalm in
GATINEAU

WHEN: Friday, July 18 11:00am-5pm

*******************************

* This is a peaceful demonstration in support of Barriere Lake community
members who are in Ottawa to demand a meeting with their riding MP Lawrence
Cannon, a leadership re-selection in accordance with their Customary
Governance Code, which has been blatantly violated by the Federal
Government, and that the Federal Government respect all signed agreements
with the community.

* Bring banners, signs, placards, noise-makers...

MORE INFO: barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com
CONTACT: barrierelakesolidarity at gmail.com

For twenty difficult years, the small Algonquin community of Barriere Lake,
3 hours north of Ottawa, has been struggling to hold the government to their
word. In 1991, they signed a landmark resource co-management and sustainable
development agreement with Canada and Quebec to protect Algonquin land uses,
conserve the forest and wildlife, and give them a share in the resource
revenue from the logging and hydro projects on their traditional
territories. Corporations extract $100 million a year -- Barriere Lake
receives nothing.

The Canadian government walked away from the agreement in 2001. To avoid
fulfilling their obligations, the Federal Department of Indian Affairs has
ousted the Customary Chief and Council and illegally appointed a minority
faction as the leadership, in an attempt to scrap the agreement. Despite
knowledge of his government's illegal actions, Minister of Transport
Lawrence Cannon, Harper's Quebec lieutenant and MP in Barriere Lake's riding
of Pontiac, has not ensured the federal government complies with the law.

* Despite several Quebec Hydro dams on their territory, the community is
forced to use aging diesel generators to provide power.

* The housing crisis in the community has reached tragic proportions, with
most living in moldy, often condemned houses. As many as 18 people live in
one house.

* The Surete du Quebec has been used to forcibly impose and maintain the
authority of the government-backed Chief and Council, supported by a
community minority.

* Children have been prevented from speaking Algonquin in school by teachers
hired by Third Party Management—a grim throwback to residential schools.

Join us in Ottawa and Gatineau, and support the community as it demands that
the government respect the law and uphold their agreements.


BACKGROUND

>From Arthur Manuel's Submission to the United Nations Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, 7th Session, New York, April 21 – May 2, 2008

For entire submission:
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/04/canada-quebec-condemned-before-un.html

INTRODUCTION

• The Algonquins of Barriere Lake have a population of about 450.
• They have a 59 acre Indian Reserve that was set aside in 1962.
• The housing situation is critical, most of the 60 houses have been
condemned by Health Canada for mould infestation, yet the houses are
overcrowded with 8 to 18 people living in one house. Quebec's Youth
Protection Agency is refusing to allow infants to return to the community
from the hospitals because of the poor housing conditions.
• The unemployment rate is about 80 to 90%.
• The federal government has mismanaged the community's education services,
one study has shown serious age-grade deficiencies under the federal
administration of the school.
• The community is one of the last in Quebec who depend on diesel generators
for electricity. These generators are operating at full capacity so no no
houses or buildings can be added to the community grid.

Despite the poor social and economic conditions, the Algonquins of Barriere
Lake have maintained their language, culture and customary system of
government.

FEDERAL INTERFERENCE IN LEADERSHIP SELECTION PROCESS

Over the last 12 years the government of Canada has interfered in the
internal affairs of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake three times.

In 1996-97 the Canadian government imposed an outside group as the Chief and
Council. The federal government had to reverse its decision and recognize
the legitimate customary Chief and Council on April 17, 1997.

In 2006, the federal government refused to recognize the legitimate Chief
and Council during a new leadership selection process.

It took the intervention of a Quebec Superior Court Judge, Rejean Paul, who
issued a mediation report in May 2007, confirming the legitimacy of the
Customary Chief and Council, the Canadian government subsequently had to
respect the community's leadership selection.

However, on March 10, 2008, the government of Canada once again recognized a
Chief and Council who according to the Barriere Lake Elders were not
selected by the community in accordance with the community's customs.

The Barriere Lake Elders' Council has launched a court action against the
federal Minister of Indian Affairs, Chuck Strahl, to have the Minister's
decision to change the Chief and Council overturned. The Department of
Indian Affairs even refuses to release the information they based their
decision on, to the Barriere Lake Elders. Even though the Barriere Lake
Elders are responsible for overseeing leadership selection under their
customs.

Not only is there a flagrant disregard for Indigenous customs regarding
leadership selection, but the federal government is using the Quebec police
force to install the federally imposed Chief and Council, even though the
majority of the people do not agree to recognize the federally imposed group
as their leaders.

The result of the federal imposition of an unaccepted Chief and Council has
led to problems with the delivery of programs and services and confusion
around who is the legitimate leadership.

REMOVAL OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES FROM TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES

The federal government is trying to replace the legitimate customary Chief
and Council just as negotiations were to start on implementing three major
precedent setting agreements the Algonquins of Barriere Lake had entered
into with the governments of Canada and Quebec.

In 1991, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake convinced the governments of Canada
and Quebec to sign a Trilateral Agreement establishing a pioneering land
management planning process based upon the Brundtland Report's concepts of
sustainable development, conservation strategies and that Indigenous Peoples
have a 'decisive voice' over land use decisions that affect them.

Further agreements were signed with the governments of Canada and Quebec but
the governments have continued to try and to get out of their obligations
and liabilities under these agreements.

Now, the Canadian government has breached Barriere Lake's governance customs
and replaced their Customary Chief and Council with a federally imposed
Chief and Council, in yet another effort to get out of the signed
agreements,, because of the precedent setting nature of these agreements.

CONTRAVENTIONS

In contravention of the Declaration on the Rights on Indigenous Peoples and
the signed agreements with the community, the federal and provincial
governments are collaborating on promoting infighting within the community
while refusing to honour signed agreements, which contributes to the poor
social and economic conditions in the community.

>From this case and other like KI, it appears there is a pattern in Canada to
remove the Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands to allow for
unfettered corporate resource access and exploitation of forests, minerals,
oil & gas and hydro projects.
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