[Indigsol] Indian Affairs imposes new Chief and Council on Barriere Lake

[Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement -Ottawa]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Friday/Saturday, August 13, 2010


Indian Affairs imposes new Chief and Council on Barriere Lake on the basis
of a half-dozen nomination ballots: “This looks like tyranny,” say
community spokespeople


Kitiganik, Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / - The Department of Indian
Affairs has announced that a new Indian Act Chief and Council have been
elected by acclamation in the community of Barriere Lake, after between 6
and 10 nomination mail-in ballots were received by a government electoral
officer.

But even the acclaimed Chief, Casey Ratt, has announced he will not take
the position, refusing to break ranks with the community’s broad
opposition to the Indian Act band elections that the Department of Indian
Affairs has been trying to impose on Barriere Lake.

“The overwhelming majority of our community remains opposed to the Indian
Act band election regime. Almost two hundred people signed a resolution in
May rejecting it and supporting our traditional selection process. Does
the Minister of Indian Affairs really think a handful of nominations for a
Chief and Council can let them get away with eradicating our system of
government?” says Tony Wawatie, a community spokesperson. “The government
has lectured us about democracy. But how can this be democratic if it goes
against the will of our entire community? This looks more like tyranny.”

Today, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Shawn Atleo sent a
letter to Minister of Indian Affairs John Duncan demanding that he rescind
the section 74 order to impose band elections, and that he respect the
community’s reconciliation process, which will ultimately result in a new
Customary Chief and Council being selected according to Barriere Lake’s
traditional selection process.

“I strongly urge you to reconsider the decision of your predecessor to
invoke section 74,” Atleo wrote. “Trying to force the community into the
Indian Act election system, when they seem to be overwhelmingly opposed,
will only increase tensions and the risk of confrontation with your
Ministry.”

“The decision to impose section 74 band elections is an attack not only on
our traditional system of government, but on our culture, language and way
of life, which are all connected to our traditional system of government,”
says Marylynn Poucachiche, another community spokesperson. “We will not
accept it. Until our basic and legitimate rights are respected, we will
escalate our actions, including not allowing any resource extraction
within the Trilateral Agreement Territory.”

The government had announced the elections would originally take place
September 23rd, 2010.

Barriere Lake’s inherent right to customary self-government is protected
by section 35 of the Canadian Constitution and is enshrined in the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A May, 2010
report by the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples affirmed
that First Nations have the right to maintain control over their internal
affairs and be free to pursue their vision of customary government.



-30-



Media contacts:

Tony Wawatie, community spokesperson: 819 – 860-4121
Marylynn Poucachiche, community spokesperson: 819-441-4923


-- 
In Solidarity,
IPSMO
on unceded Algonquin Territory
--
Check out IPSMO's Videos:
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com/video-archives/

IPSMO's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=120142932547&ref=ts