[IPSM] whole lotta news on six nations

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AN ANGRY GENERATION
       
      J.P. Moczulski, Reuters 
      Members of the Six Nations Reserve man a road block set up on Highway 6 to protest a housing development on land they claim as their own near Caledonia.
     
     
Aboriginal young people full of pride -- and fury
By Joan Walters
The Hamilton Spectator
CALEDONIA (Apr 22, 2006) 
They have come of age now -- in touch with their heritage, better educated than their parents, and a bigger, more influential group than any previous generation.

They are at Caledonia in large numbers, wearing bandanas, draped in flags, talking rights, on the move. This generation of First Nations young people is angry and seriously pumped.

For Aboriginal leaders across the country, they are a worrisome force.

"Our leadership has always been able to soothe out the young people in situations like this," says an elder who asked to remain anonymous. "It may not be possible from now on."

That's because this under-25 age group makes up half of Canada's aboriginal population.

They already have enough numbers and common experiences to heavily influence native affairs. The concern is what might happen if their full fury is ever unleashed.

The Assembly of First Nations, Canada's national aboriginal organization, agrees there is risk.

On the positive side, this is a group with the ability to achieve beyond the dreams of any other generation, says Don Kelly, spokesperson for national chief Phil Fontaine.

On the negative, if no one can find remedies for their grievances, "these young people have a lot of energy and that energy will come out."

For Sean Mt. Pleasant and Wes Hill, both 19, there is a litany of issues their parents have carried for years and are too tired to bear any more -- the residue of residential schools, alcoholism, poverty and abuse. There are also the land claims, unresolved by the aging members of First Nations.

"It's right to take a stand now," Mt. Pleasant says. "They can't fight no more."

Caledonia is the first opportunity since Oka for most of these young people to take action in a public forum.

That 78-day conflict between the government and the Kahnawake Mohawks in Oka, Quebec in 1990 was gripping for any Canadian to watch.

But it struck the psyches of native youngsters with special force.

"They watched Oka unfold," says Dawn Martin-Hill, director of indigenous studies at McMaster.

"I don't think there's a native kid across Canada who wasn't influenced by what they saw on TV."

Caledonia is a proving ground for many on site this week.

Now roughly 15 to 20 years old, many still with the gawky postures and prominent bones of adolescence, this group has been among the most enthusiastic foot soldiers in this standoff.

Some were arrested in this week's raid by the OPP. Many wear caps emblazoned with the starburst insignia of a warrior. A handful talk openly of war.

"The prophecies talk about a time when the children wake up," says Sewatis, a 41-year-old who has pinned his hopes to the new generation.

"They are realizing what they should do."

Sewatis is referring to people like the young woman known at this encampment as The Cook. She is a knowledgeable consumer of her nation's stories of burdens, defeats and injustice.

To her, reclaiming this half-built subdivision on behalf of her people is a sacred duty.

Rebuffing what she believes are outrageous police attacks is a responsibility that cannot be ducked.

"If we don't act, our children are going to live in war," she says. "It's necessary for us to act as a body, to get what we want, so we support each other. We don't think alone, or act alone."

Wes Hill says there is a personal penalty to pay for being at the Caledonia standoff. But to him, that's the cost of action.

"It's not going to be like it was before (in Caledonia) where you go out and say hi to people," he says.

"It will be different. People are going to be, like, 'We know who you are.'"

For Dean Doxtator, 26, the ascendance of his generation was inevitable. He cites the prophecy that Sewatis, the older protester, mentions frequently.

It's an ancient Ojibwa belief called the Seven Fires.

It says that prophets arrived at a time when the people were living a peaceful life in North America, issuing predictions of what the future would bring.

One was that a time would come when a younger generation would restore its people's pride and greatness after a period of loss, tragedy and alienation. A significant number of the younger generation at Caledonia believe they are this seventh generation.

"It was written in our prophecies that it's going to be the youth that's going to take over and lead the way," says Doxtator. "The old ones are passing on now. The youth would be taking the lead."

His own passage to this place was aided by his father's return to Six Nations when Doxtator was in high school, and his own first experience with the true traditions of his people.

Doxtator remembers the impact of going to a longhouse for the first time after growing up in London, Ont., attending a local high school and a Christian church and Sunday school.

"I was only 19, it was pretty awesome, seeing my people gathered for something like that," he says of his longhouse initiation. "That's how I found out there was more out there for myself and to help my people."

Most young people here are adamant they are protecting themselves, their rights and their people during standoffs like Caledonia.

"I would say I consider myself a man of peace engaged in an act of defence for my people," Doxtator says.

"To me, it's just something that's inside us, that has to be carried out."

For Martin-Hill, the McMaster indigenous studies expert, first nations youth are on the move in many ways.

"You have a young, very active population that tends to support each other's initiatives," she says.

They can now work as a group, telegraph each other instantly with cellphones and Blackberries, and understand more easily than their parents how the political and social levers of Canada operate -- both against them and in their favour.

Because they have been well tutored by their elders in the history and culture of oppression in which the First Nations people believe, this group also thinks communally.

"They adhere to those teachings," Martin-Hill says.

"You're going to see this very young group of people reassert their nations again."

jwalters at thespec.com

905-526-3302

Native leaders urging supporters to stay away
       
      Gary Yokoyama, the Hamilton Spectator 
      Protesters at the Argyle Street barricade called yesterday's meeting of both levels of government with hereditary chiefs a 'major victory.'
     
       
      Paul Hourigan, the Hamilton Spectator 
      Native spokesman Clyde Powless said the media, women and children were moved away from barricades for their safety.
     
     

By John Burman, Marissa Nelson and Peter Van Hearten
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
Ontario aboriginal leaders are pleading with native activists to stay away from Caledonia as the sides struggle for a peaceful resolution.

While native and government leaders spent the day in negotiations, protesters had appealed to supporters across Canada and the Northeastern U.S. to join them on the barricades around the Douglas Creek subdivision. But influential leaders in the Canadian native movement say they should stay away.

"The immediate priority at this time is to defuse the situation and avoid any physical confrontation between the protesters and the OPP," said Angus Toulouse, the Ontario Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Twenty-four hours after the OPP raided the native encampment on Argyle Street at dawn Thursday, emotions among protesters and Caledonia residents standing outside police lines yesterday were tense. Native leaders who had allowed free access to the media pushed cameras back several hundred feet from the barricade.

Clyde Powless, a spokesman for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy leading the protest, said the media as well as women and children were moved out of fear for their safety.

Late Thursday night angry townspeople were cleared away from the native barricades by the OPP to establish a buffer zone between groups.

Powless took steps to reassure the residents of Caledonia that the natives "have no desire to evict anyone from their homes.

"This is our home too," he said, adding natives feel if they do not stand up for their rights and land now, they will have nothing left in the future.

He also suggested Argyle Street and the Highway 6 bypass blocked by barricades, burnt out cars and other debris could be cleared and the barricades moved back to the original limits of the subdivision "if the government comes to us (and talks) honestly."

Federal, provincial and native representatives began talks at 10 a.m. yesterday at a Burlington hotel and remained there until well into last night.

Around lunchtime, the group made a brief public statement.

"Six Nations, Canada and Ontario are continuing our discussion, aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution for the protest," Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said, reading from a prepared joint statement. "All parties agree on the need to re-establish calm."

MacNaughton said they would continue talking as long as things were moving forward.

Late in the day, the two brothers who own Henco Industries which is developing the site, arrived at the hotel but declined to comment. Shortly after, Deputy OPP Commissioner Maurice Pilon arrived accompanied by an RCMP superintendent.

Pilon tried to allay fears, stressing "unequivocally" that police had no intention of moving back into the protest site.

"We have no immediate plans to go back in. Right now, we're trying to restore calm.

"We're hoping through negotiations the protest will subside or will be resolved," he said.

As Pilon walked out an hour later, he said the meeting was a chance for the OPP to re-establish dialogue with the natives after the raid Thursday.

But tensions ran high as RCMP officers, who Pilon said were brought to town to spell off OPP officers, were reported sitting in rented vans along a street near the rear of the encampment.

Confederacy spokesperson Janie Jamieson told the media the natives expect the RCMP are present "with weapons" to invade the camp.

"We saw in the open doors at the back of the vans they have guns," Jamieson said.

She also said the natives respect the Confederacy's ability to negotiate for them, but added no decision would be made by the leaders at the hotel -- first they will come and consult the protesters.

She called it a "major victory" that the government was meeting with the hereditary chiefs. Usually, it would be the elected band council.

Toulouse and other chiefs, responding to a request from Six Nations elected band council Chief Dave General, urged calm.

Grand Council Chief John Beaucage of Anishinabek Nation in Nipissing, who was at the protest site in Caledonia yesterday, said, "We need to see cooler heads prevail to prevent any further conflict, violence or injury. We must learn from the lessons taught to us by Dudley George."

"The immediate safety of those at the site is of the most urgent concern," said Metis Nation of Ontario President Tony Belcourt.

Toulouse said federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice needs to get involved. Natives say the land under dispute was stolen from them. Canada and Ontario, however, say the land was surrendered and sold in 1841 to help build the Plank Road (Highway 6).

Human Resources Minister and Haldimand-Norfolk MP Diane Finley said in a statement the federal government has been working behind the scenes and Prentice was in touch with David Ramsay, his provincial counterpart, she said.

Provincial Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett said both the federal and provincial governments need to stop passing the buck about who should settle the dispute.

Barrett also said that means giving more recognition to the traditional chiefs.

Meanwhile, a sympathy blockade in eastern Ontario that ground train traffic to a halt ended last night. Barricades were set up near Belleville by about 50 Mohawks from the Tyendinaga reserve about 200 kilometres east of Toronto. It disrupted freight trains and forced Via Rail to stop taking bookings for weekend travel between Quebec City to Windsor.

Via passenger trains were replaced by chartered buses, affecting some 3,500 passengers.

Burning tires and history obscure the truth
     

By DANA ROBBINS
The Hamilton Spectator
More articles by this columnist
(Apr 22, 2006) 
One of my daughters' favourite childhood memories is not a memory at all. At least, it's not their memory. It belongs to their mother and me. But so often have I told the story to them that they have appropriated the memory as their own. And they will tell you with absolute certainty, and honesty, that they remember the day that we became a family; they remember the black teddy bears with brown noses and they remember the hugs, the laughter and the tears.

Except I know they don't.

They were too young to remember that day, as extraordinarily special, even magical, as it was.

Regardless, it is very much a part of their story, a bookmark in their personal history that provides context and understanding to their lives.

Such is the way with memories. Such is the way with history. And who is to say that my memory, my truth, is more real than anyone else's? That's no existential shrug of the shoulders -- "there is no truth" -- just a simple recognition that our understanding of the present is informed by our very personal sense of the past.

And that is something of which journalists must always be mindful. Reporter Joan Walters explores that very issue today in her thoughtful analysis of the growing generational divide that is flavouring native politics in Canada, and is so much in evidence in the Caledonia occupation.

As that disturbing saga unfolded this week, it was hard not to be struck by how much the past is informing the present.

It was most evident to me as I listened to protesters on television who "remember" a history, who articulate a truth, that sometimes seemed at odds with my own.

How differently does each of us see the world?

I received a letter -- written while the barricades were still burning in Caledonia Thursday evening -- from an Ongwehoway woman who has been part of the protest. There was great emotion in her words, and much anger directed at the media for their efforts to tar the native protesters as "terrorists."

"It saddens me and disgusts me," she wrote.

Terrorists?

I was at first incredulous. But it soon gave way to profound sadness.

I've read most media reports about the Caledonia occupation that have been published in southern Ontario these past several weeks. And none I've seen have portrayed the native protesters as "terrorists." In fact, many seem sympathetic in the soft, politically correct sort of way that characterizes many media sensibilities.

But here was this young woman who saw only racism and hate in the very same coverage. She also saw cause for fear.

"The media has made such a big stink about my people saying they are willing to die for the cause," she wrote. "This is being said only because in the past our people have risen above only to be shot down -- literally."

Hers was not a lone voice. Throughout the week, it was echoed by many others whose personal sense of grievance was palpable. Sometimes the ratcheted-up emotion at the barricades expressed itself as hostility to the media covering the story. (The vehicle of one of our photographers was vandalized in one difficult altercation.)

So where does that leave us? It is tempting to dismiss individuals whose perceptions of the world are so radically different than our own. But in my own life, personal and professional, I've learned that's rarely productive. And it almost never gets us any closer to the truth.

As journalists, we have to recognize such moments as opportunities that challenge our own history, our own frame of reference, our own truths. Not easy stuff, but important.

Journalism is, ultimately, the pursuit of truth. A journey not as the crow flies, but a more circuitous one that twists and turns, and sometimes doubles back on itself, as it snakes through our personal stories and mythology and our sense of place in the world.

You can contact The Spectator's editor-in-chief at drobbins at thespec.com 905-526-3482

Sanctuary at Caledonia's neutral 'grounds'
       
      Frank Gunn, the Canadian Press 
      A Six Nations protester returns to the Caledonia barricade, bridging the great divide with cups of hot coffee for the natives.
     
     

By Susan Clairmont
The Hamilton Spectator
More articles by this columnist
CALEDONIA (Apr 22, 2006) 
Everyone has staked out their territory.

After all, land is what this is all about.

Behind a makeshift barrier of dented guard rails and rubble, the native protesters pace their ground that is part Argyle Street, part Douglas Creek housing development. Under a sometimes dark, sometimes weeping sky, they cluster at their border and warm themselves at the sacred fire. The faces come and go, but always there are at least 30 or 40 there, at the northern edge of the land they have claimed.

This is Ground Zero.

There is an amicable older man eager to chat with anyone who takes the time. There are unofficial leaders who carry two-way radios and cellphones, and are sought out by lawyers and police officers and journalists. There are children excited by the drama and the day off school.

There are runners who drive their cars for Kentucky Fried Chicken and their ATVs for more firewood.

There is a woman who shouts that she will come after anyone who takes her picture. She later stands in front of TV cameras and gives interviews.

Another woman smiles gleefully as she announces that Akwesasne Mohawks in Cornwall have just called to say they've disrupted traffic on the International Bridge there, to show their support for The Six Nations standoff.

Older women wear purple Six Nations and red Warrior flags around their shoulders like shawls. There are teenaged boys carrying clubs and bats and looking angry. And there are warriors, wearing cargo pants, bandannas over their faces, dark sunglasses and no smiles at all.

On the other side of that barricade is the territory claimed by the journalists. Dozens of them. Most would have had to look Caledonia up on a map to get here. They too have set up camp. Their satellite trucks and news cars line the road and fill a corner of the Canadian Tire parking lot. Folding chairs are put out and coolers of food and drink are opened. Rain gear is put on, taken off and then put on again.

The TV reporters do their stand-ups with the barricade in the background. The photographers take pictures of each other when there's nothing else to shoot. Occasionally, a newspaper reporter, notebook in hand, will close the gap between the media and the natives and seek out an answer or a quote. But as the day progresses, the mingling of journalists and natives lessens and the protesters step forward to talk only when it suits their fancy. When that happens, they are instantly scrummed, fresh meat thrown to a pack of hungry news gatherers who must serve something up for their next deadline.

Beyond the journalists is cop land.

Four Ontario Provincial Police cruisers, yellow tape strung tightly across the road, a half-dozen officers politely asking people to identify themselves before allowing them through. Of course, the police have more than just this turf staked out. Drive in any direction out of Caledonia and you will see cruisers or helicopters or the busy command centre set up on Unity Road.

On the other side of the OPP are the townsfolk and the territory that has been left to them. The Caledonians try to go about their day in the midst of the biggest news story in the country. They are navigating a community cut in half by road blocks. They are shopping at the stores that did open their doors. They are finding babysitters for children whose schools have been shut down. They are angry and bewildered and saddened and frustrated by the upheaval. Some are even afraid.

This is a place divided. Territories have been drawn.

Yet there is one place, one small place, that has remained neutral territory. Where things are the way they used to be. Where the natives and the OPP and the media and the townsfolk co-exist peacefully.

Over cups of coffee.

It is a lovely irony. That the most Canadian of all meeting places - Tim Hortons - has become a sanctuary on the edge of the conflict. Right there, at Ground Zero, business at the Argyle Street Tim Hortons is booming. As the temperature drops and rain begins, everyone tromps there for refuge and sustenance and a break from the action.

A table of elderly men have coffee and cookies while watching the activity out the window. They agree the drama was higher the previous day, but this afternoon's show is still worth the trip.

A Toronto Star reporter has turned a table into his newsroom. He is filing a story from his laptop, talking on his cell. Other journalists come in to thaw and buy yet another cup of tea.

Native protesters stand patiently in line behind police officers, each leaving with a tray loaded with paper cups to take back to the others.

Here, in Tim Hortons territory, there is harmony.

Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator. sclairmont at thespec.com or 905-526-3539

Activist defies court's authority
       
      Gary Yokoyama, the Hamilton Spectator 
      Alex Crawford gets a hug from his mother, Lisa. He was charged with intimidation.
     
     

Justice moved arraignment to Mohawk's cell after he refused to be fingerprinted or photographed
By Paul Legall
The Hamilton Spectator
CAYUGA (Apr 22, 2006) 
Six native activists facing criminal charges are challenging the authority of Canadian courts. One man refused to come out of his cell for a bail hearing yesterday.

The 20-year-old resident of the Kahnawake reserve south of Montreal has refused to co-operate with the authorities since the OPP arrested him for contempt of court at the Douglas Creek Estates occupation site Thursday.

He would only identify himself by his Mohawk name of Gu-Heh-D-Yo and wouldn't allow police to fingerprint or photograph him as the contempt order required.

As a result, he was charged criminally with failing to comply with a probation order.

The other five accused, who were also arrested Thursday on and off the occupation site, face charges of assault with a weapon, mischief to public property, intimidation, resisting arrest, creating a disturbance, assaulting police and dangerous driving.

They were all released on bail of $1,000 or $2,000 without actually having to put up any money and ordered to keep away from Douglas Creek Estates, which has been occupied by native protesters since Feb. 28. They were also prohibited from having firearms, crossbows, ammunition or explosives, except for a native protester who hunts as part of his survival.

The five were all ordered to return to court on May 17.

Outside the courtroom, lawyer Chris Reid told reporters the accused all believe they belong to a sovereign Mohawk nation and the Canadian laws don't apply to them. He stated in court they respected the law, however, and would abide by their bail conditions.

At least three of the accused told reporters they'd probably return to Douglas Creek, including Wayne Van Every, 30, who has been living in a tent there for 35 days.

"I don't see any reason why not. It's my land. I've got a tent pitched there for the summer."

Weighing more than 180 kilograms, Van Every said he was charged with mischief after he damaged a video camera in a police van and broke a pair of metal handcuffs. Like the others, he was held overnight in Simcoe before appearing for a bail hearing in Cayuga.

Gu-Heh-D-Yo -- also identified in court as John Doe and Nicholas Diabo -- was to appear before Justice of the Peace Paul Welsh for a bail hearing yesterday.

But he'll have to spend the weekend in custody, after refusing to leave the holding cells at the Cayuga courthouse. He will be held until his bail hearing Monday.

Welsh took the unusual step of moving the judicial party into Diabo's cell for the arraignment. Welsh also authorized police to use as much force as necessary to obtain Diabo's fingerprints and photograph.

One of the most vocal protesters, Jeff Henhawk of Caledonia, was released on $2,000 bail on charges of creating a disturbance, intimidation and assault with a weapon in relation to an incident near a Canadian Tire store in Caledonia at 8:38 a.m. Thursday.

Assistant Crown attorney Alexandra Paparella alleged that Henhawk and Alex Crawford, 18, were seen getting out of a vehicle near the store. Reading the Crown brief, she alleged Henhawk brandished a large stick while shouting at store employees and that he struck civilian and police cars with the club.

She also will try to prove Crawford, who was charged with intimidation, jumped in front of cars, waved his arms and shouted obscenities at motorists. The incident occurred less than 500 metres from the main entrance of Douglas Creek Estates after police swooped in for an early morning raid.

Released on $1,000 bail, Crawford told reporters he was reluctant to violate a court order. "I don't want to go back (to Douglas Creek) ... If I have to go, I will."

Albert Douglas, 30, who emerged from the courthouse in camouflage hunting gear, also indicated he might resume the protest.

"I live my life and will be where the people need me," said Douglas, who was released on $2,000 for charges of resisting arrest and assaulting police.

The Crown is alleging he struggled with police and wrenched an officer's leg when they arrested him at the construction site.

David Martin, 44, was released on $1,000 bail for dangerous driving. It's alleged he endangered police officers during the Thursday raid by driving his 1997 pickup truck on the construction site at excessive speeds and in an aggressive manner.

The right voices must step up
     

By Robert Howard
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
Whatever happens on Caledonia's main street in the next days or weeks, it is almost certain that the dispute and confrontation there will no longer -- if it ever could -- be resolved by police action.

Thursday morning's OPP sweep on the native protesters was, to be kind, a failure. The current escalation of tensions -- a bloodless phrase for burning tires, blockaded roads, face-to-face confrontations between angry Caledonia residents and native protesters, and moments of sheer mayhem -- makes further police action so risky as to be only a last resort.

Whatever frustrations and anger people may feel about the disruption caused by protesters, this is not - and never was - a simple matter of lawbreakers and law enforcement. The context of this protest stretches back two centuries and includes cultural differences and historical grievances.

It is about a belief held by many First Nations people that the land they had farmed, hunted, fished and lived on for generations was stolen, unlawfully sold or taken in treaties that Canada did not honour.

It is about divisions between native people. On many reserves, including Six Nations, there is widespread distrust of, and opposition in principle to, the elected band-council system imposed long ago by Ottawa.

It is about anger that natives in Canada often live worse, learn and work less, and die younger than non-natives. It is about murdered sex-trade workers in Vancouver and frozen young men in Saskatoon.

Non-natives do not share native perspectives or belief systems. But if "white" Canadians learned that the U.S. government had decided to no longer respect Canadian sovereignty, would they not feel the same visceral challenge to their traditional belief systems?

Trying to end this protest with arrests would be like trying to stamp out a brush fire: As you put one flame out, two more erupt.

So what happens now?

What began as a local protest may, as weather and tempers heat up, become a much wider furor. Already, Mohawks from the Tyendinaga reserve near Belleville have blocked a CN track, and natives on other reserves have already offered their support to the Caledonia protesters.

The Douglas Creek property may be as good as lost to development. The short-term answer may be to cede the land to Six Nations and fairly compensate developers, builders and home buyers.

In the longer, or alternative, view, there has to be meaningful discussion to bring an end to the endless talk, bluster and protest over land rights. There has to be at least talk about Ottawa recognizing natives' traditional hierarchies of clan mothers and hereditary chiefs.

Who comes to the table for these talks? The Assembly of First Nations, headed by Phil Fontaine, must be there; clan-mother representatives; hereditary chiefs, if they can choose representatives; the federal government; Band councillors and elected chiefs.

Is there someone with the national credibility to bring competing and opposing factions together?

This is not an ordinary protest and will only be resolved peacefully through extraordinary effort and goodwill on both sides.

The alternatives are too risky to contemplate.

Community polarization a major concern
     

By Lisa Boucher, Caledonia
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
I am writing this letter to express the overwhelming concern I have for the town where I grew up, developed many friendships and consider my home.

Like many, I am distressed by recent developments in Caledonia. However, what worries me most is the increasing polarization in the community.

I think it is important to remember that the group of protesters who are occupying the land in Caledonia are a select few. If put on the spot, many would acknowledge this.

Unfortunately, I have recently witnessed many comments which generalize all natives as participating in this demonstration and which perpetuate racist stereotypes.

I am sure that most people who now live in Caledonia have many friends who are from the Six Nations community, and yet, recent events have seemed to make some people forget this.

Recognize that when a comment is made which stereotypes certain people, this is an act of violence.

I am sure this is not something one would want to do to one's friends; however, I have seen this occur many times in the last 52 days. Of course tensions are high in town right now and emotions are fragile; however, discriminating against others is not going to make these tensions go away. This is what brought us to this situation in the first place.

So, the next time you feel a need to voice your opinions concerning the protest in Caledonia, please choose your words carefully. Remember that the way we react to this situation determines who we are and the kind of community we live in.

I, for one, do not want to live in a community of hate and discrimination; I would rather work toward building one based on understanding and compassion.

A cry for help in a troubled town
     

By Jeff Byers, Caledonia
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
Someone help us. We Caledonians are being held hostage in our own town. Residents are frightened to move freely through town.

Businesses are not busy. Our children are shut out of their schools. Neighbours are leaving their lights on at night.

Residents near the barricades are being intimidated and yelled at by masked protesters.

Even the Hell's Angels came because they feel at home in our "Wild West" lawless town.

Who will be our Wyatt Earp? Will it be Prime Minister Stephen Harper? Premier Dalton McGuinty? OPP Commissioner Gwen Boniface?

Whoever it is, come quickly.

And justice for all?
     

By Warren Sault, Brantford
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
Re: 'Rally urges action to end occupation' (April 5)

I read with interest your coverage of the protest against the native occupation in Caledonia. Although the article and, presumably, the protest attempted to keep racial undertones limited, one can't help but wonder what motivated the protesters?

It's not often you see a protest against protesters.

Some residents of Caledonia seem to have forgotten a time when the town's economy was, at least partially, dependent on the Six Nations residents. Maybe it has never been acknowledged.

The Caledonia protesters stated: "We Want Our Town Back" and "Put an End to this Now." They claimed they have been blocked from their homes and land for a month. They claimed the protest is hurting businesses and homeowners financially. They called for justice -- immediate action and return of their town and land.

Ironically, the native protest is saying the same thing. But First Nations have been denied access to their lands, their homes and economic opportunity for decades, if not centuries.

The land claim process in Canada is an acknowledgment that First Nations have had land removed from their rightful possession by non-fulfillment of agreements, breach of law, error, omission, misappropriation, or, in some cases, outright fraud.

But the Caledonia protesters call for justice requiring immediate action and return of their town and land stands in sharp contrast to what the Six Nations and other First Nations across Canada have endured under this process:

* There are hundreds, if not thousands, of land claims before the federal government.

* The federal government settles a limited number of claims per year and First Nations with legitimate claims face the further passing of decades prior to settlement.

* Even when a legitimate land claim is recognized and approved for settlement by the federal government, it takes decades to resolve.

* Federal land claims policy will not negotiate settlement on financial costs due to loss of use.

* Federal land claim policy will not consider return of land to First Nation possession.

>From the perspective of First Nations people, non-native people are occupying their land -- in Caledonia, Toronto, Ontario and across Canada, with little chance of immediate settlement and no chance of return of the land.

If the protesters get their "justice" and an immediate return of their town and land, it will be clear that "justice" moves much faster for certain members of Canadian society than for others.

Call off the cops
     

By Chris Borst, Hamilton
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
It is with fury and despair that I read of the police raid at Douglas Creek Estates.

For once, a political dispute with a First Nation was being dealt with as a political dispute, to be solved by politicians, rather than as a law-and-order problem to be solved by cops.

It was the obvious and appropriate way to deal with the conflict.

Then the police had to go and foul it all up, to everyone's loss.

The police should withdraw immediately and entirely.

And whoever ordered this idiotic raid -- whether they be the politicians or police -- should resign immediately.

Cooler heads must prevail
     

By Michael Moniz, Stoney Creek
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
Up until Wednesday, I was sympathetic with the native protesters.

I understood their protest and respected it, even if I didn't agree with their methods.

But all that went up in smoke with the tire fire they set and with the pushing of a minivan off an overpass.

The Ontario Provincial Police was enforcing a court order that should have been enforced right from the get go.

Granted the natives have a right to be angry about it.

But if this is their reaction to a lawful enforcement of a legal injunction, then we all should be prepared for the worst -- which means in the end that natives and non-natives will all be losers in what looks to be a game of chicken.

To the OPP, proceed with caution and restraint, but enforce the law.

To the protesters, continue down this path and watch the support of average Canadians like me, who supported your protest at one time, turn into anger.

May cooler heads on both sides prevail.

Remove the barricades and get back to peaceful protests
     

By Elizabeth Cabral, Hamilton
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
I can't stop shaking my head in disbelief over the events in Caledonia during the last few days.

Whatever happened to "we're a peaceful people?" Isn't that what the protesters kept saying all along? Masked natives burning bridges, throwing a van from an overpass, barricades -- does this sound "peaceful?"

And what's up with the Steelworkers Local 1005 flags? They have no business being there. They should be concerned with upcoming contract negotiations. My husband's job is on the line at Stelco. Rolf Gerstenberger was not elected to go protest with the natives.

We need to stop this now. Remove the barricades and clean up that mess. Let the clan mothers end this peacefully.

Police raid only served to aggravate the situation
     

By Anwar Syed Ahmed, Hamilton
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
For years, Six Nation members have been trying to peacefully negotiate a resolution with the government over a piece of land in Caledonia. This area was granted to the Iroquois by the British in the 18th century as a token of appreciation for their help in fighting the Americans.

Instead of protecting this historical site, this land was sold off to local developers to build houses.

The Thursday morning raid conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police was irresponsible and has made the situation worse. In fact, according to the Canadian constitution, the province has no right to interfere with native issues. This task is left for the federal government and, hence, the military.

The Canadian constitution reads "The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed." Six Nations people have the right to protest and regain their land.

Canadians are known around the world for our kindness and yet there were people on television screaming insults at the natives. We, as Canadians, should be grateful to the natives for surrendering their sovereignty of this nation. Prime Minister Stephen Harper must intervene before this escalates and innocent people die.

Shades of Ipperwash
     

By Mary-Lou Lapratte, Ipperwash
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
History repeats itself in Caledonia. The methods of intimidation and militant activity employed at Ipperwash are being used today in Caledonia.

Colour of right is an effective tool to bring native issues to the forefront. It should never be allowed to legitimize criminal offences.

There are legal avenues for First Nations to address their concerns. Natives approaching police with crowbars, axes and boards must be termed armed and dangerous.

Burning tires on a road, blocking public access and closing down businesses are also against the law.

The residents and businesses in Caledonia deserve peaceful enjoyment of their homes and property. They have a right to safety of their person and possessions.

In trying to ensure these rights for us in Ipperwash, the police were rendered impotent because the provincial and federal governments ignored the plight of innocent people.

In the final analysis, the only thing that mattered to the authorities was the safety of the police and politicians. What has happened to the rule of law? No one should be above it. Violence and breaking the law must not be tolerated.

Some protesters reject a peaceful resolution
     

By Allen Hayes, Hamilton
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 22, 2006) 
It is becoming increasingly clear that at least some of the native protesters in Caledonia do not want a peaceful resolution to the issue.

These people maintain that the Ontario Provincial Police attempt to enforce a lawful court order has been an attack on them, and a breach of the peace.

They must understand that defiance of a court order is not just an affront, but an attack against democracy.

The police must react to this direct attack by the natives against democratic values.

Although many of us in the non-native community have sympathies with the land claims of the First Nations, that sympathy ends when illegal occupiers refuse to follow democratic means to achieve their ends.

Blackmail is the only term for their present actions.

And this must be answered in any way necessary to restore peace and normality which the rest of us are entitled to expect.

The OPP have been extraordinarily patient in allowing the political process a chance to resolve the impasse.

But these efforts have shown no progress.

Any negative results that occur as a result of removing the lawbreakers must now be laid at the doorstep of the natives.

For Immediate Release

Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake - (Onerahtóhkha/April 20, 2006)
On April 18th, 2006, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council at Grand River announced that the Governments of Canada and Ontario have pulled out of talks concerning the recent land repossession at Caledonia, ON.

With talks abruptly ending in this manner, it became apparent that the Government of Canada was not interested in seeking a peaceful resolve to this issue and have elected a violent imposition of their will.

At approximately 4:30am, the Ontario Provincial Police launched a violent attack upon occupants of the repossessed Haudenosaunee territory at Caledonia.  The occupants there were unarmed and peaceful.  Upon learning of this violent attack, the Rotisken'rakéhte of Kahnawake mobilized to discuss security measures to prevent any further violence in Caledonia and Grand River.

It was resolved that the Rotisken'rakéhte at Kahnawake shall establish defensive vigils at each entry point within our territory in support of our brothers and sisters at Caledonia.  We wish to make clear that this is strictly a defensive measure to ensure that no further violence is initiated by the Governments of Canada and Ontario upon our people.

The Rotisken'rakéhte at Kahnawake urge the Governments of Canada and Ontario to stop any further plans to invade our territories. Furthermore, we insist on the Government of Canada to return to talks with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council to resolve this issue in a peaceful manner.

For more information, please contact the Mohawk Nation Office; 

Secretariat for the People of the Longhouse at 450.632.7639.

Men's Council Fire
Kahnawake Branch of the Mohawk Nation
Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy



Liberals learned from Ipperwash
      Apr. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM
      IAN URQUHART
      Toronto Star
       

      What goes around comes around. 

      In opposition, the Liberals made hay at the expense of the governing Conservatives over their handling of the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park by native protestors, one of whom was killed by a police bullet. 

      Now the Liberals are in power and have their own messy native occupation to deal with - this time in Caledonia, a small community south of Hamilton. 

      No one was killed in the early morning hours yesterday in Caledonia, although there were injuries on both sides as OPP officers stormed the occupants and forced them out, only to be driven out themselves shortly thereafter. 

      And, as at Ipperwash, the two sides are now digging in for what could be a long stand-off. 

      But the response of the Liberal government to the Caledonia incident was 180 degrees different from the Conservative reaction to Ipperwash. 

      First of all, the police moved much more slowly at Caledonia - more than seven weeks after the occupation had begun and several weeks after a court had issued an injunction against it. 

      In contrast, within 24 hours of the occupation of Ipperwash, the Conservatives were pressing government officials (including some seconded police officers) for a quick response, and the OPP stormed the site three days later, before an injunction was even issued. 

      The Liberals, saying they have learned from the Ipperwash debacle, took a hands-off approach to the Caledonia occupation and refrained from sending the police messages, directly or indirectly. 

      "This police action comes completely independent of me, my office, or my government," said Premier Dalton McGuinty in the Legislature yesterday. 

      No one seriously doubts that. 

      And while McGuinty was careful not to criticize the OPP, it seems likely he was not pleased to hear about the storming of the Caledonia site while still at home early yesterday. 

      For the day before, Toby Barrett, Conservative MPP for the Caledonia area, said in the Legislature in reference to the ongoing native occupation: "I get the impression your government is being held hostage. This is a sign of weakness and vulnerability." 

      To which McGuinty responded: "We will respond in a responsible fashion. We will be mindful of the public safety issues and we'll be mindful of the fact that no harm ever comes from sitting down and talking and working together with a determination to resolve it peacefully." 

      Unless he was setting himself up to look stupid, as he said that McGuinty could not have known that the police were about to try to end the occupation by force. 

      The question remains just why the police did decide to end the occupation yesterday. 

      After apparently breaking off earlier in the week, talks between the native occupants and representatives of the federal and provincial governments had resumed at nine o'clock the night before the police action. 

      Earlier the day before, the developers who own the land under occupation had threatened to sue the OPP if the police did not move to enforce the injunction and oust the occupants. But it seems unlikely the mere threat of a lawsuit would have prompted the OPP. 

      Explained OPP deputy commissioner Maurice Pilon: "We felt the risk to public safety was heightening." But when he was asked to elaborate, he said this was "information we'd rather keep to ourselves at this point." 

      Regardless, the Liberals worked hard to get the message across yesterday that they had nothing to do with it. 

      Perhaps to a fault. 

      Asked yesterday if the talks the night before had broken up in disarray - which would help explain the police action the following morning - David Ramsay, minister responsible for native affairs, said: "I don't know." 

      That's something the minister should know. His officials were at the table. 

      But with Ipperwash in mind, the Liberals seem more concerned about staying at arms length from Caledonia than in resolving the dispute. 

      "They have created a climate of everyone sitting on their butts," grumbled Conservative House leader Bob Runciman, who was solicitor-general at the time of Ipperwash. 

      The Liberals can only hope that Caledonia does not turn out like Ipperwash, where, 11 years later, the park remains occupied while a public inquiry into the incident grinds on.

STANDOFF AT CALEDONIA

      'We were upholding our law'
      KATE HARRIES 

      Special to The Globe and Mail, with files from Timothy Appleby

      CALEDONIA, ONT. -- As a carnival atmosphere prevailed under a pall of smoke at a construction site reclaimed by Six Nations activists yesterday, police faced questions about a predawn raid that appears to have backfired dramatically. 

      Basking in one of the first days of warm sunny weather, occupiers celebrated having held their ground against the raid by heavily armed police. 

      "It was awesome, it was beautiful. We were upholding our law," said Hazel Hill as she described how people from the nearby reserve marched against Ontario Provincial Police officers, who withdrew within hours of a surprise 4:30 a.m. raid. 

      Deputy OPP Commissioner Maurice Pilon conceded yesterday that what began as a peaceful occupation didn't look so peaceful after the police action. As to why the OPP moved on the occupied site, police indicated that they believed the risk to public safety had heightened. 

      "Over the last few days, we did see some escalation of activity that gave us cause for concern," Deputy Commissioner Pilon said. He refused to elaborate. 

      OPP Sergeant Dave Rektor confirmed later that New York licence plates were seen around the site. 

      Mohawk warriors from other reserves have been there since Feb. 28 when the protest started. The occupiers have said they are there to protect women and children. 

      A pall of smoke from several tire fires lit by the protesters in the aftermath of the raid hung over this quiet community 20 kilometres south of Hamilton, and Highway 6 remained barricaded to traffic all day. The protesters tipped a van over a bridge and toppled some hydro poles onto a bypass around the town. 

      Police were executing two injunctions obtained by Henco Industries, which owns the property that the protesters say was stolen from Six Nations in 1841. They arrested 16 people on the site, most of whom were released on their own recognizance after being held in police wagons in Cayuga for several hours. 

      Some others were arrested off the site later, Sgt. Rektor said, refusing to elaborate.

      Lawyer Steve Reynolds said approximately seven people remain in custody at the Simcoe Detention Centre and are to appear in Cayuga court today. They face charges ranging from mischief to assaulting a police officer. 

      Three officers suffered minor injuries, with one needing stitches to the head after being hit with what Deputy Commissioner Pilon described as a bag of rocks. 

      Protesters say police used excessive force when they moved in around 4:30 a.m., citing injuries from pepper spray, kicks and punches. 

      Deputy Commissioner Pilon said the officers used "tremendous restraint."

      Sgt. Rektor said that, initially, a minimum amount of force was needed, but when the occupiers regrouped and became more confrontational, the least necessary force was used and "we still treated them with restraint and respect." 

      Several people interviewed, all from Six Nations, described occupiers being thrown to the ground, kicked and punched. "I see women getting hurt, I see children getting hurt," said Eric Van Every. 

      Ken, who would not give his last name, had covered his face with a bandana and displayed a bandaged hand because of what he said were chemical burns from pepper spray deployed by an aboriginal officer after he resisted arrest. 

      Henry Hill said he was "tasered" four times in the back when he went to the rescue of his stepmother, Ms. Hill, who was being held down by officers. 

      Shortly after, hundreds of people emerged from the neighbouring Six Nations lands and pushed police back. 

      Police would not disclose how many officers were at the scene. Protesters estimated their own numbers at from 200 to 400. 

      Police were armed with M16 rifles, tear gas, pepper spray and Taser guns, Mr. Van Every said. Some protesters had clubs and axes, police said, though according to Mr. Van Every most were unarmed. 

      "What we had was pretty much people's bodies. We were just singing." 

      "It was people power," said another protester. "Pretty much just numbers," Mr. Van Every said. "We were pretty much one-for-one with those cops." 

      Ms. Hill said the protesters offered the police a chance to move their vehicles out. She said she was set upon when she went to deliver a message to a group of officers that they should also leave. 

      A 19-year-old white supporter who would identify himself only as Will was one of those arrested. He said he was asleep in his tent at the blockade site when police arrived suddenly, with overwhelming force. "The whole street was loaded with cop cars. We didn't get any warning from the people who were standing guard." 

      He said police told them to get off the property. "I was walking off," he said, when he was grabbed by an officer. "I told him to get his hands off me, that was enough to get me arrested." 

      Will said he and around a dozen others were held for several hours in a police wagon at the Cayuga detachment before being processed and released. He said he signed an agreement not to return to the disputed property. 

      But he did. "It's not their right," he said of police. "They're in no position to make that demand. Like, I was invited by the people who actually own this land." 

      Among the mostly white Caledon residents, sympathies were mixed.

      "What I'm nervous of now is the OPP going in with guns. The natives don't make me nervous at all," said Kathy Maher, a thirtysomething woman who rents a house on the edge of the disputed property and witnessed part of the early-morning confrontation. 

      "It was all peaceful until this morning."

      Her friend Jim Meyer concurred. "I don't understand why [authorities] are not just showing them [the protesters] the bill of sale and saying, 'Here's where the money went,' They've been asking for the records for years." 

      Others, less sympathetic, thought the police action was overdue. "If they were going to go in and do this, they should have done it sooner," said a Caledonia-area resident who did not want to be identified. 

      "Now [the protesters] have had a chance to get organized. I'm not against native rights, but what about my right to go about my life, and drive down the road without getting turned back at a roadblock?" 

      Deputy Commissioner Pilon confirmed that the raid came the morning after talks between Six Nations representatives and federal and provincial government officials. "There were talks going on last night and those did not lead to resolution of the land issue," he said. 

      The Confederacy chiefs, who are the traditional government at Six Nations, issued a release yesterday expressing disappointment at the police action. "We believe we were within reach of a peaceful resolution." Another meeting is set for today, the statement said. 

      Elected Chief Dave General, in a statement released by the Chiefs of Ontario, asked that supporters from other native communities not travel to the Caledonia site because the immediate priority is to defuse the situation and avoid any physical confrontation between the protesters and OPP.


      Standoff at Caledonia
      McGuinty comes under fire in legislature as natives resist predawn OPP raid
      KAREN HOWLETT, Globe and Mail

      With reports from Gloria Galloway and Canadian Press

      TORONTO -- The worst confrontation between Ontario police and natives since an aboriginal protester was shot dead a decade ago has landed on the doorstep of Premier Dalton McGuinty, just one day after he pledged a peaceful resolution. 

      A police raid intended to remove a score of occupiers from a disputed tract of land in Southwestern Ontario yesterday morning ended with more than 200 people from the Six Nations reserve regaining control amid scenes of burning tires, overturned vehicles and shaken police officers.

      The ghost of the Ipperwash tragedy came back to haunt the government as Mr. McGuinty was grilled during Question Period over what role, if any, his cabinet played in the police raid and why he had not resolved a dispute that has been simmering for more than a year.

      "Yesterday you promised, as you should, that your government would make every effort to find a peaceful resolution to this," Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said in the legislature. 

      "Now, when we have reports of massive tire fires, pepper spray, taser-gun use, helicopters and fighting, can you tell us, after a year of inaction by your government, what are your government's plans to carry on with those talks that you say have been going on for some time?"

      Mr. McGuinty said Wednesday afternoon that he would take all the time needed to peacefully resolve the long-standing protest over land adjoining a Six Nations reserve in Caledonia, south of Hamilton. But, by yesterday, an occupation now in its 52nd day in the quiet community had escalated into an angry confrontation after police staged a predawn raid.

      Mr. McGuinty agreed that the move by the Ontario Provincial Police came remarkably close upon the heels of discussions over the past five weeks aimed at settling the dispute.

      "I want to be perfectly clear in this regard, this police action comes completely independent of me, my office or my government," he said.

      The raid immediately invoked comparisons to the tragedy at Ipperwash Provincial Park 11 years ago, when Dudley George was killed by a police sniper. A public inquiry is examining that incident, including the question of what role politicians played in the OPP decision to march on the unarmed native protesters occupying the Ipperwash campground.

      Equipped since March 28 with a court order to clear the property, the OPP had been given a free hand in deciding whether -- and when -- to evict the protesters, both the Premier and senior OPP officers said. 

      Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter echoed the Premier's comments, adding that he received no advance warning. He said he learned of the raid roughly an hour after it was under way.

      "I can say unequivocally that the OPP were never ordered to do anything," Mr. Kwinter said in the legislature. He said the OPP operate as an independent police force. "It is paramount there be no political interference with police services." 

      OPP officers swooped down on the Douglas Creek housing development at 4:30 yesterday morning and removed 16 protesters occupying the land. The raid came just hours after a meeting among negotiators representing the government and Six Nations members broke up shortly after midnight.

      Mr. Tory asked the Premier why he did nothing about the matter when government officials were aware of it for more than a year.

      Mr. McGuinty responded that the individuals involved in the dispute regard his government as secondary players. "They insist on being dealt with as a nation," he said. "They want to deal with the government of Canada on a nation-to-nation basis."

      Gilles Bisson, the New Democrats' aboriginal affairs critic, said the raid has inflamed the situation and made it much more difficult for negotiators to reach a settlement.

      "He has failed the test of leadership and let a dispute boil over into a crisis," he said.

      Mr. McGuinty said all stakeholders, including federal and provincial officials, will meet again today with protesters. Mr. Tory urged both the federal and provincial governments to work harder to resolve the matter.

      Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his government was watching the situation in Caledonia carefully following calls by Mr. McGuinty for Ottawa to become more involved.

      "This is a matter before the courts and the removal today was an action of the provincial authorities in Ontario," Mr. Harper told reporters after a noon-hour speech in Montreal.

      Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has so far called the Caledonia situation a provincial matter.

      "Like all Canadians, I have watched and been concerned and will continue to monitor the situation," he said during a media teleconference yesterday.

      "We've had representatives involved in discussions up to this point and we'll continue to watch the situation as it unfolds."

      Aboriginal bodies outside Ontario expressed vocal support for the protesters in Caledonia yesterday. 

      A statement from Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine described the situation in Caledonia as "worrisome" and called on the federal government to intervene "because any issues relating to First Nations lands are issues between First Nations and the federal government."

            LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

            Thursday 20 April 2006 

            NATIVE LAND DISPUTE

            Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My question is to the Premier. Canadian Press describes this Ontario scene this morning: "Police helicopters roared overhead as defiant native protesters climbed atop buildings and set tires ablaze.... The angry protesters used a large dump truck and a massive tire fire to block a road leading to a housing project...."

            On any other day, no subject would be too small to fill in a few minutes in the ministerial statement period, but on this one we hear nothing from you or any of your ministers. Can you give us an update on the Caledonia situation?

            Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): I know the leader of the official opposition raises an important issue and I'm sure many Ontarians will be made aware of this either during the course of the day or through the evening news. Let me at the outset provide some information with respect to the genesis of the police action itself.

            There are three points I want to make in this regard. First of all, it comes after discussions to settle this matter had taken place over a five-week period. Secondly, it comes after an order sought by a private party was issued by the courts requiring the OPP to take action. Finally, and I want to be perfectly clear in this regard, this police action comes completely independent of me, my office or my government.

            We were notified of the police action this morning while it was in progress, or immediately after it. That was the first indication we had that the police had in fact gone in.

            Mr. Tory: That, of course, is as it should be. I would like to go back, though, a bit in time and refer you, Premier, to a newspaper article that was in the Tekawennake -- the Teky -- newspaper, in which they have recently reported that Chief Dave General of the Six Nations wrote letters to your minister responsible for aboriginal affairs and your Minister of Public Infrastructure when he first became aware of the potential confrontation in 2005. According to this article, your government has known about this conflict and the potential it represented for an explosive situation for roughly a year now, but it appears that nothing has been done until very recently. Yesterday you promised, as you should, that your government would make every effort to find a peaceful resolution to this. Now, when we have reports of massive tire fires, pepper spray, taser gun use, helicopters and fighting, can you tell us, after a year of inaction by your government, what your government's plans are to carry on with those talks that you say have been going on for some time and to achieve the peaceful resolution that you said yesterday you were committed to achieving?

            Hon. Mr. McGuinty: I'm pleased to speak to this issue and to report that there's another meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock involving all the parties. It has been our position throughout that we should continue to talk.

            What the leader of the official opposition should understand is that the individuals involved are treating the province of Ontario and our government at best as secondary players in this matter. They insist on being dealt with as a nation. They want to deal with the government of Canada on a nation-to-nation basis. In fact, there was a statement made by Janie Jamieson, the spokesman for the protesters, on Newsworld today where she said, "As far as the province goes, we are a sovereign nation. We always have been. We've already established that. That's why we have a seat at the United Nations. Canada knows that. They're trying to diminish our sovereignty by making us speak with the province, and it's something we will not do."

            We will continue to participate in discussions, though.

            Mr. Tory: I would hope that the Premier's last comments quoting Ms. Jamieson don't indicate that you're going to, in any way, abdicate or withdraw from a process where you quite properly should have a role in trying to continue to achieve a peaceful resolution.

            I wonder, though, because I referred you to the article that came out in 2005 and to the letters written to your ministers in 2005, whether you might comment on the fact that your government and your ministers have known about the situation for a year. The occupation itself began 51 days ago and the talks have gone on, as you said, for five weeks, but a year ago your ministers knew about this and have done clearly nothing to prevent this from happening. Now we find ourselves in a situation where you have someone saying they won't deal with you, where you have tasers and fighting and tire fires and pepper spraying and so forth. Why did your government have this material for a year and do nothing about it? What kind of leadership is that?

            Hon. Mr. McGuinty: I know that the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs can speak to this. 

            Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): I say respectfully to the Leader of the Opposition that you are misinformed. We have had a process in place involving both the provincial government and the federal government called the exploration. This involved Chief David General, the duly elected council and all parties, negotiating and discussing the land claim issue and the accounting claim that came from that. What precipitated this protest is that one faction in that community was impatient with the progress of that process, but there has been a process involved, and Chief General -- somebody I talk to on a regular basis -- will tell you that he has been very pleased with the progress of those discussions.

            
            Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My question again is for the Premier. We were informed yesterday -- in fact, in the days earlier this week -- that quite a lot of police resources had been allocated and reassigned to be at the ready in case something needed to take place in Caledonia. I wanted to ask you two questions in that regard. The first would be, since we knew this information, and I think others did as well, when was the first time anybody in your government knew about this operation that took place early this morning? Secondly, could you comment on the impact that this reallocation of police resources will have for some of the rural and small-town parts of the province? Because people who are reallocated to this situation are not available -- 

            Interjections.

            Mr. Tory: I know the members of the government think it's a very funny matter, but there are towns in rural parts of this province -- 

            The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Order, Minister of Health, Minister of Agriculture. I need to be able to hear the Leader of the Opposition place his question.

            The Leader of the Opposition.

            Mr. Tory: My question is, can you comment on whether or not this will have a long-standing or an anticipated long-lasting impact on the ability to police properly in other parts of the province, since substantial resources have been reallocated to deal with this situation? That's all I'm asking for. I don't know why the members of the government are so insensitive to the needs of rural Ontario.

            Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): To the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

            Hon. Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services): The Leader of the Opposition asks a couple questions, and I'm not exactly sure which one he wants me to answer, but I'll try the first one and maybe in the supplementary I'll get to the second one. His first question was, when did we find out that this was happening? I should tell you that ever since this incident arose and the occupation took place 51 days ago, I have been kept apprised of the situation, to let me know that there is a risk. Other members of the government -- the Minister of Natural Resources -- and federal and provincial members have been meeting to try to resolve this situation.

            In all cases, you know, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It would be irresponsible for the OPP not to be able to make sure that, if there is a problem, they are able to respond. The question is, does that mean they've drawn off other areas? Obviously, the forces that were in Caledonia were not adequate, but they are also very cognizant of their responsibility to everybody in Ontario. They have the ability to do that, and I have all the confidence in the world that -- 

            The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Thank you, Minister. Supplementary?

            Mr. Tory: The fact is, he asked me which one I wanted an answer to and I got an answer to neither of the questions, but never mind. Let's go back over it; I'll just review the two questions you were asked. The first one was: You said you were in constant touch. When did you know they were going to move on the operation they moved on at 5:30 this morning? And can you simply assure us? I think it's a fair question. I think people in this province -- there's a major roadway that is closed. There are acts of civil disobedience taking place: pepper-spraying, tire fires, people fighting and so forth. I think we have a right to know, from the Premier of this province and from his ministers, what is going on here, going forward with respect to efforts to resolve it, and whether people can be confident that policing resources are available in all the different communities to make sure the province is well looked after as a whole -- simple questions.

            Hon. Mr. Kwinter: I answered the last question he just posed in my first response. I told you that I have confidence that the OPP -- I'm satisfied that they have resources to make sure there is no impact on the rest of the province. That is part of their operations. Secondly, when did I know about it? I found out about it after the OPP had moved in to remove the protesters. That was at about 6 o'clock this morning. That was a call to me to tell me it had happened. I had no pre-knowledge that it was going to happen. It happened. It's a police operation. I have no responsibility or ability to interfere with police operations. It's an operational issue for the OPP, and they have a responsibility to the people of Ontario that is independent of this political discussion that is taking place, with the meetings that are going on to discuss land claims and everything else. They have a responsibility to provide public safety. They have to make that determination without any political interference, and that's what they did.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE: April 21, 2006
________________________________________________
United Native Nations puts pressure on Feds to negotiate with Six Nations and remove OPP

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, April 21st, 2006) The United Native Nations in British Columbia insists the Federal Government to negotiate with the leaders of Six Nations on a Nation-to-Nation basis to defuse the situation at Caledonia, Ontario.

"I have seen first-hand in 2001 at Burnt Church, New Brunswick, the violence put upon our people by the Government of Canada" says David Dennis Vice- President of United Native Nations

The land conflict in Six Nations Territory is parallel to First Nations' land conflicts in British Columbia.  As it is presently, rather than the intervention of the Federal Government to address the underlying issues of denial of our title, these conflicts become an exercise of enforcement where the police are brought in as a short-term means of 
resolution.

We call for the safety for the Six Nations women, children and families. We as Indian people will go to ANY measures to ensure their safety. We will hold this government accountable for any expenditure through the RCMP that results in any harm done to the people of Six Nations. There are over 90,000 urban aboriginals in the greater Vancouver Area. The frustration of our impoverished situations may come to a boiling point should the Six Nations situation be resolved in a heavy-handed manner.

We call for peace and calm. The Federal Government and Prime Minister Harper must act honourably and consult all leadership within Six Nations to prevent any further incursions.

David Dennis, Vice-President, United Native Nations
Vancouver, BC
Cell:(604) 868- 4283
Tel: (604) 688-1821
Fax: (604) 688-1823

Six Nations: 'They've started a war!'
© Indian Country Today April 21, 2006. All Rights Reserved
Posted: April 21, 2006
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today

The recent massive early morning police raid on an encampment of Indian protesters at Six Nations Reserve in Canada left little doubt that authorities in that country are ready to play hardball over Indian claims, particularly when people make a stand over long-simmering disputes.

The police action struck with abrupt violence the morning of April 20. Armed and with weapons drawn, hundreds of Ontario Provincial Police invaded the encampment, clashing with activists at approximately 4 a.m. Arrests took place and at least one clan mother was reported as injured during the assault. The Six Nations quickly regrouped and
within hours, hundreds more arrived to reinforce and retake the disputed property. Tires were set ablaze on the main road, Highway 6, which runs through town.

As of the deadline for this edition, it is being reported that as many as 1,000 OPP are suiting up in riot gear for another charge on the compound, while perhaps as many Native protesters have come in to support their compatriots.

Canada, it would appear, has another Indian war in the making. Reports confirmed that the warriors at the encampment kept their no-weapons stance as police moved in. However, the early morning raid unleashed a massive wave of sympathy for the beleaguered Native occupants, who were quickly reinforced by Six Nations residents, who formed a solid line and ''walked back'' the police from the contested camp area.

The OPP raid was the worst possible move to make at this juncture; it has already produced an intense radicalization at the Six Nations Reserve, and a response is forthcoming from other Haudenosaunee communities.

The ''end-game'' raid attempt on the encampment was predictable after talks between the protesters and Canadian authorities broke down two days earlier. What is less predictable is the reaction by activists and warriors across the Six Nations, where the argumentation against peaceful protest and in favor of physical confrontation will no doubt
intensify.

Shame on Canada. Shame on a policy of carrot-and-stick against Natives that promises justice but only delivers the violence of the haughty and mighty.

Canada, like most every country in the Americas, sometimes has to face the reality of its sordid policy of dismantling the rightful land properties of Native peoples. Sometimes brusquely - by war - but in the past century, mostly by stealth and encroachment, First Nations peoples have seen first ''the Crown'' and then Canada pretend to own lands that were clearly Indian property and over which Indian title has not been relinquished.

Like most tribal peoples with small populations surrounded by huge numbers of non-Natives, the often divided governments on the Six Nations Reserve have not always been able to save reservation properties from being annexed by local townships, but in the ever-present tribal memory the lands in question have not been relinquished but have been taken by force or by trickery - an insult of cultural memory and these days a contentious issue as the Indian population grows and new families want to expand their generations within Indian jurisdictions.

At Six Nations of the Grand River within Ontario - the most populous Indian community in Canada - the tenacious reality of tribal memory over land ownership and lingering questions over the theft of Indian lands, first by the British Crown and then the Canadian government, exploded into a physical standoff between some traditional authorities 
based on the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, backed up by warrior groups from various Indian communities, and the local, provincial and federal police forces.

The standoff at the encampment to stop a housing complex on contested land is going into its second month. While the occupying group had announced a no-guns policy, the potential for further violence is high, as local residents continue to clamor for police action. 


The contention over the particular tract of land goes back 165 years. It is one of several under claim by the Six Nations Band Council and forms part of the nearly 95 percent of Six Nations Reserve lands taken with impunity after promised and granted by Canada. The Six Nations Reserve contains 46,500 acres currently, less than 5 percent of the land granted to people of Haudenosaunee nations who had fought as allies to Britain in the Revolutionary War.

The study of land holding by Native and non-Native experts is quite precise, and yet opinions on recovery strategies vary among groups - within and outside the reserve.

In the present case, protest was triggered by the construction of a massive housing subdivision in Caledonia, the Douglas Creek Estates (Henco Industries), of which 10 out of a projected 600 houses have been built. A number of clan mothers and other traditional authorities, based in the confederacy, along with young leaders, sought to challenge a new reality that would seem to finalize a process of encroachment over one of several contested tracts. They called for an encampment on the land, a call accompanied by intense emotion among Indian people of all political persuasions; and many have responded, including warrior groups from reservations across the Northeast.

The encampment, which has fluctuated between several dozen to several hundred people, asserts a position that the land has been effectively ''reclaimed.''

The Canadian government should pay off the developer and all construction should cease. This strict Haudenosaunee position, appreciable for its righteousness, leaves little room for compromise at this time and is seen by some media as recalcitrance on the part of a warriors' movement that has had serious clashes with Canadian law enforcement in the past.

There had also been reasonable concern for the multimillion dollar business investment made by the developer in the case, Henco Industries, who merely intended to operate within a legality guaranteed by the federal government, which has ignored legitimate claims of many Indian bands for decades.

Tellingly, the painstaking research conducted by an office of the band council over the years has uncovered a good case that the disputed land tract - Hamilton/Port Dover Plank Road - was never intended for sale but only for lease by the Six Nations government of the reserve during the 1840s.

Six Nations land issues expert Phil Montour shared this with our network: ''The last correspondence of record with the government of Canada as relates to the Hamilton/Port Dover Plank Road lands was in a Six Nations meeting as held at the Onondaga Council House on October 31, 1844, in which the Chiefs explicitly stated: 'the Plank Road Lots
from the River at the Caledonia Bridge to the Walpole Townline, that is lots on the west side of the Road, be kept and that the lands comprising the pieces described be leased and not sold.''' 

Hopefully, increased reconciliation of strategic objectives can be forthcoming among the various Indian entities represented in the issue. An online report by Kahentinetha Horn, an impassioned Mohawk voice from Caughnawaga, detailed the rejection by the confederacy group at the encampment of some interesting points offered by the government: ''Ontario representative, Doug Carr, assistant deputy minister and secretary of aboriginal affairs, told [the encampment leaders and band council representatives] what the Ontario government was prepared to offer which in part was a land swap of 6,500 acres (some land in Cayuga, Burtch and another parcel for the 130 acres at Douglas Creek.'' The government would also see that ''water mains from the house development site be extended into Six Nations as well.''

An impromptu vote by band council members at an earlier meeting with the traditional group saw the majority of the elected council agree to ''let the confederacy council 'take the lead' on the Douglas Creek estates,'' according to Horn. The confederacy group turned down the offer by the government, reiterating their two main demands: Henco
should stop building for a 90-day moratorium and the government should indemnify Henco for its loss. As for the land, it is to be considered ''reclaimed'' into Indian jurisdiction.

This hard-line stance by confederacy representatives is not likely to be accepted by the government, which instead has chosen the typical path of unilateral law enforcement generated partly by increasing pressure from local anti-Native groups and from Henco, which is suing the OPP to enforce the eviction of the camp.

When it comes to the Ontario government, however, lessons are not easily learned. One crucial restraint on the government should have been the lingering blotch of scandalous conduct of the OPP at the Ipperwash Camp protest of September 1995, when an unarmed 38-year-old Chippewa man was shot to death by a pumped-up constable. That case of a judicially unjustified killing of an unarmed Native activist remains in the courts and much in the news, and has even hounded Canadian foreign diplomats abroad.

One would have thought no Canadian police force would want responsibility for another Ipperwash, but it seems the historical trend of stealing Indian land and then holding it with force remains very much a part of Canada's dishonorable history.

Canada and Six Nations Confederacy: Occupation of Douglas Creek continues

By Sam Hammond
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/3219/1/32


4-17-06, 8:51 am 


Six Nations protesters have occupied a Caledonia, Ontario, subdivision building site known as the Douglas Creek Estates since February 28. The land is part of the original Haldimand Deed of 1784 ceded to them by the British Crown for their support as allies in the U.S. War of Independence. 

The Haldimand Tract, originally six miles on either side of the Grand River from the mouth to the source, comprised 950,000 acres and contained some of the richest land in Ontario. In typical fashion, the British Crown waited only eleven years until Lord Simcoe arbitrarily reduced the tract to 275,000 acres. 

The distribution, theft, illegal seizure and phony sales carried out in the last 322 years have reduced the reserve to less than 5% of the original tract. Years ago when the colonial administration built a plank road from Hamilton to Port Dover (from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie), Six Nations land was confiscated where the road crosses the Grand River at Caledonia. 

In 1987 this Plank Road Tract was officially placed as a land claim by the Six Nations. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow when this disputed land was sold in 1991 to John and Don Henning, frustrated developers and current deed holders who own Henco Industries. This in itself is witness to the ambivalent attitude of government to serious claims of redress by Aboriginal peoples. 

The situation is somewhat complicated by the existence of two authorities on the reserve, because of historical, cultural and traditional differences with the imposition of elected band councils which are alien to the traditional governance of the Six Nations. In the current struggle, the elected council does not support the occupation but does support the Plank Road Land Claim and opposes any use of force against the occupiers. The traditional leaders, including the Clan Mothers, support the occupation and the land claim. 

On March 9th superior court justice David Marshall, addressing an application by Henco Industries, granted an injunction against native occupiers of the entrance to the disputed site. This injunction went back to court on March 16-17, partly at request of the Ontario Provincial Police for more clarity. The Crown Counsel, John Pearson, asked a peeved Judge Marshall for more clarity to allow proper enforcement so the protesters could be charged with contempt of court. 

Judge Marshall stressed that the original order had been drafted with help of lawyers for the attorney general, the OPP and Henco Industries. (That must have been a nice party - everyone welcome but native people. So much for the neutral court. If contempt could really be enforced, the entire native population and most of the working class would have to be incarcerated.) 

The injunction was rehashed and honed and March 22 was set for enforcement. On March 23, about 100 Six Nations women, including the Clan Mothers, formed a human chain across the entrance to the site, locking arms together and waiting for the OPP. They were joined by about 200 native and non-native supporters. The police, still smarting from the Ipperwash Enquiry into the murder of Dudley George, and perhaps remembering the humiliation of the Canadian Army by Mohawk women defending their reserve in Quebec in 1992, did not show up. To everyone's credit, it was a non-event. The OPP are in the area but have not sought a confrontation. 

On Sunday, April 9, about 200 people attended a rally held at the site. It was a good show, with Local 1005 United Steelworkers and their banners most evident among labour supporters. There were also signs from peace groups. 

The Six Nations came to this area, not as defeated people, but as allies of the British because they thought they could get a better deal. They were mindful that the new American Republic was a slave state with no love for native rights. It is doubtful if the British in 1784 or again in 1812 could have held Canada without the military strength of the native people. In 1812 the native people, who did most of the fighting under Tecumseh, took heavy casualties and probably saved the country despite British bungling and deceit. 

The Six Nations Confederacy (the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora, Cayuga and Mohawks) is a tradition of one of the oldest participatory democracies in the world. It is a tradition of a courageous and unconquered people, a parallel nation who have been allies and supporters in the formation of Canada. In the last 300 years they have been robbed of 95% of their original land - one hell of a rotten way to treat allies and friends. This ongoing struggle will continue to boil over everywhere in this country until justice is done with the Aboriginal Nations. 



SAGE ADVICE ON "INDIGENOUS PROTESTS AND OCCUPATIONS" FROM FORMER PRIME MINISTER BRIAN MULRONEY TO CURRENT PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER.  



MNN.  April 21, 2006.  On Thursday, April 20th, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with former Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney in Montreal.  Did they talk about the Six Nations crisis and how to end it?  We think they might have.  Mulroney's "been there, done that".

  

Did Mulroney tell Harper, "First, you gotta make those Indians look bad.  Hire some top public relations firms and put 3 negative stories out for every positive one that goes out.  Tell them the Indians are breaking the law.  Keep the civil issues out of court.  They have too many valid papers and good argument.   Concentrate on laying criminal charges wherever and however you can.  

 

"Confuse the public about the facts of the land issues.  Say they have no real evidence.    Allude constantly to the fact that they 'might' have weapons and criminal records.  Remember, the public won't read the word "might", they'll just read the words "weapons" and "criminal", which will scare them and keep them on our side.  This is now you manufacture the negative images so the public sees the Indians as the bad guys.  Say you are "defending law and order" {while you are evicting them from their legal property or stealing their resources).    Never mind that they might only have 2 by 4's, bats or a bag of stones.  Do not mention the millions of dollars you are spending to equip your police with M-16's, tasers, pepper spay, silencers and the latest in ultra high tech weaponry.   

 

"Announce that negotiations were planned and that you want to solve the crisis peacefully.  Don't mention that the People themselves have been shut out of negotiations.  You will only deal with representatives and negotiators who are on your payroll.  Pay off the press so they don't report any of the "wrong" opinions that might bring out the truth.    Distract public attention by announcing that you will go on a tour of reserves to find out what the people need.  Support a known adversary of Indians like Maurice Vellacott as chair for the Commons Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.  This man spoke up for the Saskatoon police officers who took the law into their own hands and abandoned native youth on the notorious 'starlight" tours leaving to freeze to death.           

 

"Announce your astonishment that the protesters won't leave peacefully.  Then surround them, point guns at them and do everything you can to scare them.  Forget about constitutional mobility rights.  Stop Canadian citizens who support the protesters from entering or leaving Six Nations territory.  If the Six Nations people keep resisting our invasion, some of them and even our cops might get killed or hurt.  Don't forget, there will be unarmed men, women and children there.  Remember that Indian Affairs policy has been to absorb the Indians into our "body politic" whether they want to be Canadians or not.  Your goal is to "clean it up" to allow American companies to make a mint by squatting on Indian land and turning Canadians into mortgage slaves.  Don't' forget Canada's economy has historically depended on clear cutting, mining, water diversions and generally despoiling the land.  The next time the Indians resist the government, you'll know what to do.  Set it up so there is no resistance.  You don't want another 'Oka' [the 1990 confrontation between the Mohawks and Quebec/Canada which brought in the police, the RCMP and then the army just like what's happening at Six Nations right now).

 

"An Indian occupation doesn't have to have many people.  All they want to do is to make a stand on a principle, like land title and resource rights.  Tell them, "You've made your point.  Now go home".   We use this line a lot.  Ignore the fact that there are no leaders.  Six Nations people, including our puppet government, agree that we are wrong.  We want to know and see who the main leaders and resisters are.  Yes, we need a target, someone to shoot at.  Don't forget we need to build up our military so we can support international American hegemony in the Middle East and elsewhere.  Don't forget, we got elected because of the support of American companies.  Don't bite the hands that feed us.  Keep saying, "No one will get hurt", if they do as they're told.  Let the main resisters know that the cops have every intention of taking them out.  Mind you, the cops don't want to do the killing of a resister.  Put native cops on the front line.  Talk about native factionalism all the time.  Train the cops to beat Indian prisoners so it doesn't leave bruises.  They'll die early of their injuries.  That's how we got rid of Lasagna of the Oka crisis.  It's dirty work but someone has to do it.  Bush and his illegal US administration will support us.  They want our resources.  The cops don't really care if they lose one of their own.  Does anyone remember Marcel LeMay who was killed at Oka?  If a cop gets killed by "friendly fire" pretend it was the "Injuns what done it".  

 

"What happens if the Indians take some of our cops as prisoners and they find out they've been duped?  You have to say it's the Stockholm Syndrome and he's gone crazy.  He probably will be treated well by them.  This might be a good time to run a feature on old missionary fables.    Be wary of him getting an education on Indian matters while he's on salary.  They might want to exchange him for some of their people we've taken.   What they're after is to carry out the original and legal nation-to-nation relationship that was worked out between us so long ago.  We have to avoid that at all cost.    

 

Then Stephen Harper downed his 6th beer and left Westmount for Ottawa to instruct his field officers on his ongoing battle with the Six Nations.  Eeks!  I woke up from this nightmare in a cold sweat.  

 

Kahentinetha Horn

MNN Mohawk Nation News

Kahentinetha2 at yahoo.com  
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