[IPSM] Barriere Lake: Sit-in in Minister Cannon's office: media coverage so far

[Jaggi Singh]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dru Oja Jay <dru.oja.jay at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 3:57 PM
Subject: Sit-in in Minister Cannon's office: media coverage so far
To: barrierelake-announce at googlegroups.com,
barrierelake-organizing at googlegroups.com


Eight members of the Barriere Lake community and four supporters from
Barriere Lake Solidarity in Montreal occupied Lawrence Cannon's constituency
office in Buckingham, QC yesterday. An early draft (I didn't get the later
one) of the press release is below, along with links to some media coverage
of the event.

If anyone has seen TV coverage, or heard radio coverage please get in touch.

VIDEO: Barriere Lake Algonquins arrested, jailed, and released
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/lia_tarachansky/1903

CBC: Several arrested after Algonquins occupy MP's office in western Quebec
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/26/ot-barriere-lake-080626.html

OTTAWA CITIZEN: Algonquins threaten to 'sleep' in federal minister's office
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3603adbd-06d4-4d51-88d8-16f03fc94daf

OTTAWA SUN: Protesters take over MP's office
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/26/5994801.html

OTTAWA SUN: 6 arrested at native sit-in
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/27/6000186-sun.html

RCI: Des locaux occupés
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2008/06/26/007-locaux-occupes.shtml

LE DROIT: Les Algonquins dénoncent l'inaction de Cannon
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080627/CPACTUALITES/806270372/6784/CPDROIT

LA PRESSE: Des Algonquins occupent le bureau de Lawrence Cannon
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080626/CPACTUALITES/80626264/1019/CPACTUALITES

INFO07.COM: Les Algonquins du Lac Barrière occupent le bureau de Lawrence
Cannon
http://www.info07.com/article-227100-Les-Algonquins-du-Lac-Barriere-occupent-le-bureau-de-Lawrence-Cannon.html

Dominion Weblog: Barriere Lake Algonquins Occupy MP Office
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/lia_tarachansky/1901

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Algonquins of Barriere Lake and their supporters peacefully occupy Cabinet
Minister Cannon's office: demand government stop blatantly violating
customary leadership selection

Gatineau, QC / – Algonquins of Barriere Lake, including youth and children,
began a sit-in at Lawrence Cannon's Gatineau office today at 11:30am,
promising to stay until the government reverses its illegal decision to
recognize a minority faction as the community's leadership and oversees a
new leadership selection.

"The government is making the community suffer," says Michel Thusky, a
spokesperson for Barriere Lake. "The government tried to make themselves
look good with their residential school apology, but it's not worth anything
if they keep violating our customs."

On March 10th, 2008, for the third time in 12 years, the Government of
Canada interfered in the internal governance of Barriere Lake, rescinding
recognition of the Customary Chief and Council supported by the community's
majority and empowering a group whom the Barriere Lake Elder's Council say
were not selected in accordance with their Customary Governance Code.
Despite previous knowledge of his government actions, Minister of Transport
Cannon, Harper's Quebec lieutenant and MP in Barriere Lake's riding of
Pontiac, has not ensured the Government of Canada comply with the law.

"Cannon has spoken of treating First Nations fairly, but he'll be a
hypocrite if his government doesn't oversee a new leadership selection,"
said Jessica Thusky, one of the Barriere Lake youth occupying Cannon's
office. "We're not leaving until they respect our leadership selection
process, which is enshrined in law."

On August 9, 2007, Cannon told a crowd in Maniwaki that "the Government of
Canada is committed to honoring its lawful obligations to First Nations,
recognizing that their legal rights must be respected and upheld."

"We are demonstrating," Cannon continued, "the advantages of co-operative
negotiations that enable us to resolve longstanding grievances without
resorting to the courts. We strongly believe in negotiated agreements that
settle contentious issues in a way that is mutually acceptable and benefits
all parties." [1]

The Elder's Council of Barriere Lake has requested the Government of Canada
observe a leadership re-selection process, but because the Government of
Canada has refused the Elder's Council has been forced to pursue legal
action.

"The federal government wants us to forget about the last 28 years of
struggle to get a decisive voice in how our traditional territory is
managed, and how our customary form of governance is recognized and
respected by outside governments," says deposed Acting Chief Benjamin
Nottaway. "In 1996-97, just like now, the federal government is using a
minority faction to agitate against our Customary Council to try to make
leadership the issue, so they can ignore previously signed agreements."

In 1991, Barriere Lake signed a landmark Trilateral agreement with the
Government of Canada and Quebec, to create a resource co-management and
sustainable development plan to protect Algonquin land uses and improve the
dire economic conditions in the community. The Government of Canada walked
away from the agreement in 2001.

"As the next generation, we must be ready to hold the governments of Canada
and Quebec to account and have these Agreements implemented, while we also
protect our customary system of governance," Nottaway concluded.

The Algonquin Nation Secretariat, the Tribal Council representing three
Algonquin communities including Barriere Lake, continues to recognize and
work with deposed Acting Chief Nottaway and his Council.

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