[IPSM] Action Alert: Algonquins of Barriere Lake

[mattm-b at resist.ca]

****ACTION ALERT****



Please take FIVE MINUTES to DEMAND the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have
their legitimate leadership recognized!!!



JOIN the community and Barriere Lake Solidarity in showing the Department
of Indian Affairs that we will not tolerate another coup d’etat in
Barriere Lake!



The Algonquins of Barriere Lake held a leadership selection ceremony on
June 24, 2009 on their traditional territory. The community selected a new
Customary Chief and Council, confirming their confidence in long-time
Customary Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan.

Since March 2008, the Department of Indian Affairs has refused to
recognize the legitimate Customary Chief and Council of the Algonquins of
Barriere Lake. This has been just the latest government tactic to
undermine Barriere Lake’s historic Trilateral agreement – a land
management plan covering 10,000 square kilometers of their traditional
territories – that the Customary Chief and Council have been fighting to
have implemented since its signing in 1991. For the last year and half,
the Department of Indian Affairs has recognized a Chief and Council who
were not, according to Barriere Lake’s Elder’s Council, selected according
to the community’s
Customary Governance Code, Mitchikanibikok Anishnabe Onakinakewin, and who
are only supported by a minority community faction.

To have their legitimate leadership recognized and to continue the fight
for the Trilateral agreement,  the Algonquins of Barriere Lake held a
leadership selection ceremony at the end of June, but the ball is now in
the federal government's court. The Department of Indian Affairs should
recognize the results and enter into relations with Matchewan and his
Council, but they have shown that they do not want to deal with an
assertive leadership pushing for respect for their customary government
and land rights.

The community needs supporters to put pressure on Indian Affairs to
recognize and abide by the results of Barriere Lake's leadership
selection.

DEMDAND THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESPECT THE CUSTOMARY GOVERNMENT OF
FIRST NATIONS:


SENT AN EMAIL VIA THE BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY WEBSITE :
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html


EMAIL/CALL/FAX-IN to:

Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl
Phone: (604) 847-9711, 1-800-667-2808
Fax: (604) 847-9744

E-mail: riding at chuckstrahl.com, ottawa at chuckstrahl.com

Quebec Regional Director of Indian Affairs Pierre Nepton
Phone: (418) 648-3270
Fax : (418) 648-2266

Email: nepton.p at ainc-inac.gc.ca

And PLEASE cc us at barrierelakesolidarity at gmail.com


[See talking points for telephone calls and more background information
below]


****SAMPLE LETTER****


Dear xx,

I am writing to you regarding the recent selection of the Algonquins of
Barriere Lake Customary Chief and Council.


I am urging you and Indian and North Affairs to recognize the leadership
selection for the following reasons:


First, the Elder's Council in Barriere Lake confirms their Customary
Governance Code was followed in this selection and that there is a broad
community consensus among the eligible community members about the
selection.


Secondly, the entire leadership selection respected due process,
transparency, and was documented by Keith Penner, former parliamentarian
and author of the Penner Report on Aboriginal Self-government. On top of
Penner’s documentation, several outside observers were present, including
David Bleakney of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Algonquin Nation
Secretariat Grand Chief Norman Young, and Chief Harry St. Denis of Wolf
Lake First Nation, who all confirm that customary traditions were
exercised in the leadership selection process.

Thirdly, Indian Affairs' recognition of Customary Chief Jean Maurice
Matchewan and his Council should not be a mere administrative gesture.

I am aware that Pierre Nepton stated in a letter addressed to Loraine [sic
Jeanine] Matchewan on June 23rd, 2009 that he would not recognize the
leadership selection in Barriere Lake because of a judicial review,
launched by the Elder's Council of Barriere Lake, to challenge Indian
Affairs’ decision to recognize a minority faction as Chief and Council in
March 2008. The fact that there is an ongoing judicial review should not
prevent Indian Affairs from recognizing the outcome of the leadership
selection of June 24, 2009.

Once again, I strongly encourage Indian and Northern Affairs to recognize
the customary Chief and Council recently selected by the Algonquins of
Barriere Lake (as follows):


·        Jean Maurice Matchewan - Chief
·        Benjamin Nottaway - Councillor
·        Eugene Nottaway - Councillor
·        Joey Decoursay – Councillor
·        David Wawatie - Councillor

In closing, you can be sure I will be closely watching the Barriere Lake
leadership recognition by the federal government, and their situation
broadly.

Sincerely,


Your name here


****SOME TALKING POINT SUGGESTIONS FOR PHONE CALLS****


-The Elder's Council in Barriere Lake confirms their Customary Governance
Code was followed in this selection and that there is a broad community
consensus among the eligible community members about the selection

-The entire leadership selection respected due process, transparency, and
was documented by Keith Penner, former parliamentarian and author of the
Penner Report on Aboriginal Self-government

-Indian Affairs' recognition of Customary Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan and
his Council should now be a mere administrative gesture


-The fact that there is an ongoing judicial review, launched by the
Elder's Council of Barriere Lake, to challenge Indian Affairs decision to
recognize a minority-faction as Chief and Council in March 2008 should not
prevent Indian Affairs from recognizing the outcome of the leadership
selection of June 24,2009



BACKGROUND

After almost a year and a half of fighting through numerous channels to
have their customary government recognized, on June 24, 2009, the
Algonquins of Barriere Lake held their customary governance process of
leadership selection on their traditional territory in Barriere Lake.


In February 2008, the Minister of Indian Affairs recognized a small,
minority-faction of the community as leaders over the customarily selected
council because, as documents now confirm, this minority faction would be
less assertive than Barriere Lake’s customary council about implementing
their historic Trilateral agreement (see:
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2560).

The selection was held on the ABL's traditional summer settlement, called
Barriere Lake, about 50 km to the north of the reserve of Rapid Lake. Many
families continue to use this area as the base for their hunting,
trapping, and fishing, in both the winter and summer seasons. As Norman
Matchewan put it at the end of the day, "This is where everything begins
for us.”

The Nottaway Council had been pushing for a leadership reselection process
since early last summer. Nottaway and the Tribal Council argued that if
Ratt were confident that he in fact had the majority of the community's
support, he should go ahead and have it confirmed by a reselection.
Nottaway had always promised to abide by such a result. Despite the best
efforts of the Elder's Council and Nottaway's, they have not been able to
persuade the Casey Ratt-led minority faction to participate in this
process. The Ratt Council has consistently refused to participate and most
recently, their lawyer Michael Swinwood, tried to motion for an injunctive
release, essentially trying to block the Elder's Council in the community
from actually convening meetings to discuss the leadership reconciliation or
reselection.


The Nottaway-led group suspended the leadership reselection process last
month and tried to involve the Ratt group in a reconciliation process, but
these efforts have also failed. The Ratt Council had been given
opportunity to select a co-facilitator, but either stalled or refused to
do so, so the community finally re-set their date and proceeded with the
process without them.

So, on that bright, beautiful day in June, with more than 100 eligible
people in attendance – to be eligible to participate one must be over 18,
live on the traditional territory of Barriere Lake, and have connection to
and knowledge of the land - the Elders' Council chose Jean-Maurice
Matchewan as Customary Chief of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. Matchewan
led the community's struggles in the 1980s and '90s, overseeing the
signing of the Trilateral Agreement.


For more information: www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com

PRESS RELEASE FROM JULY 6, 2009
- Hide quoted text -


Jean Maurice Matchewan Re-Selected as Customary Chief of Barriere Lake:
New Council Vows to Defend Rights & Seek Implementation of Agreements with
Canada & Quebec

(Kitiganik/Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / July 6, 2009) – On June 24,
2009, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, a small community in northwestern
Quebec that has won a national profile for its defence of its land rights,
 re-selected Jean Maurice Matchewan as Customary Chief. The Algonquins of
Barriere Lake expect this result to settle the issue of who is the
legitimate Chief and Council, after suffering through the government of
Canada's meddling in their internal customary governance.

More than a hundred eligible members present confirmed their re-selection
in a a leadership assembly at their traditional settlement at Barriere
Lake, with several outside observers in attendance, including David
Bleakney of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Algonquin Nation
Secretariat Grand Chief Norman Young and Chief Harry St. Denis of Wolf
Lake First Nation.

The Barriere Lake customary leadership selection process was facilitated
by Keith Penner, a former Member of Parliament who chaired the Special
Parliamentary Committee on Indian Self-Government in 1983 that resulted in
the historic Penner Report. which advocated constitutionally-recognized
Aboriginal self-government. Mr.Penner now operates DisputeRes, a conflict
resolution company in Ottawa.

Mr. Penner prepared a Facilitation Report documenting the Barriere Lake
leadership selection process, which the Barriere Lake Elder's Council has
submitted along with the Elders confirmation of the outcome to the
governments of Canada and Quebec.

Long-Time Custom Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan stated today “our people are
determined that they will stand together to defend our rights and convince
the federal and Quebec governments to implement the Agreements they have
signed with our First Nation. I have been selected along with our
Customary Council, to lead the fight for justice while protecting and
advancing our Aboriginal and Treaty rights.”

The mandate of the Customary Chief and Council is to enter into relations
with the Crown, including the signing of treaties and agreements. The
Algonquins of Barriere Lake expect the Crown governments to recognize and
enter into relations with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake's duly selected
leadership.

When asked what the community will do if the federal Department of Indian
Affairs does not recognize the legitimate Custom Chief and Council or
respect the signed agreements with the First Nation, Chief Matchewan
responded “our community has decided there will no forestry activities or
any new developments in our Trilateral Agreement Territory until the
status of our leadership and the agreements we signed, are resolved to our
community's satisfaction.”

Apart from the selection of Matchewan as Customary Chief, Benjamin
Nottaway and David Wawatie were re-selected as Councillors, along with two
new councillors, Eugene Nottaway and Joey Decoursay. The new Customary
Chief and Council of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake are as follows:

·        Jean Maurice Matchewan - Chief
·        Benjamin Nottaway - Councillor
·        Eugene Nottaway - Councillor
·        Joey Decoursay – Councillor
·        David Wawatie - Councillor


– 30 –


Media Contacts:

Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan: 819 – 435 - 2136
Grand Chief Norman Young, Algonquin Nation Secretariat: Cell: (819) 627-6869


_______________________________________________
Indigsol mailing list
Indigsol at lists.resist.ca
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/indigsol