Canada's shameful treatment of Lubicons known to whole world

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Windspeaker Staff

"You should be ashamed Canada for what you're doing to the Lubicon Cree of northern Alberta."

That's the message hear around the world as our federal government is admonished for its treatment of Native people. And it's not just from left-wing radical do-gooder groups that pounce one very social injustice.

Many international religious denominations have come out in full force to condemn the injustices committed against Canada's aboriginal people by the federal government.

The Pope has even bashed Canada for the mistreatment of the Lubicons.

Linda Winski, a member of the Roman Catholic Social Justice Commission in Edmonton, believes the federal government is running out of room to hide the violations it commits against Native people.

She says people are becoming better educated about the problems facing the Lubicon Indian Band of Little Buffalo.

Ironically, though, most of the harshest criticisms come from nations known for severely oppressing their own people.

Government hypocrisy is practiced by most civilized countries. But it's embarrassing to note the government of Canada has been raked over the coals even by Australia - a country notorious for complete disregard of and blatant discrimination against its aboriginal population.

The only consolation is they admit it.

Canada, on the other hand, continues to mask its campaign to undermine the Lubicons and other Canadian Natives by portraying itself as the champion of human rights. By joining as many international civil liberties' groups and UN caucuses as it can, and by concocting its own human rights' groups with taxpayers' hard-earned money, it tricks its citizens into believing it has a soft spot for minorities.

But other countries aren't taken in by Canada's arrogance.

Even the U.S.S.R. has jumped on the human rights' bandwagon, writing to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney demanding he resolve the conflict with the Lubicon Indians, who have been waiting more than 50 years for recognition of their rights.

Alexandra Walcyk, a citizen of France, was even compelled to drop Mulroney a line expressing her disappointment with Canada's dismal Native rights' record.

"For many people Canada is the embodiment of freedom. Isn't that true? I ask myself, if a land, whose government is treating its Native people in such an unjust way could be an embodiment of freedom? Why doesn't the Canadian government respect Indian Nations?

"I ask you to respect Indian nations in the same way you want to be respected. And I ask you also to respect human rights and not only talk about them," said Walczyk.

Lubicon spokesperson Terri Kelly says she's swamped by letters from international supporters fed up with Canada's refusal to offer the Lubicons a just settlement.

Since the small band of northern Alberta Indians were missed by royal commissioners during the signing of Treaty 8, they don't count, federal officials insist. Even though Lubicon Indians are now counted on a band membership list and they've landed a deal with the provincial government for a 246-square kilometer reserve, Ottawa maintains they're not a true band now and that the Lubicons weren't members of a real band in 1899.

The rest of the world isn't buying it.

The United Nations human rights' committee recently came out with a position - as weak as it may be - calling on both sides of the Lubicon dispute to return to the bargaining table.

The committee also gave Canada a wimpy slap on the wrist for violating the band's human rights.

But the committee's decision was a significant step in pointing out aboriginal struggles won't be allowed to continue going unnoticed by the UN.

But Lubicon negotiator Fred Lennarson has mixed feelings about the decision.

He admits the Lubicon appeal to the Geneva-based human rights' committee in 1984 was a long shot. But he and Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak were hoping for a stronger response.

"If we had it our way," he fumes, "Canada would have been hanged ou to dry."

None the less, a formal UN position is hard to come by.

It just leaves one very important question unanswered.

Now that every one in the whole world knows of the social atrocities facing northern Alberta Natives, who's left to tell?