Fishing issue unites people

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NEWS ANALYSIS

Feelings of unity, of solidarity, among the Indians gathered along the shores of Cold Lake, run high. A certain electricity permeates the air. To the Indians of Cold Lake, this is one issue in which the sentiments and beliefs of the people are mutual.

It is a matter of survival, not to use one or two select individuals, but to many,. Furthermore, it goes beyond the parameters of fishing rights. For the Indians, it means the survival of the group as a whole. In their minds, the Treaty must be respected and upheld. To them, the laws of the Treaty supersede any that may be put forward by other pieces of legislation of policy on the part of the government.

Much of the conversation by those present circumscribed a reassertion that fishing is a right enshrined by the Treaty and they aver that this right is being violated. A paradox exists in that the Indians have a legitimate argument based on Treaty law while provincial authorities attempt to enforce laws designed by their government.

To the Indians it is not they who are in contravention of the law but, rather, the white bureaucrats who are violating the provisions and thus the law of the Treaty.