Goodstoney Nation condemns Ottawa

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The Goodstoney Nation of Morley has strongly condemned the federal government for lack of leadership in resolving the standoff between Mohawk Indians and police officers in Quebec.

In a prepared statement Chief John Snow said he strongly supported "our Mohawk brothers and sisters in their fight for aboriginal and treaty rights."

"We are extremely concerned with the lack of progress and the continuing confrontation at Oka, Quebec."

"We stand firm and united behind the Assembly of Chiefs in demanding a peacefully negotiated settlements to the confrontation between the Crown of Canada and the Mohawk Nation," he said.

Snow said Indian nations across Canada are involved in thousands of similar land disputes.

"This dispute reflects the tiresome continual struggle to negotiate fair, equitable and just solutions between Indian nations and the government of Canada," he said.

"The police and armed forces should have no role in resolving modern-day land claims. If the federal government would deal justly with Native people regarding land claims, situations such as Oka would not occur," said Snow.

"All first nations share the anger and frustrations experienced by the Mohawk peoples in attempting to get the federal government to respond meaningfully to their land claims.

"Land claim disputes require strong and firm political leadership by the federal government. The present government has not demonstrated the kind of leadership required in the tense situation," said Snow.

Many Native issues could have been settled if we had a "just government," he said.

Snow noted that recent decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada have upheld treaty rights and have called for the "honorable and equitable treatment of Canada's aboriginal peoples.

"We call upon the prime minister and his cabinet, especially the minister of Indian and northern affairs, to accept and fulfill Canada's constitutional obligations towards First Nations under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, proclaimed in 1982," said Snow.

He said Ottawa has to recognize Indian affairs as a senior cabinet post to which a "strong and just minister must be appointed and given the power to deal with and settle land claims and other disputes in a fair and equitably way. Otherwise the confrontation in Oka could prove to be only the beginning of long and drawn out confrontations in the future. There is still time to resolve these matters."

He said Indian people of Canada have been patient for too long, trusting that a "just government" will finally fulfill treaty obligations.

Snow said the band while not wanting to initiate confrontation is prepared to join other Treaty 7 First Nations, and First Nations across Canada, to take action in support of the Mohawk Nation "if the current situation in Oka continues to deteriorate."

He outlined a number of initiatives critical to resolving the stand-off :

immediate recall of Parliament,

withdrawal of the Surete du Quebec police officers from Oka,

a guarantee of a land-base within the Mohawk traditional area and

the establishment of a mechanism to find long-term solutions.

"These initiatives would also offer hope for a better future for Canada and her citizens," he said.

The Stoney tribe has many outstanding claims against the federal and provincial governments alleging illegal trespass and use of lands and resources within reserve lands.