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Saying he has abused his power by dealing punitively with First Nations that don't co-operate with him, the chiefs will take their complaints about Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault to Parliament's ethics commissioner, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Auditor General of Canada and the Prime Minister.

The plan was revealed at a press conference on the second day of the Assembly of First Nations' Confederacy meeting held in Ottawa from Dec. 10 to 12.

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A schedule for making changes to the way the Assembly of First Nations functions has been set. National Chief Matthew Coon Come laid out the timing for the process in his address to the chiefs at the December Confederacy in Ottawa.

Coon Come said he and the executive committee have come up with a draft plan that will be sent to the chiefs for their examination in preparation for a debate at the next chiefs meeting in April.

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The federal government's attempts to limit its legal liability for the damage inflicted on Aboriginal people by the residential school system will be in the bull's eye if a class action lawsuit is certified and allowed to proceed.

Ontario law provides an opening to expand the realm of legal liability into areas where the federal government has refused to go so far-loss of language and culture, harm experienced by parents who were deprived of their children, and loss of education.

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A leaked copy of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's (INAC) memorandum to Cabinet on the First Nations governance legislation shows that the department planned an intensive media campaign to control public discourse on the act and keep its own agenda front and centre.

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A complaint against independent Member of Parliament Jim Pankiw was filed with Saskatoon RCMP on Dec. 18 by a Metis man.

John Melenchuk told Windspeaker he was interviewed at length by Cpl. John Kubat of the Major Crimes Unit. Kubat said he could not comment on what he had discussed with Melenchuk, but he did confirm he had spoken to him that day.

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Ralph Steinhauer, who passed away on Sept. 19 after pulmonary problems, will be remember by many as one of the most prominent Native leaders in the 20th century.

Though best known as Alberta's 10th lieutenant governor serving from 1974 to 1979, he also established multiple Native organizations to help his own people.

"He led by example. He was a leader who could motivate people sheerly through his own self-confidence and the confidence others had in him," says Hugh Dempsey, associate director of the Glenbow Museum in Calgary and a close friend of Steinhauer.

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Attendance is up, and more classes than ever are being offered at the Old Sun Community College on the Blackfoot reserve, despite a 15 per cent budget cut by Indian and Northern Affairs and Canada Employment, said Old Sun president Marion Creery.

"Our enrollment in high school upgrading is the highest it has ever been," said Creery. "And we've even added some new programs."

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Iqaluit

Visitors to the historic Inuit dwelling place near here have been damaging the site looking for artifacts, says Regional Tourism officer David Monteith.

Although people caught disturbing the site or removing artifacts without a permit are in violation of N.W.T. regulations and may be charged, many tourists continue to remove priceless artifacts.

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Comparisons between the Lubicon Lake Indian band and Palestinian terrorists made by the security chief at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics are "ridiculous" says Lubicon chief Bernard Ominiyak.

Edgar Best, former Olympic security chief, says the Lubicon's justifications for protests at the Calgary Winter Olympics are similar to those of Black September, a faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Lubicon chief Ominiyak responded: "We don't have any intention of killing or causing a riot. I can only say that it's something ridiculous."

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Robert Laboucane has quit the federal Indian Affairs department calling the treatment by the service "deplorable, despicable, disgusting."

Last year Laboucane was fired for publicly criticizing the department. He appealed the decision and won ? he was then ordered back to work, but transferred to Edmonton.

After he was fired, he couldn't afford mortgage payments for his Kelowna home, Laboucane said. A Kelowna credit union foreclosed and sold the house for $12,000 less than the mortgage he held. The credit union is now after him for the $12,000.