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Revolution underway

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The revolution in Indian country is gathering momentum and there's little now the federal government can do to stop it.

It of course started with Elijah Harper's defiant and courageous opposition to the proposed Meech Lake accord.

But things really took off when Surete du Quebec police officers stormed the Kanesatake Mohawk blockade near Oka, Quebec.

Oka is now a rallying cry and an inspiration to aboriginal people across the country.

Calahasen seeking the MA's top job

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Jeanette Calahasen has announced she is running for the presidency of the Metis Association of Alberta.

Calahasen said she will provide "significant and effective" leadership for Alberta's 60,000 Metis people through "teamwork."

Calahasen said she will provide "significant and effective" leadership to change the social and economic fabric of the Metis community. She particularly wants changes in the Metis housing and employment picture.

Candidates vy for Zone 4 post

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As far as Metis Lyle Donald is concerned the only way Metis people are going to make things happen is by working together as a team.

A candidate for the MAA Zone 4 vice-president's position Donald says for too long Metis, especially in Zone 4, have split as a community because of leaders who want to do their jobs individually and not as a team.

He believes all Alberta zones are too vast, which results in numerous issues important to the Metis not being solved within a reasonable time.

Metis association office picketed

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Two Metis men angry with the way they'd been treated by the MAA picketed the office on Thursday.

Pierre Fournier, owner of the Aboriginal Group, a company that picks up waste oil in Edmonton, and Metis farmer Charles Desjarlais were confronted by Edmonton city police after MAA officials alleged Fournier threatened staff with violence.

Fournier was ordered not to enter the MAA building but was allowed by police to continue his picketing outside the premises.

Roman Catholic Church opposes armed struggle

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The Roman Catholic Church would not support the spilling of blood by armed Mohawk Indians from Oka, Quebec, who are struggling to retain their traditional lands, says a spokesperson from the Roman Catholic Social Justice Commission in Edmonton.

But it is one that's recognized as a "last-ditch" effort by the country's aboriginal people fighting for their rights, said Linda Winski.

Native Canadians have been docile in their approach to maintain their rights while the government of Canada has continued to take advantage of them, she said.

Candidates off and running in MAA elections

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The gates are open and they're off and running to win leadership positions in the Metis Association of Alberta.

It's a ritual that takes place every three years.

The main prize is three years in the president's seat with some $60,000 a year plus expenses to go along with it. Tallies up that's about $200,000.

That's the main story. But behind the scenes the MAA's chief electoral officer and her helpers are making sure the race is fair and run properly.

Joey Hamelin said her office is an independent, stand-alone organization.

Council opposed to Peigan diversion

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The Lone Fighters Society vows to continue work to divert water from the Oldman River in an attempt to stop construction of the controversial $350-milliom Oldman River Dam.

At a news conference Tuesday Peigan Chief Leonard Bastien broke his silence to tell reporters the Lone Fighters don't have the backing of the council, which planned to meet with federal and provincial officials to start a series of meetings to resolve the issue peacefully."

Okanagan runners bringing feather of peace to Quebec

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Over 35 young marathon runners from the Okanagan Indian First Nation in Oliver, British Columbia are running the length of the Trans-Canada Highway to emphasize the need for a peaceful solution to the Quebec standoff.

Stopping at Indian reserves on their odyssey, the peace runners hope to reach Oka, Quebec by Sept. 4 with a peace feather they're carrying. On the return trip the Okanagan Indians plan to stop at Indian reserves to give eyewitness accounts of what they saw in Quebec.

Oka residents teargassed during police assault

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Oka resident Georges Peerillard will long remember the police assault on the Kanesatake blockade of Highway 344.

He saw everything from his vantage point at the bottom of the hill, where he lives.

But he paid a price for seeing Canadian history in the making.

Perillard said he, another Oka man and a police officer were accidentally teargassed during the assault, which came at quarter to five in the morning.

It was cal "but when they pitched it, the wind started just a little bit, enough for the gas to come into the village."