IAA quits Wildlife Council

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The Indian Association of Alberta has resigned its seat from the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council. Gregg Smith, President of the IAA made the announcement October 20 in Edmonton.

"When the association first agreed to protect our rights and at the same time contribute to conservation strategy of the province," Smith said, "we found out, as other Indian groups in Canada have found out in similar situations, that our involvement was never intended to be anything more than tokenistic."

The resignation of the IAA from the advisory council came following another resignation - from Ken Steinhauer, a representative for the IAA on the Advisory Council on October 9. Steinhauer charges the advisory council as being "an organization obsessed with the idea of having our hunting and fishing rights abolished," Steinhauer also states that the Fish and Wildfire Department has never once consulted with the IAA when they make changes that affect Indian fishing and hunting rights. A strong recommendation was made by Steinhauer that the IAA cease to have any further dealings with the Alberta fish and Wildlife Advisory Council.

Smith feels that the new proposed regulations, released October 21, are a means to wipe out treaty-protected rights to hunt and fish. The new regulations lack mention of the special and historic rights Indians have and that Don Sparrow's department's (ministry of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife) on-line officers obviously have been told to charge more Indian hunters and fishermen even before the regulations came into effect.

"We are not attacking the new regulations, because basically they are the same as the old regulations," said Lawrence Courtoreille, IAA vice-president for Treaty 8. "We have to deal with the same mentality...let's nail those treaty Indians out there." Courtoreille said there are charges being laid on Indian people by the dozen and many people don't bother with the courts. "In one specific case, the judge threw out the case believing that Indians have no treaty rights."

Hunting out of season and fishing without licenses are kinds of charges that the Indian people are being harassed with everyday, said Smith. "We are getting reports and requests for help almost every day from our people who are being harassed by Fish and Game officers, so there is definitely a pattern developing," said Smith. "This, together with Mr. Sparrow's new regulations and the make-up of the advisory council, convinced us the Alberta government has embarked on a campaign against our people."

Smith feels that the advisory council has never really had any input from the IAA and that they do have a lot to offer to the province. "We can show that. I think we are the biggest conservationists of wildlife. And we are not being recognized," said Smith.

Smith said that the battle Indian people go through to maintain their rights would not have to be fought if the Alberta government would only come to its senses and recognized Aboriginal rights, and "this could be done by sitting down and negotiating with us, and then supporting our fight for constitutional enshrinement of Aboriginal and treaty rights." In withdrawing from the Advisory Council, the IAA has made clear to the government that it intends to fight to maintain Aboriginal rights.