Indian Association president condemns self-government

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The newly elected president of the Indian Association of Alberta has announced his intention to wage war against what he describes as the federal government's Indian termination strategy.

Tom Cardinal said movements made toward self-government are designed to completely liquidate the Indian reserve system, resources and collective rights of the Indian nation and will extinguish First Nations' special status.

"We don't understand self-government as presented by the federal and provincial governments," said Cardinal. "So why mess around with something you don't understand?"

Cardinal thinks the government should live up to the treaties already established, and let Indian Nations take care of their own business.

"There are too many strings attached to whatever they have to offer us. Particularly, taxation is a killer. It's killing the white man. We don't want anything to do with that."

The new president said the next few months will be spent discussing the IAA approach with Alberta's First Nations and gauging their support in the endeavour to fight self-government.

"Self-government is going to extinguish the collective rights and the communal ownership of Indian lands. At the same time it's going to alter the lifestyle of the Indian people. It's going to culminate in tragic consequences in the Indian community," he said.

Steinhauer blamed the Assembly of First Nations for pushing the federal government's agenda since the organization campaigned for the YES vote on the Charlottetown Accord.