Indians now finding Treaties a farce

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Indian people have been the responsibility of the Crown since the Queen sent her negotiators into the bush to deal for land and resources almost a century ago.

Like any legitimate contract, the treaties were signed by Native leaders, who were told they and their children would benefit from government amenities if they were to part with some of their natural treasures .

But like any government contract, which is filled with legalese, loopholes and one-sided interpretations, Indians are now finding the treaties they entered into were a farce.

During the first All-Chiefs' conference on health last week, Native groups, leaders and elders combined forces to attack the issue of medical service neglect head on.

The Alberta Indian Health Care Commission is rightfully outraged the federal government is trying to give up its longstanding obligations to Indians by handing over medical service responsibility to the province.

And the government thinks if nobody is paying attention, nobody will notice.

Well, Alberta elders noticed.

Respected Sturgeon Lake elder Dan McLean, who's long campaigned for a literal interpretation of the treaties instead of government analysis, can't believe what is happening to his people.

"The government has never made an effort to fulfill their promises," he said during a conference rally.

When McLean speaks, the younger generation listens. But now his tired voice crackles out of frustration. It has become an endless struggle for himself and his people, many of whom still suffer from debilitating diseases that should never spread throughout the human race during the 20th century.

"As long as the rivers low and the grass grows," has become McLean's battle cry for Native rights. The long-lasting phrase was entrenched in Treaty 8, which his great-grandfather helped negotiate.

The government promised Indians would always have fee access to health service and the services would always be provided by the Crown.

But history is slowly showing that Indians are being taken to the cleaners. Everything they have given up for the sake of future generations is disappearing and they are getting nothing in return.

But Alberta Indians are determined to prevent further erosion of their rights. They are going to rely more than ever on the treaties to ensure the government doesn't relinquish its obligations.

The health care commision says it wants in on any decisions health and welfare Canada makes in regards to health care for Indian people. It says no partnership has ever been established with the federal department and it will go in to any such talks with the department minister, Perrin Beatty, with a cautious eye.

That's not surprising given whom Indians have had to deal with in the past.