Language barriers, hunting seasons may prolong Innu protesters' trial

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It may be a long time before the trial of the group of Native protesters in Labrador gets underway.

Language barriers, hunting seasons and civil disobedience stand to make the trial of 42 Innu charged with mischief drag on for some time, Innu Nation spokesman Daniel Ashini said.

The Innu from Sheshatsui appeared in court Oct. 26 to enter their plea on charges of mischief but refused to enter any plea or identify themselves, Ashini said.

"People didn't identify themselves and nobody was there to enter a plea for them."

The group was charged after they broke through a fence around CFB Goose Bay, ran out onto the runway and spray-painted slogans on jets.

The Innu were protesting low-level flights in their traditional hunting grounds, said Ashini. They had hoped the protest would get the attention of Dutch Minister of Defense A.L. ter Beek. But the timed protest missed the visiting dignitary by a few hours.

The Innu Nation will also require the court to appoint an interpreter for everyone charged, Ashini said.

"Almost all the people charged would require a translator (the judge) understood that," Ashini said. "What has happened in the past has been that the courts couldn't find anyone to translate for them. In one instance, the charges had to be dismissed because there were no interpreters."

On another occasion, however, a judge ruled the courts were not obliged to provide translators for the Innu because English and French are Canada's only official languages.

"He went on with the trial with these three people - one of them was myself. We spoke in our own language and the trial proceeded, even though we spoke in our own language as if we understood the process, and he convicted all three of us. We are not exactly sure how this judge will proceed."

The Innu will try to force the language issue because they believe they have the right to be heard in their own language, Ashini said.

The Innu take an adversary stance with Canadian officials because they "never seem to get anywhere in the boardroom," he said. The protests have been a successful means for the Innu people to be heard in the national and international arena.

"We're frustrated and tired of getting nowhere through meetings with government and through letter-writing campaigns and so on. They felt that other strategies had to be initiated by our people and one of those strategies was protest and civil disobedience and non-violent protest against governments that were violating our rights."

A trial date had been set for next April but too many Innu would be hunting in the bush at that time of year, he added.

A new trial date was set for June 28 in Sheshatsui.