Lawyers face Native issues

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Reaction to news that the Canadian Bar Association has established a committee to look at the complex legal issues facing Native people in our country has generally been good, when people have known about it.

On initial contact by Windspeaker, most local and national Native organizations knew nothing about the "Special Committee on Rights and Positions on Aboriginal People." Questioned about this Dr. Andrew Thompson, chairman of the committee, said "because we report directly back to the Canadian Bar Association we have not had to touch base with the Aboriginal political arm, as not to appear to be advocating a Native stand on constitution and legal issues concerning Native people."

Tony Mandamin, lawyer for the Indian Association of Alberta, says that the establishment of the special committee is a good idea and will certainly do a whole lot

of good. Mandamin stated, however, that the inclusion of three employees of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs on the initial list of persons to be considered for the committee would worry him Mandamin says "I'm not sure whether employees of the government can separate themselves from a government point of view."

Willie Littlechild, well known lawyer form Hobbema, says that he agrees that the committee is a good idea and that it has been along time coming. He notes, however, "there are really no Indian lawyers who practice law on the committee, just academics-

not your everyday guy who slugs it out in court every day." Littlechild adds that "some-times the little guy in court will have a better feel for the people than the academic."

On a national front, Georges Erasmus of the Assembly of First Nations says "we welcome the offer to participate in this kind of committee." The AFN has already had contact with the Canadian Bar Association and they have agreed to meet a representative from the committee to establish a working relationship with them.

Thompson says that he has recently sent information to all the major Native organizations across the country and the committee is now waiting for their reaction.