Lubicon Lake Indian Nation Little Buffalo Lake, AB 403-629-3945 FAX: 403-629-3939 Mailing address: 3536 - 106 Street Edmonton, AB T6J 1A4 403-436-5652 FAX: 403-437-0719 January 13, 1992 A major international campaign is well under way to block Daishowa from clear-cutting unceded Lubicon territory until there's at least a settlement of Lubicon land rights and a harvesting agreement negotiated with the Lubicon people respecting Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns. Enclosed for your information are copies of press statements, media coverage, correspondence and other related materials. In addition to the primarily Canadian activities described in the enclosed materials, the Lubicon office in Edmonton has received reports of growing support in Japan, a second major demonstration in Australia and actions of various kinds planned for cities across Europe during the last week of January. Taken together these activities are clearly having an impact upon Daishowa and both levels of Canadian Government. Daishowa is no longer simply insisting upon its supposed "right" to clear-cut Lubicon trees. And both levels of Canadian Government are alternately attacking the Lubicons and hinting at possible settlement flexibility. A Canadian boycott of Daishowa paper products is centered largely in Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary but is rapidly spreading across the country. 10,000 copies of boycott materials prepared by Edmonton boycott organizers have already been distributed and over 100,000 more have been requested by people wishing to support the boycott. Two offices in Tokyo are reportedly working around the clock to organize what is being described as the first major boycott of a Japanese company by Japanese people. The latest demonstration in Australia took place on December 15th at Daishowa's woodchip mill in Eden, New South Wales. It was organized by a variety of groups including the Wilderness Society and Greenpeace. During the Australian demonstration a parameter fence was breached, a tall tower scaled and a 45 foot banner unfurled reading "DAISHOWA: THE NAME BEHIND GLOBAL FOREST DESTRUCTION". A speaker from the Canberra Branch of the Wilderness Society deplored Daishowa's proposed clear-cutting of unceded Lubicon land, condemned the underhanded tactics being employed against the Lubicons and demanded immediate recognition and respect for Lubicon land rights. There were reportedly a number of arrests. In Dusseldorf on January 27th there will be a press conference at City Hall and demonstrations at the offices of Daishowa/Marubeni and the Canadian Consulate General. Faced with the growing international furore Marubeni has now backed out of negotiations to purchase Daishowa's Peace River Pulp Mill but is still involved with Daishowa in other ventures. Participating organizations in the Dusseldorf demonstrations include Greenpeace, BUND, the Society for Endangered Peoples, the Big Mountain Action Group (BMAG), the Belgium-based Coordinated Indigenous Affairs Working Groups (KWIA), the Luxembourg-based Iwerliewen and the Innu Support Group from the Netherlands. Following the demonstrations there will be informational workshops involving the participating organizations and representatives of the German Green Party. On January 28th there will be a demonstration at the office of the Canadian Consulate General in Brussels as well as at the Belgium subsidiary of the German Feldmuhle Corporation. The Feldmuhle Corporation is a major Daishowa customer in Europe. The demonstrations in Belgium are being organized by KWIA. (KWIA will also continue their related lobbying efforts at the European Parliament.) On January 29th there will be demonstrations at the Canadian Consulate General in Munich organized by the BMAG, the Munich Society for Endangered Peoples and the Institute for Applied Ecology, Action and Anthropology (INFOE). On January 30th there will be a demonstration in Berlin at the office of the Canadian Consulate General organized by the Association for the Support of North American Indians and Greenpeace. On January 31st there will be a demonstration at the Japanese Embassy in Vienna as well as demonstrations at the offices of Canadian Consulate Generals in both Bern and Vienna. The Bern demonstration is being organized by Incomindios. The Vienna demonstrations are being organized by the Working Circle for North American Indians (AKIN) and the Austrian Society for Endangered Peoples. (AKIN has also planned a number of "public events" for the third week of January to publicize the plight of the Lubicon.) Additionally during the last week of January there will be a demonstration at the Canadian High Commission in London organized by Catholic Action for Native America (CAFNA), and 1,000 letters from concerned Europeans will be presented to Daishowa officials by the coalition of concerned church and human rights groups who organized last September's demonstration in Vancouver. Daishowa has responded to all of the above in two ways, one clearly calculated to preserve maximum Daishowa prerogative and the other intended to try and erode Lubicon support -- especially in Alberta. First Daishowa has now announced that they'll agree to stay out of the unceded Lubicon territory but only this year, coming up in typical Daishowa fashion with a continually changing reason why they can't simply make a commitment to stay out of the unceded Lubicon territory until there's a settlement of Lubicon land rights and an agreement negotiated with the Lubicon people regarding Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns. Most recently Daishowa Vice President Tom Hamaoka told the Editorial Board of the Edmonton Journal that "Daishowa can't make a commitment never to log Lubicon lands because the size of the land remains unclear". That's of course demonstrably untrue but telling the truth has never been Mr. Hamaoka's long suit. Rather Daishowa's objective is clearly to try and convince people to drop the stop Daishowa campaign while at the same time avoiding a public commitment which would make it difficult for Daishowa to move in and clear-cut Lubicon trees just as soon as the pressure's off. The real message for people concerned over the plight of the Lubicon is thus to keep up the pressure until there's either a settlement and harvesting agreement, or until Daishowa publicly agrees to stay out of unceded Lubicon territory pending a settlement and harvesting agreement. Secondly Daishowa has cancelled their 700 million dollar expansion plan originally scheduled for 1993 and has warned that the stop Daishowa campaign threatens not only Daishowa but development activity in Northern Alberta generally. This is of course only a variant of the "take-our- marbles-and-go-home-if-you're-not-nice-to-us" tactic that Daishowa tried unsuccessfully to pull on Edmonton Mayor Jan Reimer last October. Hopefully Albertans will see this thinly veiled threat for what it is and will again forcefully reject the "development-at-any-cost" philosophy it represents. Selling off the natural resources of the Province for a pittance and polluting the hell out of the environment will of course remain an option for Albertans whether or not Daishowa chooses to shut down its 600 million dollar bleached kraft pulp mill and go home. * * * * * Attachment #1: November 6, 1991, letter from Friends of the Lubicon (Toronto) to Daishowa Vice-President Tom Hamaoka Dear Mr. Hamaoka: We are both well aware that your corporation is initiating a potentially disastrous confrontation with the Lubicon Lake Cree Nation in the woods of northern Alberta. It is fully within your power to stop this from happening. We are writing to you today to inform you of our intentions vis-a-vis this impending crisis. Friends of the Lubicon draws on a network of many community, church, labour, human rights and other organizations, all of whom are making common cause with the Lubicon Lake Nation and pressing for a settlement of their aboriginal land rights. You are no doubt well aware that there is a vast amount of support for the Lubicon people across Canada and a growing concern about the activities of Daishowa. While you were willing to honour the March 7, 1988, agreement with the Lubicon Nation not to log in their territories until a settlement of their land rights was in place, we kept our energies directed at the federal government's refusal to resolve Lubicon land rights. However you have flagrantly broken the terms of that agreement by planning the clear-cutting of Lubicon territories through your subsidiary Brewster Construction, making you into an active agent in the destruction of the Lubicon peoples land and future. We expect from you a clear, firm and public commitment not to cut and not to purchase any wood cut on unceded Lubicon territory until after a settlement of Lubicon land rights and negotiation of a harvesting agreement with the Lubicon people that takes into account Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns. Until such time we are initiating a public boycott campaign of Daishowa products. This campaign will encompass all Daishowa products which reach the public, including all paper products and chip board. We are currently negotiating with many of your clients who have shown an interest in the Lubicon Nation's concerns and are reconsidering their contracts with Daishowa. The Lubicon Nation and its supporters are not new to boycotts. Many scoffed when the Nation announced its boycott of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and its flagship arts exhibit "The Spirit Sings". However these same people stopped laughing when the boycott became a massive public issue, sending Olympic PR experts into a frenzy of denial, cover-up and damage control. They weren't laughing when the Glenbow's exhibit was crippled by the refusal of major artifacts from museums around the world in support of the Lubicons. Union Oil underestimated the strength of the Lubicon Nation and their supporters in 1985 when they planned an unauthorized pipeline through unceded Lubicon territories. But faced with immense public pressure at every level and an obvious confrontation brewing on the ground, Union Oil reconsidered their plans and made the responsible move of agreeing to consult the Nation on development projects in the area. There is no need for Daishowa to go through the kind of public ordeal you are heading for. Now is the time for a clear public commitment from Daishowa. Otherwise we will have no choice but to mobilize our membership to the utmost of our capabilities. We will expect your response promptly. * * * * * Attachment #2: November 8, 1991, letter to Friends of the Lubicon (Toronto) from James P. Morrison, Daishowa Canada Dear Mr. Thomas: This is in reply to your letter to Mr. Tom Hamaoka dated November 6, 1991. In recent weeks, Daishowa Canada has been attempting to dispel the negative effects of some of the misleading reports published in the press. Therefore, we have attached for your perusal, a copy of Daishowa Canada's position paper which outlines the Company's efforts respecting the Lubicon situation. You may not be aware that Daishowa Canada (and its subsidiaries) have elected to avoid the area of concern to the Lubicons this winter. Also, Chief Bernard Ominayak and the Hon. Tom Siddon, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, met recently in Edmonton in an effort to identify a means to resume their negotiations. We are very encouraged by this development and we believe that our actions and sensitivity have played a part in establishing an appropriate climate for both the Lubicons and the Federal Government to resolve their dispute. We would encourage you to join us in urging both the Federal Government and the Lubicons to resolve their dispute as soon as possible. ************************************************************* November, 1991, DAISHOWA CANADA position paper The position of Daishowa Canada Co. Ltd. with respect to the Lubicon situation is as follows: 1. While Daishowa Canada deeply regrets this land claim dispute, we cannot resolve it. This matter must be resolved by both levels of government and the Lubicons. Daishowa Canada has publicly and privately urged these parties to work towards resolving their differences. Recently, the Federal Government and the Lubicons have had discussions that may lead to a resumption of their negotiations. 2. Daishowa Canada negotiated a Forest Management Agreement (FMA) with the Alberta Government in good faith. The FMA describes the obligations and responsibilities Daishowa Canada must satisfy to establish, grow and harvest timber within the defined FMA area. Specified areas have been excluded from the FMA area to accommodate a future reserve for the Lubicon Band. Logging activities are not, of course, permitted within these areas. To date, Daishowa Canada, Peace River Pulp Division has not commenced its own FMA operations in the area of concern to the Lubicons. 3. Daishowa Canada, Peace River Pulp Division, has purchased and is legally obligated to purchase incidental aspen from independent sawmillers, farmers and loggers who have their own permits or quotas, and salvage aspen from other industrial activities, within the FMA area. This year, Daishowa Canada has stated that it will not purchase incidental or salvage aspen if it is logged in the area of concern to the Lubicons. 4. Brewster Construction Ltd. was acquired in October of 1989 and subsequently became a subsidiary of Daishowa Canada. This sawmill has been in existence for 14 years, and prior to being acquired by Daishowa Canada, it was harvesting its timber quotas without incident or confrontation. While all of Brewster's timber quotas are outside the specified reserve area for the Lubicon Band, some quota areas have always been in the Lubicon's area of concern. Last year, recognizing the sensitivity of the situation, Brewster modified its logging plans in the hope that talks would be restarted to resolve this matter. This year, to again demonstrate its sensitivity, Brewster will not harvest timber in the area of concern to the Lubicons. 5. Daishowa Canada has endeavoured to keep the Lubicons informed about our operations and plans, and to avoid confrontations or challenges through the media. Our recent meetings and communications with the Lubicons have indicated that they acknowledge and appreciate our efforts to avoid their area of concern this year. This is an important step towards renewing their negotiations with the Federal Government, and resolving this dispute as expeditiously as possible. * * * * * Attachment #3: November 10, 1991, letter from Friends of the Lubicon (Toronto) to Tom Hamaoka in response to November 8th letter from Morrison Dear Mr. Hamaoka: We are in receipt of Mr. James P. Morrison's letter dated November 8, 1991, with the attached five-point "position paper" via fax. We appreciate the speedy reply. Unfortunately, the matter is not resolved as of yet. In particular we have three main points which need to be clarified before we will consider disengaging our public action campaign. 1.) In your point number 3, you make note of a legal obligation to purchase incidental aspen from independent sawmillers, farmers and loggers who have their own permits and quotas, and salvage aspen from other industrial activities, within the FMA area. If you are indeed legally obligated to do so, doesn't this contradict your promise not to accept this aspen? What is the province's position on this matter? As people who have monitored your company's activities over the last few years, we haven't forgotten the artful tap-dance between Daishowa and the province of Alberta last winter when Daishowa first pushed forward its plans to break their March 7, 1988, agreement with the Lubicon Nation by beginning logging operations on unceded Lubicon territories. Faced with a possible confrontation on the ground and growing public outrage, Daishowa suggested on October 5, 1990, that they were abandoning logging plans for the winter, a decision which had to be approved by provincial Forestry Minister LeRoy Fjordbotten and premier Don Getty. The provincial end of this 'good-cop-bad-cop' combination refused to give Daishowa sub- contractors alternate sites for logging operations outside of unceded Lubicon traditional territories; so, on November 19, 1990, while Fjordbotten was saying that Daishowa subsidiary Brewster Construction would NOT be logging in "the area of concern", Brewster was ALREADY clear-cutting spruce and aspen in unceded Lubicon territories. In fact Buchanan Lumber Ltd. had been working on roads in the Lubicon area as early as October 29, having been "given the go-ahead" by provincial Forestry officials. On November 14 Buchanan was actively logging and Brewster had bulldozed a couple of logging roads on Chief Bernard Ominayak's trapline east of Bison Lake. 2.) The "area of concern to the Lubicons" you refer to throughout the document is never clearly defined. We are concerned with the ambiguity expressed. In fact, the very day you wrote us, the Edmonton Journal reported that Daishowa has been using faulty maps in a related dispute, despite having been provided with clear maps delineating the entire unceded Lubicon traditional territory. Any public commitment made by Daishowa Canada Co. Ltd. must include clear representation of the area covered by the agreement. 3.) Most of the promises made in the enclosed 'position paper' are quite clearly limited to this winter only. Does this mean that, barring a resolution of the Lubicon Lake Nation's land rights with both levels of government in the meantime, we will have to repeat this scenario next year, and the year after that? Our position, as expressed to you in our letter of November 6, 1991, is that we expect Daishowa to make a clear, firm and public commitment to not cut and not to purchase any wood cut on unceded Lubicon territory until AFTER A SETTLEMENT of Lubicon land rights and negotiation of a harvesting agreement with the Lubicon people that takes into account Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns. Mr. Hamaoka, principles are not a matter of convenience. This is a matter of the very survival of an aboriginal society and regardless of how long it takes to resolve the land rights of the Lubicon Nation, it is still wrong to clear- cut in their unceded traditional territories before such a settlement is in place. It's wrong today and it will still be wrong tomorrow. If you sincerely wish to see justice done, no other position is tenable. Your optimism concerning recent discussions with Tom Siddon is astounding. Mr. Siddon did little to justify the opinion that these talks "may lead to a resumption of their negotiations". In fact the meeting between Siddon and Ominayak had no real substance to it. For the record, Mr. Siddon told Edmonton Journal reporters that he was once again dusting off the Federal government's unacceptable "take-it-or-leave-it" offer of January, 1989, minus approximately 40% of the initial offer which has now been promised to the government-created Woodland Cree Band. Perhaps Siddon felt that three years of government-sponsored disruption of Lubicon society would have made them desperate enough to accept a clearly insulting offer. This hardly constitutes a healthy atmosphere for the resumption of negotiations -- if anything it illustrates that the federal government is as low and untrustworthy as ever. Which brings us to the primary issue at hand: TRUST. On what grounds should we trust another vague statement from Daishowa? In public and private statements over the past year your position has changed frequently and dramatically. For instance: - On March 7, 1988, at a meeting between Daishowa officials and Lubicon representatives, an agreement was made in front of witnesses that Daishowa would not log on unceded Lubicon traditional territories until a settlement of Lubicon land rights had been reached with both levels of government. Daishowa then moved to break that agreement last winter by commencing logging in unceded Lubicon territory through subsidiaries like Buchanan and Brewster. - In an April 12, 191, letter to the chairperson of the Toronto-based Task Force on Churches and Corporate Responsibility, Daishowa General Manager James P. Morrison claimed that "Daishowa at no time made a commitment to the Lubicon band that involved their traditional territory". He suggested instead that the March 1988 meeting was held to explain to the Nation "the provisions contained in the proposed Forest Management Agreement" (between Daishowa and the Alberta Provincial Government). - In a meeting held on September 24, 1990, in the Lubicon settlement at Little Buffalo, Wayne Thorp and Tom Hoffman from Daishowa were asked about the agreement. Mr. Thorp said that "Daishowa is respecting that agreement. Daishowa is not logging in the Lubicon area." Stu Dornbierer of Daishowa clarified this position by saying "a distinction has to be made between Daishowa and these logging companies", referring to the Daishowa subsidiaries who were doing the dirty deed. On September 27 Mr. Akidat of Daishowa subsidiary Brewster Construction further mentioned the agreement, claiming that as a recently purchased subsidiary they didn't feel bound by it. - The next attempt to redefine the agreement came from James Morrison of Daishowa, who said on November 19, 1990, that your agreement with the Lubicons provided only that you would stay out of unceded Lubicon lands until the Grimshaw accord was negotiated. The Grimshaw accord, as you recall, was an agreement on a proposed land base between Alberta Premier Getty and the Lubicon Nation, negotiated in October 1988 after blockades were set up on Lubicon territories. This accord, however, could never have been anticipated in March 1988 when the Daishowa-Lubicon agreement was made. It had never even been proposed. - Later that same month Mr. Morrison reversed his claim and said for the first time that there had never been an agreement at all. This time he said you had met in March 1988 merely to talk about the state of Lubicon negotiations with the province. This is also noteworthy in that there were no negotiations with the province happening at that time. - Morrison contradicted himself again by falsely claiming that there was an agreement, but that it only applied to logging in new areas, and that the Lubicons had told Daishowa that Daishowa could continue to log in traditional logging areas. Two days later Daishowa publicly directed Buchanan to continue logging operations, breaking the former myth that Buchanan was an independent operator and thus not subject to the Daishowa agreement. - Most recently, James Morrison sent a letter on August 22 to a concerned Quebec citizen which resembled the position paper you sent to us. However in that position paper Morrison made it clear that while full-scale clear- cutting operations hadn't proceeded as planned last year, "further delays are no longer possible." Does Daishowa rely on the short-term memories of the TV generation as a basis of its public policy? Or are you so sure that people won't compare your contradictory public statements that you feel free to change your position at your convenience? I'm sure by now you can see why nothing short of a clear, firm and public commitment of the sort we are demanding is acceptable. Without such a commitment, how can we be sure that Daishowa's position won't change again next week? As we have stated in the past, until we see the aforementioned firm and public commitment from Daishowa which is acceptable to the Lubicon Nation, we will continue to mount a full-scale challenge to Daishowa's plans through a public boycott and action campaign. No doubt by now you will have heard from several of your many clients who have been contacted by us. Each day we are identifying and approaching new clients who are concerned with the issues being raised here. I believe it is in your best interests to make a commitment as soon as possible. We will look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Kevin Thomas * * * * * Attachment #4: VARSITY NEWS, Tuesday, November 12, 1991 LUBICON CREE FIGHT FOR LAND RIGHTS By Maylin Scott Varsity Staff Torontonians are protesting on Bay Street to show their support for a Cree land claim in northern Alberta. Ed Bianchi, a member of the Toronto branch of Friends of the Lubicon, said the Lubicon Lake Cree, a First Nation of 507 people, are in danger of losing their land to Daishowa, a transnational paper company, which plans to continue clear-cutting the unceded land of the Lubicon this winter. "The Lubicon traditional territory is 10,000 square kilometres, which is their traditional hunting and living grounds," he said. "It's their land, because historically, they've never signed any treaty giving it away." Bianchi said the Alberta government began leasing Lubicon land in 1988 to companies such as Daishowa but shortly after, the Lubicon contested the leasing and are currently trying to negotiate a settlement with the provincial and federal governments. In the meantime, they struck a deal with Daishowa which promised not to start cutting on the land until the settlement was completed -- a promise Bianchi says has been broken. "The cutting started last winter and they plan to start again this winter," he said. "Last winter there was one year's worth of cutting. The type of cutting is clearcut, like we've never seen before. They are using machines that cut trees 24 hours a day. They can cut 70 football fields of trees in one day. "You also have to remember that the Lubicon land has been devastated by provincial oil and gas development in the area. It's devastated the ecology and driven away the wildlife. it's changed their diet. Their staple used to be moose but there's no more moose. The morale in the community has really declined.' Bianchi said his group is organizing a protest outside the Daishowa head offices at 161 Bay Street this Thursday to pressure the company to keep their promise. "The Lubicon see this as their last stand," he said. "After the trees are all gone, even if the land is settled, it won't do them any good." But Michael McCormack, vice-president of administration for Daishowa offices in Toronto, reached at his office in Quebec City, said while all branches are part of the parent company in Japan, the Vancouver branch is handling Lubicon Lake. "Daishowa has two different corporate entities," he said. "Daishowa Forest Products in our operation in Toronto and it involves the operation of our Quebec mill. The other is Daishowa Canada Corporation in Vancouver which is dealing with Alberta. "They are protesting the wrong company." But Bianchi disagreed. "That's a pretty weak PR line," he said. "We're not protesting against the people in the office, but the transnational company. They still belong to the same company." McCormack said the protest would not accomplish anything. "From what I've read (Daishowa Canada) are not cutting on their lands," he said. "But we have nothing to do with Lubicon Lake or Alberta management." Representatives from Daishowa Canada could not be reached for comment. Bianchi said Friends of the Lubicon has sent a letter to Daishowa to ask them to honour their agreement. If they haven't received an answer by Nov. 25, they are planning a national boycott of Daishowa products and companies that use them. He said fast food chains such as Pizza Pizza, Mr. Submarine, Hoi Chow and Cultures as well as the Ontario Liquor Board use Daishowa products, mostly paper bags. He said he was optimistic that the campaign would work. "Anything that we can do that educates people about it helps. Public pressure on government and business is effective if there is enough of it." He said the Lubicon are asking for a form of self-government and self- determination. "About ten years ago, they were entirely self-sufficient. After the development started, they were forced to go on welfare. They've gone from 5 percent on welfare ten years ago to 95 percent now. All they want is a chance for Lubicon self-sufficiency." He said they want 95 square miles to develop game ranching and agriculture, introducing elk and buffalo into the area. "They are not asking that there be no cutting trees there at all, but are asking to have a say in how the resources are developed, taking into respect their wildlife and ecological needs. "All they want is what was taken away from them in the first place." Friends of the Lubicon is a group of twenty active members working with the Lubicon Nation as a liaison and to promote education about native attempts to achieve sovereignty. * * * * * Attachment #5: November 20, 1991, letter to Daishowa Canada Vice-President Koichi Kitigawa from Nova Scotia resident Dawn Suzuki Dear Mr. Kitigawa: I spoke with you on the phone last month and you requested a letter. Therefore, with heavy heart, I write. Being of Japanese ancestry and third generation Canadian, it is shocking and incomprehensible to me how a company from Japan with its long history of honour and of sacred regard and reverence for nature can break a promise to Chief Ominayak of the Lubicon people made on March 7th, 1988, "that logging would not start until the Lubicon land claim was settled." This is an embarrassment and a dishonour to all Japanese people whether they be in Japan or in Canada. This is unacceptable. I am very proud of my Japanese heritage; of the wealth of wisdom inherent in its sacred view. I am also proud of being a Canadian and of the vast beauty of its "Embattled Gardens" and grateful to the long- suffering aboriginal peoples whose generosity and compassion in welcoming visitors to their land has been returned with ruthlessness. To allow this type of business practice to go on in this land is beneath the dignity of the Canadian Government, Federal and Provincial, to whom the Canadian peoples entrust their collective will. This is not an Eden for the merchants of the marketplace where the almighty buck is king. I would urge you to honour your promise to Chief Ominayak and pull out of Lubicon land claim areas -- even though the Provincial Government seems to be forcing your hand by writing up a contract which requires that you take resources from this land -- no one has the right to harvest the natural resources of a land which rightfully belongs to the Natives. Apparently there is a double standard being employed in your logging practices here. It is alright to desecrate nature in someone else's land as long as one keeps one's principles pure at home. Japan has "superbly maintained" forests in an industry where selective logging is practiced and where herbicides "are not allowed at all in commercial operations" (Fact Sheet, Friends of the Lubicon). Why not apply your knowledge in sustainable forestry practice to other countries as well? It is quite evident form the latest catastrophe in the Philippines that the type of clearcutting as set out in your lease to cut in Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park is totally unacceptable. "A World Wildlife Fund Int. report concluded that the Japanese tropical hardwood trade had an impact on the South Pacific environment that was 'largely negative', ignoring good forestry practices 'in favour of wasteful, short-term, extractive practices'" (Fact Sheet, Friends of the Lubicon). That the Alberta Provincial Government would agree to "permission to clear-cut 98% of their lease; permission to clear-cut sections up to 5 km. wide; allowing trees to be cut by streams and riverbanks, which leads to soil erosion; and replanting of cut areas is not a stipulation in the agreement" (Fact Sheet, Friends of the Lubicon) is tragically irresponsible for a government mandated to protect the welfare of its people and the environment in Alberta. To proceed with such ignorant policies is to do so at great peril and great risk. The land claims situation in Canada is delicate and fragile and protected by the kami of the aboriginal Great Spirit. Why not work cooperatively with the aboriginal people who have been guardians of this land from time immemorial? There is no doubt that we all would greatly benefit from aboriginal wisdom at this critical point in history. I don't believe we have devolved to the point of whoredom surrendering resources to be raped. I would urge you to sensitize yourselves to the political situation in this country, to align yourselves with the spiritual aspirations throughout the land and particularly to inform yourselves of the nature of the genuine aboriginal grievances and groundswell of environmental concerns and then go forward in helping to cultivate the people in this country in a way that is respectful, dignifying, empowering, beneficial and life-affirming for all. There is no doubt that Canadians would greatly benefit from capital development but this country will not benefit if the development neglects the rights and land claims of the First Nations and ignores the welfare of the environment. I believe that Japan's continued economic success and prosperity will depend upon the continuing good will of ALL peoples. I appreciate the enormous personal sacrifices that are being made daily by the average Japanese worker in forging the Japanese economy. As Japan looks increasingly outwards, I'm sure she will realize that her suffering neighbours in the USSR are courageously laying the foundations for world peace in a radical way and I hope that Gorbachev's pleas for support will not go unheeded -- our collective peace and welfare very much depend upon the stability and well-being of their country -- we all need to help in "beating swords into ploughshares". Japanese business has the preciously rare opportunity and clout to be heavy-hitters in the cause of human and environmental dignity and integrity which could lead to great joy in fulfilling the current Emperor's mandate which is world peace. I would urge you to realize that the aboriginal peoples are Canada's First Nations, the land's original guardians. The Indians are, indeed, "in deo"; they are the primus inter pares who are directly related through their heritage to the primum mobile. No one can take that power away from them and it must be respected. * * * * * Attachment #6: Transcript of CBC Radio News Broadcast (5:30 P.M.) Friday, November 22, 1991 Kathy Little, CBC News An Ontario restaurant chain is boycotting the Daishowa paper company to show support for the Lubicon Indians. Cultures Fresh Food has more 60 outlets in Canada. It says it will stop buying paper products made by Daishowa, which operates a huge pulp mill near Peace River. The food company has written a letter of support to a group called Friends of the Lubicon (Toronto). The Band is claiming large areas of land in northwestern Alberta that Daishowa has rights to log. Cultures Fresh Foods says after careful research into the situation it's decided to stop using paper products made by Daishowa. Cultures has 61 soup and sandwich style restaurants in Canada. Most of them are in Ontario. It has 1 outlet in Calgary. * * * * * Attachment #7: THE EDMONTON JOURNAL, Saturday, November 23, 1991 LUBICONS PLAN DAISHOWA BOYCOTT Band's nationwide plans come as a surprise to company Paul Marck Journal Staff Writer Edmonton The Lubicon Indian band is organizing a nationwide boycott of Daishowa paper products to support sits bid for a land-claim settlement. Kevin Thomas of The Friends of the Lubicon, a Toronto-based support groups, said Friday it would announce the boycott at an Assembly of First Nations conference in Ottawa next week. The conference will include Lubicon chief Bernard Ominayak and First Nations chief Ovide Mercredi. However, Daishowa Canada vice-president and general manager Tom Hamaoka said the boycott was news to him. He wants to meet Ominayak before it's officially unveiled Thursday. Thomas said from Toronto the group sent Hamaoka a letter Nov. 6 asking the Japanese-owned Daishowa to make a clear commitment not to log disputed Lubicon lands until a land-claims settlement is negotiated with the federal government. "The main thing is to get Daishowa to make a clear, firm public commitment not to log on Lubicon lands," Thomas said. Daishowa, which has a pulp mill at Peace River and logging rights to the Lubicon lands, has said previously it won't log the disputed area this winter. However, the company has declined to identify the specific area it will avoid, Thomas said. While the company agreed in March 1988 to keep out of unceded Lubicon lands, the band says smaller sub-contractors have broken terms of that agreement. Hamaoka said from Vancouver he thought Daishowa had an agreement with the Lubicon. "I'm somewhat surprised they've taken this step," Hamaoka said. He denied Daishowa is trying to frustrate the Lubicon, saying the company intends to stay out of the "traditional Lubicon area" on the east side of the Peace River. "I don't know what the confusion is...I will not be purchasing or logging in their sensitive area of concern," he said. But he plans to try to iron things out next week. "I will definitely endeavor to get hold of Bernard Ominayak. There's a complete misunderstanding here. My intentions are true and honorable." The 500-member Lubicon band has sought a reserve from the federal and provincial governments at Lubicon Lake, 350 km northwest of Edmonton, for 50 years. The band has repeatedly turned down the federal government's "final offer" of $45 million and 246 square km of land since it was first made in 1989. The financial interpretation of the offer is in dispute, as well as the amount of land, and the mineral and logging rights in the oil-rich area. The Friends of the Lubicon is seeking backing from both the 50,000-strong National Association of Japanese Canadians and the 117,000-member Alberta Federation of Labour. Both organizations intend to put the matter before their executives early next week. "We're certainly supportive of the Lubicon cause and have been for a number of years," said AFL president Don Aitken. He expects the boycott will be formally endorsed. However, the National Association of Japanese Canadians is cautious in its stand on the issue. Van Hori, a member of the organization's human rights committee, said it is uncertain whether the group, which has chapters in 14 cities including Edmonton, will support the boycott. "We are sympathetic of the land claims and sympathetic of the fight against Daishowa's clear cutting of Lubicon lands," Hori said from Toronto. Regarding the boycott, Hori said: "We haven't decided yet on that." The Friends of the Lubicon has formally approached nine restaurant and grocery chains about supporting the boycott. * * * * * Attachment #8: THE EDMONTON JOURNAL, Saturday, November 23, 1991 SO-CALLED FRIENDS OF THE LUBICON TAKING AIM AT PUBLIC OPINION Rod Ziegler Business Beat If a group calling itself Friends of the Lubicon is really serious about starting a national boycott against Daishowa paper products, it should get its facts straight. JOURNAL reporter Paul Marck quotes Kevin Thomas of the so-called Friends of the Lubicon from Toronto explaining that his group wants Daishowa to make a clear commitment not to log disputed Lubicon lands until a land-claims settlement is negotiated with the federal government. To that end, the suggestion is that this so-called Friends of the Lubicon group will launch a "Stop the Genocide, Boycott Daishowa" campaign at an Assembly of First Nations conference in Ottawa next Thursday. I hope not. Call me a Daishowa apologist, call me a Tory lickspittle, call me a racist...call me anything you want, but consider this: Daishowa Canada's general manager Tom Hamaoka came to Edmonton in early November and, in a speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, urged Ottawa and Alberta to get the negotiating process going again. He said Daishowa didn't deserve to get squeezed like a watermelon seed. I agree: it's clear that Daishowa is merely the goat you tether if you wish to catch a much bigger tiger. At a media scrum following Hamaoka's speech, I heard him state clearly that neither Daishowa nor its subsidiary would log on disputed lands in Daishowa's Forest Management Area "this winter". I later asked why Daishowa couldn't give a longer-term commitment. The answer came back: Daishowa has enough timber-cutting rights -- outside the disputed area -- to last it through this cutting season. Unless it has access to other sources of timber cut next year outside the disputed lands, it won't be able to find feedstock for its Peace River pulp mill. So, to give the so-called Friends of the Lubicon the ironclad commitment it wants, Daishowa would have to agree to volunteer to be the goat to be tethered to catch the tiger. It was my understanding that Daishowa and Chief Bernard Ominayak had reached a very, very unofficial compromise over how to handle the question of Daishowa's access to lands under dispute. Obviously, if the reports of the proposed Daishowa boycott are true, my information was wrong. If so, that's too bad. If we're talking boycott here -- in the same way that people talked righteous boycott against Gainer -- then let's talk real, fundamental injustice. If there truly is to be a boycott of Daishowa products, then let's understand that what's involved here is not fundamental justice but sticking the pig that will squeal the loudest, to bring the most pressure on people who, otherwise, would refuse to negotiate further on the Lubicon land claim issue. Finally, let's talk about the negotiations themselves. They are in stalemate. The Lubicons demand recognition of their aboriginal rights to territory they insist they have never surrendered; compensation for benefits denied to them and for riches drawn from land that still belong to them. A crude estimation of the dollar value of the Lubicons' demands, $170 million. Ottawa insists that, though Lubicon forebears did not sign Treaty No. 8 in 1899, other aboriginals who shared the area with the Lubicons did. Ottawa says that, yes, it has an obligation to make an agreement with the Lubicon because it agreed to do so before the Second World War but did not do so. Ottawa says that a fair settlement with the Lubicon would be benefits worth $45 million and a reserve of 246 square km; that, if this is not enough, the Lubicon should fight the offer in the courts. The Lubicons say they refuse to recognize the white man's system of justice. And, they insist they demand real justice. Clearly, if these boycott reports are true, then it's clear that the Lubicons and those who advise them, have chosen to appeal to a higher court -- public opinion. I say good luck. Somewhere between Ottawa's offer of $45 million in compensation and your demand of roughly $170 million, there is room for compromise. Unless, of course, you believe there is no honor in compromise. * * * * * Attachment #9: THE EDMONTON JOURNAL, Monday, December 2, 1991, Letter to the Editor from Kevin Thomas, Friends of the Lubicon, Toronto, Ont DAISHOWA HAS ETHICAL OBLIGATION TO LUBICONS PERCEIVED INJUSTICE WILL BE FOUGHT Your columnist got it wrong when he suggested that the Friends of the Lubicon were setting up Daishowa as the goat tethered to catch the tiger (So-Called Friends of the Lubicon taking aim at public opinion, THE JOURNAL, Nov. 23). Rod Ziegler makes the assumption that Daishowa is somehow an innocent third party stuck in the middle of a dispute between the Lubicons and the federal government. Daishowa bought leases to cut on unceded Lubicon territories from the provincial government knowing that the title to the land was contested. Perhaps they thought the Lubicons wouldn't be able to mount a challenge to their plans, or perhaps that the situation would be resolved before they began operations; either way, their actions have shown that they are far from innocent. Despite having made an agreement on March 7, 1988, with the Lubicons not to cut on unceded Lubicon lands until a settlement of their land rights had been negotiated, Daishowa has claimed that this agreement didn't exist, or that it did exist but it didn't apply to their subsidiaries, that it exists but they only agreed to hold off until the Grimshaw accord was negotiated in late 1988. The issue is this: Daishowa has plans to clearcut vast sections of unceded aboriginal land and is unwilling to make the clear ethical decision to hold off operations until the Lubicon Lake Cree land rights are settled. This clearcutting operation will destroy what little is left of the Lubicon people's lands and society. There will be nothing left to negotiate if Daishowa is allowed to go ahead. That is fundamental injustice and we are going to fight like hell to make sure it doesn't happen.