(Continued from part 1) THE PEOPLE SPEAK Following are excerpts from a variety of oral presentations heard by Commissioners: We live our lives in constant danger. Since the blockade we have been afraid to go certain places in town [Peace River]. Our sons have been beaten by white men when they say they are Lubicon. The roads are dusty and dangerous to travel. The logging and oil trucks run us off sometimes. We have lost many young ones because of the horrible roads. The Lubicon women demand an end to the physical, emotional, economic, cultural and spiritual destruction. Hear our voice and our message - we don't know if we'll be here tomorrow. - Violet Ominayak witness Little Buffalo August 06/92 Most people who are knowledgeable in the area of Human Rights in the UN know about the Lubicon case.... if you look at all the other atrocities in the world, the Lubicon case stands out as a big beacon. It's not a very pleasant thing that has happened... And they know it's an on-going situation. That's the most significant thing. It's on-going. It's not something that has stopped. I think that what has happened is that it's brought the attention of the world to the fact that what's going on in Canada is not very pretty, their relationship to indigenous people. And the Lubicon have done that. ... [At the UN] you have to be super-polite, super diplomatic ... what happened was the Committee [for Human Rights] came out with a ... decision condemning Canada in the strongest possible language that they could, within the parameters that they work in. The other thing that the Committee did, which is another unprecedented thing in relation to the Lubicons in this particular instance, is that they wanted to maintain an on-going hands-on in the Lubicon case. Usually what happens is they make a decision, issue it and then it's finished. There's no usual follow-up because there are so many cases. But in this case they appointed a special rapporteur who's to report to the Committee in an on-going basis as to the situation of the Lubicons. To me, it signals within the United Nations and other people I've talked to, that the Committee knows that Canada was not playing fair with them and they wanted to say something about the Lubicon case ... "OK, Canada, you say that you're making fair and equitable efforts to settle this issue ... We'll give you the benefit of the doubt publicly, but we're also appointing a rapporteur." And that's the killer because the rapporteur is totally independent of Canada. He's from Hungary. There's no way that the Canadian government can influence the guy ... so in fact, what the UN has done is kick the whole Lubicon thing up one more step ... it's unprecedented for the UN to do that. - Sharon Venne witness Edmonton January 29/93 So people say to me, "What's it like?" I say, "What would Edmonton look like 10 years after everybody had been forced onto welfare and had to stand in line with their hand out in order to survive? What would that do to relationships between men and women and parents and children and the old people?" During one 18 month period there were something like 21 pregnancies; 18 children were still-born... There is not one single Lubicon here who has not experienced unnatural death in his own family through alcohol-related incidents -- a man freezing to death on his trapline, a man killing himself with his hunting rifle [the first known suicide in Lubicon history], still-born children, kids running head-on into an oil company truck. .. They didn't even know which bones went with which child.... This has been rightly described by the World Council of Churches as genocide. ... that's the consequence on this society of what's been done to them while the Alberta government and the oil companies and dominant Canadian society -- all of the rest of us -- have benefited to the tune of an estimated $8 billion in oil revenues. Now they're proposing to go in and chop down something like 11 000 trees a day, dehydrate them and send them to Japan as part of supposed diversification of the Alberta economy. - Fred Lennarson witness Edmonton June 01/92 I don't think there's any amount of dollars that would be able to put back in place what we lost by way of our traditional way of life. Rather, we've concentrated on trying to put something together that would enable us to build some kind of a future for our people, especially for our younger generation. Early on ... a lot of our trappers were out there ...The guys who were in the oil fields would have their cat and go out of their way to destroy traps. A few of the people had tried to get compensation for some of the damage that was done to the traplines... but the whole issue is not the $5.00 trap or anything. We were losing a way of life ....we were trying to hang on and hang on and hang on ... That wasn't possible because they kept coming. There was no response even to the complaints...On one hand while the trappers were out there and we were trying to keep them from shooting the guy running the cat, these were all things we were dealing with very early on, and at the same time to try and keep our people from going to jail, because we kept telling them if you kill this guy they'll just put more in. It's not these guys... We've fought a battle and I don't think we were expected to be here today, or even this year. But we hope that we're going to be able to withstand what may come in the future as long as we don't have a settlement. With the billions of dollars that have been extracted by way of natural resources off our traditional territory, there has not been a red cent that has been coming back to the community other than welfare from the federal government. There have been a lot of claims by the governments that they can't be handing out tax dollars to Native people like the Lubicons all the time. I don't think we're talking about any tax payers' dollars when we're talking about a settlement ... considering the amount of money that's been extracted through During the blockade when we blocked those roads and stopped the oil development from coming in [October, 1988] they were all crying that their kids were going hungry and that we were taking bread and butter off their tables. They never once considered the fact that they were taking everything away from us. Along the road you don't see any of the clearcut logging, but the minute you get behind the scenes there's a hell of a mess back in there. That holds true in a lot of these things. I think that's the same problem we faced with the oil development. It seems like the bigger the oil company, the less regulations there are, if there were ever any in the first place. Supposedly there are, but they're not followed. There are a lot of things -- for example, around those pump jacks, around those battery stations where there's a lot of oil spilled and it gets into the water stream. The ducks get it in their feathers and then they can't fly. All the drilling mud and stuff, the toxins that are being used in the drilling, the bears, the coyotes get into that and their fur starts falling off and it gets into their system and eats out their insides. So all these things have to be looked at any time any kind of development is going to take place in order to try and preserve. There must be a reason why the Creator put us in the area that we're in. So I guess from that perspective the onus is on us to try and protect the Earth, the environment and the wildlife as much as possible. - Chief Bernard Ominayak witness Edmonton June 01 & 02/92 Long time ago, when people first arrived at Lubicon, everything was in harmony. There were lots of forests, lots of animals, lots of resources for them. It went on that way for a long time. But eventually they started to see a lot of their traplines and forests disappear, mostly because of development coming into the region. These developers had absolutely no regard for their existence. [We] should be compensated for all that [we've] lost in general damages, because the resources of the land that had been passed on have been stripped and [we] have nothing to pass on to [our] children and grandchildren for future livelihood. - Elder Edward Laboucan (translated from Cree) witness Edmonton June 02/92 I started to imagine what it would be like for myself. I think of myself as a totally urban person; Edmonton's the smallest place I've lived. And if I was taken from my job and ...everything that I know .. taken out of all my socialization, all my contacts, everything that gives meaning to my life, the whole bit, and just dropped in the middle of Little Buffalo..and I had to survive ...I don't think I'd last. It's that kind of total change of environment and context that we are witnessing. By some people's definition it would be genocide. And it's a very slow process. We're not lining them up by the trees and executing them. We're just slowly doing it ...drip by drip by drop.... Personally, I think the churches feel that the delay in settling this has been a total disgrace, not just on behalf of the governments, but on behalf of all of us, for somehow not having the political will to settle. The [Lubicon proposal] seems to make sense to me. I guess what I don't understand is why we have not seen a valid government response to it. .....the public has a right to know these specifics. What is specifically wrong with the Lubicon proposals? What specifically happened with Fulton's Report and why was it not accepted? What were the problems with it? I know one of the things the government says is they're concerned about a precedent and paying the Lubicon people more than the "going rate." Well, first of all, I don't think in my limited understanding of how the land claims process is going throughout Canada, I don't think there is such a thing as a "going rate." Now, I can understand where the government is saying they do have relationships to each [land claim].... but that shouldn't be that hard to do... It doesn't take 7 years or whatever it is to sit down and look at the agreements publicly, and say -- all right, these folks got these under these circumstances with these proposals and why. I mean, you put a wall chart there and you start looking at it and you start making your comparisons and you try to be just and fair. It doesn't take a genius to do it. Why hasn't it been done? As I calculate it, $170 million is 2.3 per cent of $6 billion. Now, in investment terms, [the Lubicon] are therefore asking very little. Who accepts 2.3 per cent return on their money? Nobody. And that's strictly financially - - forget about human lives and all the things that are far more important than money. [The money] is peanuts compared to what the resource companies have achieved and what we as taxpayers have achieved. I would like to know why [government representatives] have not appeared before this Commission. The public is entitled to know, in detail, why they are not here. It seems to me that their appearance would confirm their good faith. - Rev Bill Phipps United Church of Canada witness Edmonton June 29/92 I'm living in Switzerland. I represent one of the biggest support groups for Native people in the Americas. I have a resolution on the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation. Representatives from 13 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom do hereby resolve: 1. to continue pressing in every imaginable way the governments of Canada and Alberta to negotiate with the Lubicon people a fair and just settlement of Lubicon land rights; 2. to continue pressing European governments and national and international political organizations to keep raising the issue of outstanding Lubicon land rights with Canadian politicians and representatives of the Canadian government, such European political organizations to include the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), European political parties, Aboriginal Rights organizations, Human Rights organizations and environmental organizations; 3. to accelerate the international STOP DAISHOWA campaign until there is a settlement of Lubicon land rights and an agreement negotiated between the Lubicons and Daishowa respecting Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns; 4. to establish a Lubicon Monitoring Committee of concerned European organizations to enable a speedy and effective response to any changes in the evolving Lubicon situation, including the possibility of another effort by Daishowa this fall to clearcut Lubicon trees. Dated the 25th of July, 1992, in Genoa, the town that Christopher Columbus originated from. I would like to add two sentences to the Lubicon people. You are not alone. There are European people who are with you in your struggle for a fair and just settlement of your concerns. - Dr. Heinz Lippuner witness Little Buffalo August 06/92 Overall, we hope that the land claim will be settled before we graduate from high school (my brother Timothy is in grade 10 and I'm in grade 9), so that our future will seem brighter soon. So that there will be something to keep us here. Even if we decide to go to university, we want there to be something to come back to, some place with jobs and a sense of community. There are things we don't have, or are losing now. In the last few years, since we were young, we have seen more troubles here. More alcohol and with it, fights and accidents. People don't get along any more as well as they used to. People from outside come and sell booze and it breaks up families and causes violence. This is our land, and none of this should have been going on in the first place. .... we would like to settle down and stay in this community, but what will remain? - Crystal Gladue, 14 witness Little Buffalo August 06/92 I held the necessary meetings and prepared a discussion paper which I think you have.... which was supposed to serve as the basis for that final meeting with the representatives of the parties. To my amazement and disappointment, although the discussions had proceeded amicably and constructively, the Alberta minister, Mr. Pahl, took the position that he wasn't going to go any further with these inquiries, that it was a waste of time, that I had no authority in the matter, and that Alberta was not going to take any further part. After discussion with the band and with Mr. Crombie, it was agreed that if Alberta would not take any part -- Alberta being so vitally affected and a concerned party -- there was really not any point in continuing my inquiry. That was where the matter was ended then. The band asked if I would be prepared to serve in some capacity in the mediation process and I said yes, I would. Then, I gather, it was put before the federal government, about the possibility of my being chairman of a mediation panel. Mr. McKnight's position was, "Never, Mr. Fulton is prejudiced." He used the word publicly. He made that statement publicly, that I was prejudiced in favour of the band. He said, "We couldn't possibly have him as a mediator." To which my answer was, and I put it in a letter to Mr. McKnight, "You apparently don't understand the proper sense and meaning of the word "prejudice", because prejudice is a position you take based upon a lack of the knowledge of the facts or deliberate disregard for the facts and you come to a conclusion notwithstanding what the facts may be; whereas sympathy on the other hand, is a conclusion you arrive at based upon knowledge of the facts. And I'd be guilty of sympathy because I know the facts now. But I am not prejudiced." I never had an answer to that letter. But apparently the position then of the federal government became, "What Fulton said in the discussion paper was not very useful." - E. Davie Fulton witness Edmonton November 02/92 I went to Lubicon country a few weeks ago and came back completely appalled and overwhelmed at the conditions that the Lubicon people are living in. ...in my work as pastor I've been...talking with missionaries and hearing about conditions in Third World countries and never realized that the poverty and despair and conditions would be so poor as they are in this country -- one of the richest nations in the world. I came back with a better understanding and more compassion and a sense of urgency that this situation needs to be resolved. I personally am becoming more and more ... agitated and upset that we have a government that allows this kind of thing to happen. I think that if the Lubicons lose, and if this continues, we'll all lose as Canadians. What is frustrating for me is to see our tax dollars going to high salaries and perks for politicians, to American companies [and] being misused ... in many ways. But if it goes to promoting justice for the oppressed people, for poor people... in my opinion, taxpayers are willing to dig deep and pay for that. - John Stellingwerff Edmonton Interfaith Committee for Aboriginal Rights witness Edmonton June 29/92 It has been an incredibly enriching experience for me to have been able to spend time in Little Buffalo, being taken around, spending time on the trapline, getting to know the people there. But of course it's also been a very painful experience as well, watching the community change under the really severe oppression that they've been subjected to since about 1982. There were lots of times where I couldn't believe the material myself. That was one of the big struggles. I think for about two years I struggled to believe this material myself. It just did not conform to my view of the country. It kind of ripped me apart at some levels. And lots of things I was afraid to say because I thought, surely I'm wrong. And somebody is going to prove it wrong and [then] I'll have to dig up other evidence. But nothing. There's no response. [I wrote] Globe and Mail articles on the plebiscite. I outlined the Woodland Cree case in Saturday Night Magazine and Tom Siddon wrote a very weak reply that had no substance at all. That was a further shock, that there's just no defence on the part of the federal authorities for what they've done here. I don't see much sign that they're willing to rectify it. I found it helpful in my whole understanding of this case to go to the Penan jungle and watch those people being forced from the land. Some of the images come to mind as I'm speaking. People lolling about these longhouses, destitute, no future. It's just pathetic. It helped me to see that this sort of thing does go on in the world and it helped me to ask the question -- is there any reason why it should not have happened in Canada? Are we any better people? This is a question that Canadians find really hard to face. We like to think of ourselves as good, upstanding and fair people, sympathetic to Native issues and Native Rights and so forth. On one level every Canadian knows that Indian people of this country are getting screwed. Everybody knows that. And that they're marginalized, they live in terrible conditions, and that all the programs that this new federal offer is trying to impose on the Lubicon people have failed everybody ... And yet on another level, we have to maintain this belief in ourselves that we are good, that we are better than other North Americans ... - John Goddard, author of Last Stand of the Lubicon Cree witness Edmonton November 03/92 Our people are prepared to support [the Lubicon] in any way possible, in any way that they ask. So far they have asked for moral and spiritual support which we have tried very hard to provide ... right now these people are hanging on with their heart and soul. That's about all they have to work with. There is nothing. There are no services. All there are is good-hearted people to come out here and hold their hand and get through one more day of what's put on them. I've sat with people who have lost a great deal and listened to their stories and they are so tragic that I probably wouldn't be able to tell you even one of them. I can tell you that every person here has been touched by tragedy again and again. They don't even have time to recover from the last one when another happens. It's all because of greed. There're billions of dollars; this land has more than enough to provide for what they're asking. It's absurd that they're forced to live through what they are. As a Native person, a Native woman, I for one will stand by them in any decision that they make, and I will try to help them because I believe it's a Human Rights struggle. From my perspective it has to be one of the worst cases of Human Rights abuse that I've ever witnessed or I've ever documented. What I want to highlight is the human cost. They have a lot more things to do here than to run around the country and tell the story of their tragedy. That's not the easiest thing to do... They should be able to have some kind of resources to start building their future rather than social services to put a band-aid on a very big wound. I think it really is up to people like you to make that difference because I think as Aboriginal people we have done just about everything within our means to get these people some help, to get them recognition world-wide, and it's gotten nowhere. It's up to Canadians and it's up to the Canadian government and it's up to your Commission to see how quickly they can get a fair settlement, not a settlement that will leave them on welfare and leave them absolutely no economy, but a settlement that is fair. - Dawn Hill Mohawk Nation witness Little Buffalo August 06/92 The settlement that should be signed with the Lubicon band must be fair, but it must be fair to all people. It must be fair to the many other Native bands who have signed agreements. It must be fair to those who are paying the settlement in land and money. It must be fair to the Lubicon band. The town of Peace River council urges the parties in negotiation to resume talks immediately and to come to a fair and just settlement. In the meantime, it is manifestly unfair to involve Daishowa or any other group that is not a party to the negotiations in lobbying for a settlement. In discussions we hear about Native land claim settlements, the word "fair" is very often used. We must remember that "fair" has to apply to both sides. - Mayor Michael Proctor witness Peace River August 07/92 THE COMMISSIONERS SPEAK Following are excerpts from statements made by Commissioners: I don't have the formal education of some of the other Commissioners, but I was born and have lived my whole life in the Peace River country. I know the people here, including the Lubicons. I know how the Lubicons lived off the land in the past and how they live today. I know the country and what's possible to do here. I know the cost of doing things here and I know the value of the resources which have been extracted from the disputed Lubicon territory, especially over the last ten to twelve years. I also know what's right. It's been suggested by some that the Commission is just a bunch of New Democrats trying to embarrass the government. I want to make the point that I'm not a New Democrat. I'm not trying to embarrass the government and I've not participated in any discussions with my fellow Commissioners about party politics or ways to embarrass the government. My reason for participating in the Commission is simply to try and help get the Lubicon situation settled fairly and honourably. Nobody is talking about giving the Lubicons anything. We're talking about settling a long-standing dispute over thousands of square miles of land which the Lubicons have never given up but which others have moved into and exploited to the tune of an estimated $7 billion. Lawyers and politicians can argue forever about the legalities of all of this, but several things are certain. It's certain that this multi-billion dollar development activity has destroyed the traditional Lubicon hunting and trapping economy and all but destroyed the Lubicon society. It's certain that the value of the settlement which the Lubicons are asking for is only a tiny fraction of the value of the resources which have been extracted and continue to be extracted from these disputed lands -- perhaps 2 per cent of the value to date. It's certain that we're not talking about spending taxpayers' money to settle with the Lubicons, but rather investing a small portion of the value of the resources taken from this disputed land so that the Lubicons can try to rebuild their society instead of being forced to live on welfare -- to the everlasting shame of the rest of us. And it's certain that all interests in the area -- not only the interests of the Lubicons -- will be continually at risk until this dispute is fairly and honourably settled. John MacMillan I am a professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta. I teach in that department and also have taught in the School of Native Studies and in the faculty of law. One of my primary areas of specialization is Aboriginal Rights. I have written a number of articles and a book on this topic, especially as it relates to political rights, and have been involved in the process of constitutional development. I also served as an expert witness in one court case that pertained to this topic. I have taught courses in Anthropology, Law and Native Studies and topics arising from this area of research interest. Another area is what is known as Land Claims. In addition to researching, writing and teaching on that topic, I have been involved in "land claims" directly when I became involved with the negotiations undertaken by the Dene Nation that began in the early 1980s. I remained involved, at least peripherally, until the collapse of those negotiations about two years ago. A third area is what is often referred to as "The Native Economy." I have also written, researched and taught in this area. Additionally, I served as an expert witness during the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Hearings. My primary geographical area has been the North and in particular the Mackenzie Valley. I work primarily with [the] Dene. I have had a long acquaintance with the situation of the Lubicon. As I recall, early in the 1970s I was approached by one of the Chiefs of the "isolated communities" - one of which is Lubicon Lake - regarding work needed to be undertaken to support their assertion that there were outstanding issues to be addressed regarding their treaty rights. I was also heavily involved in supporting the position of the isolated communities when, in the mid-1970s, their court case was undermined by the passage of retroactive legislation in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. I met Chief Bernard Ominayak about ten years ago and have been in communication with him and other individuals involved in the Lubicon case for at least that long. I have been frustrated greatly by the lack of progress in settling this Lubicon treaty issue. I am struck by the fact that the governments of Canada and Alberta refused to appear [before the Commission]. We are citizens of the country and as such, ought to have the opportunity to hear our elected government officials state their policies and answer reasonable questions. Their refusal only adds to the doubt I must carry with me about the honour of the Crown and its intentions. Michael Asch Last year, I was asked to sit on the Lubicon Settlement Commission established by the leader of the New Democratic Party. I am not a member of the New Democratic Party. On the contrary, as the President of the Indian Association of Alberta, I urge our citizenship to maintain our rights as citizens of our First Nations and to not participate in governments which are not our governments. Until I was asked to sit on the Commission, I had never really looked closely at the details of the various offers made by the federal and provincial governments concerning the Lubicon People. When the Lubicon Peoples rejected various offers based upon their analysis, we supported them. This is each nation's right. The chief and his people make decisions for themselves. No other nation or peoples have a right to interfere with their decisions. The details and the information which were presented to the [Commission] during the review has led me to analyze and review the whole process of having our rights recognized as Indigenous Peoples in Canada. How are the rights of the Indigenous Peoples going to be protected? It is a challenge to the non- Indigenous Peoples. In the rush for material wealth, are governments and multi-national corporations prepared to sacrifice peoples? The sad answer which returns from all over the world where Indigenous Peoples come in conflict with so-called civilization is the loss of the Indigenous Peoples. Is this going to happen in the Lubicon's case? Or are people going to stand up and say, enough is enough? Indigenous Peoples have been saying that for five hundred years, but who is listening? One of the things that must be included in this report is the Indigenous Peoples' philosophy of life. We are not here on this Earth to make ourselves wealthy, to make ourselves known or famous in our own time. The future of [our] children's children must always be in front of our minds. What are we going to leave future generations? This is not a rhetorical question. This is the basis of our philosophy. When the federal government makes these ridiculous offers of cash compensation to the Lubicon Cree without recognizing the fundamental rights to the land and resources, they insult all Indigenous Peoples. What is for the future generations? What is going to be on the land for the children of the future? What are they going to feed their children and their children's children? We must think in terms of seven generations. This is the teaching which has been told to us by the Elders, never to think about ourselves, but to think into the future. This is the way that the Lubicon Cree have approached this whole negotiation with the federal government. The Lubicon approach and process must be respected and honoured by all Peoples. It is a very valuable lesson which is being shown to us by the Lubicon Peoples. All Peoples who believe in justice must support them. Regena Crowchild I'm originally from Quebec and I've lived in the Peace River country for the last 41 years. I'm married and we have 4 children. As a youth I quit school after I reached grade six: that's as far as the local school went. Then I started helping my father in the logging industry at Keg River, some 120 miles north of Peace River. I'm presently owner and president of Boucher Brothers Lumber with headquarters in Nampa some 20 miles south of Peace River. The lumber industry has been my life. Over the years we've had Native people working for us and still do. I'm presently advisor to the Aboriginal Logging in Peace River and sit on the Board of Directors for Alberta Forest Product Association which oversees forestry concerns such as wild life, the environment, transportation, logging, marketing, etc. I'm also president of Manning Diversified Forest Products, a new company that includes business people in northern Alberta among whom are two Metis groups, Paddle Prairie Metis and Zone Six. I accepted to serve on the Commission because I feel that the Lubicon should be treated no less fairly than any other Native community in this country. They should have their own land, and good economic opportunities. I hope this Commission can further their goals. Normand Boucher I guess the next step is an acknowledgement by both the federal and provincial governments officially that there has been an injustice done and that there will be a resolve to it. It seems that ... they often want to deny there's a problem. I think that perhaps there have to be ... stages... recognize who you're talking to, [and] recognize what you're talking about. And ... recognize the injustices done, the loss of the economics and way of life, and in particular the exploitation of their land, the fact there was so much profit made off it at the expense of these people. Not to mention the erosion of their livelihood due to the geographical and structural changes. Are there reasons for the government not achieving a result? It seems that this has been going on back to 1899. Do they have a hidden agenda? If they do, then perhaps that needs to be talked about. Because it just seems that negotiations don't normally go on forever, and yet that seems to be the case here. Don Aitken I'm a priest, a member of the Oblate Missionaries who have worked in Lubicon country since the 1850s. I'm presently provincial superior of some 145 Oblates belonging to Grandin Province serving in Alberta and the NWT. I'm also president of the Oblate Conference of Canada. Originally from the Peace River country in northern Alberta, I first came into contact with the Lubicon while pastoring in Grouard from 1978 to 1986. Bernard Ominayak became chief back then and I got to know him and his people gradually over the years. In my various contacts with the Lubicon I saw vividly the social breakdown resulting from government neglect: destruction of a traditional economy, poverty, lack of decent housing and facilities, unemployment, dependency on government handouts, alcoholism, violence, tragic deaths, family breakdown, divisions in the community, despair, high level of still births, tuberculosis, etc. I feel that such disastrous results on a people is a severe indictment on the Indian Affairs Department whose responsibility is the protection and welfare of Indian people in this country. When asked to serve on this Commission, I had little hesitation in accepting, hoping to help a downtrodden people obtain justice at last if I could. I wish ... to use the voice of one who has some moral authority in our world, Pope John Paul II. In his 1987 Fort Simpson visit to the Aboriginal Peoples of this land [he] declared: "Once again I affirm your right to a just and equitable measure of self governing, along with a land base and adequate resources necessary for developing a viable economy for present and future generations ... I pray that the Holy Spirit will help you all to find the just way so that Canada may be a model for the world in upholding the dignity of the Aboriginal Peoples." The Lubicons after 54 years of waiting are still hoping to have a just and equitable measure of self governing. There are good prospects for an adequate land base. Their struggle to develop a viable economy has been the stumbling block in most of their negotiations with the government. Canada, far from being recognized as a model for the world in upholding the dignity of the Aboriginal Peoples, has been condemned by people around the globe for the way it has dealt with the Lubicons. We pray for the sake of the Lubicon people and Canada that the work of this commission may be instrumental in bringing this important issue to a fruitful and just conclusion. Jacques Johnson I live with my husband and two teenage daughters on a small farm near High River. I have been actively involved in promoting a healthy environment both as a volunteer and as a businesswoman. Since 1988 I have been encouraging others to Reduce Reuse and Recycle in my community. This led to the formation of the Foothills Recycling Society and working with my MLA to successfully establish two permanent recycling depots. I am the owner of earthcycle paper corp., one of the first companies to bring recycled paper into Alberta for resale. A good part of my energy has gone into public education. I believe that each of us can make a difference. When asked to be a member of the Lubicon Settlement Commission of Review, I came with no preconceived ideas and with only a small amount of information of the situation which I had gleaned from the media. At first I thought that the asking amount for settlement seemed high. However, after learning more about the Lubicon situation, I have changed my thinking. It is not too much, in fact, it is a fair and reasonable amount considering the hardships the Lubicon people have faced. It also seems to be a fair and reasonable amount considering that estimates put oil revenues taken from the Lubicon area about $7 billion and that settlement would be a small percentage of this amount. Some of the findings were unbelievable. Particularly troubling was how our government officials have negotiated with the Lubicon people. Government officials are elected to represent the people. Yet I found their actions (or inactions) were not done in good faith on behalf of the Canadian people. It is unfortunate that the government did not appear before the Commission to clarify some of these matters. I would have welcomed the opportunity to hear the government prove these findings incorrect. They did not appear. Therefore, I am left to draw my own conclusion from what was reported to me. [Mr. Fulton] stated that "prejudice is the position you take based upon a lack of knowledge of the facts, or deliberate disregard of the facts... whereas sympathy ... is a conclusion you arrive at based upon knowledge of the facts." I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Lubicon people when I found out what their history has been. Sandy Day I believe the money asked for by Lubicons does not necessarily have to be what they receive, but the government's offer is extremely low. The Lubicons should not have to be held to spend the money the way the governments have demanded in their offer to the Lubicons. I believe that any settlement will be a political one, and not one that is generated and influenced by government bureaucrats. With federal and Alberta provincial elections looming in the horizon of 1993, it is very important that this report help to form parts of election platforms. If this does not happen, it will again be shelved and the bureaucrats will play games with it. Wilfred Barranoik I would like to comment that I find both [government] proposals to be very paternalistic, especially with respect to the compensation. I can accept that the Lubicons may have to justify the amount of funding they require for infrastructure or economic development as this amount is based on need. This amount should be settled now and not be the subject of future applications for funding. However, the Lubicons should not have to justify what they are going to do with the money they receive as compensation for past losses. It is theirs to do with as they like. No one tells me how to spend my money. I, for one, came with a fresh mind as I had not, prior to sitting on the Commission, looked into this issue in any detail. As such, the hearings were an eye opener for me. The Lubicons were missed in the original treaty settlements in 1899 and 1939. In 1939 they were promised a reserve and to date this promise has not been fulfilled. It is therefore clear that they should be dealt with at this time, in a manner that compensates them for this delay as well as providing them with the resources to establish a self-sufficient society. Jennifer Klimek I am an ordained minister, directing the Native Concerns portfolio of the Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCC). This includes extensive involvement with Native peoples across Canada on a community level, with Native organizations, and with a large number of individuals. Through the direction of MCC work, I help provide volunteer personnel in needed areas of education, health, social work, research and advocacy. Advocacy for land rights in the face of extensive development has become a major inter-Mennonite focus. MCC responds to Native communities in a combination of advocating honourable settlement of land issues, fair inclusion in the constitutional process, and with locally based, culturally viable economic development programs. I am a representative of the Aboriginal Rights Coalition (ARC), an interchurch venture which has addressed Aboriginal Rights across Canada. MCC's connection with the Lubicon community is taking place through the support of local gardening ventures, the conducting of a health program during the TB outbreak, and through MCC's participation in ARC. Resolution of the Lubicon case is not only in the interest of the Lubicon Cree. It is also in the interest of other Canadians. Native and nonNative peoples want to live within a country that deals fairly with all peoples. The year 1992 has focused specifically on the 500 year history of conquest. Having inherited that history of conquest does not validate its continuation. The industrial conquest of the Lubicon community and its territory represents an ongoing conquest mindset that has gone largely unchecked and has happened at the terrible expense of the Cree peoples. The dramatic contrast between the wealth of the corporations who harvest the resources in the Lubicon region and that of the local Lubicon community is astounding. Menno Wiebe MANDATE AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMISSION On May 21st, 1992 the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Alberta Legislature, Ray Martin, established the Lubicon Settlement Commission of Review with the following Terms of Reference: WHEREAS negotiations between the federal government and the Lubicon Lake Indians have been stalled without progress since January 1989; AND WHEREAS talks between the Lubicon Lake Indians and the provincial government of Alberta collapsed in June 1990; AND WHEREAS the public interest requires an independent, objective review of both the federal government proposal and the Lubicon Lake Indian proposal for settlement of Lubicon Lake land rights; AND WHEREAS the federal government's most recent offer of March 1992 has not advanced negotiations; AND WHEREAS because of the lack of progress Lubicon society continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate; NOW THEREFORE, this Commission of Review that has been convened will have responsibility to investigate, compare, assess and report publicly on: 1. The federal government's offer of January 1989 as modified by the public exchange between federal representatives and Lubicon representatives in September 1989 and further modified by federal proposals presented in March 1992; 2. The proposed Lubicon comprehensive draft settlement agreement; 3. The relative merits of each proposal, including the likelihood that each proposal would allow the Lubicons to once again become economically self sufficient; 4. Any other matters pertaining to the proposed settlements which the commissioners may deem necessary or relevant in assessing the proposals. The report of the Commission shall be completed and released before July 31, 1992. (Continued in part 3)