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


November 24, 1993


Enclosed for your information is a copy of a newspaper editorial on
settlement of Lubicon land rights.



                        *     *     *     *     *



Alberta Native News, November, 1993


                          DOING THE RIGHT THING

by Dale Stelter

If the newly-elected Liberal government wants to do the right thing by
Aboriginal people in Canada, there's a long, long list sitting right in
front of them.  And they could start on that list immediately.

At this point in time, it is difficult to assess what the performance of
the Liberals will be with regard to Native issues, as it's only a scant
time since they took over the reins of power.

The Liberals did make a number of clear promises, such as recognition of
the inherent right of Aboriginal people to self-government, settling land
claims quickly, phasing out the Department of Indian Affairs, and
removing the former Conservative government's cap on funding for post-
secondary education for Aboriginal people.

These, and the other promises that were made, are a start.  There is so,
so much to be done.

And speaking of starts, one has to wonder about Prime Minister Jean
Chretien's appointment of Ron Irwin, a hitherto basically unknown and a
non-Aboriginal, to the post of Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs,
when he had some Aboriginal people from whom to choose.

There was Ethel Blondin-Andrew, a Dene from the Western Arctic who was
the Liberals' critic for Aboriginal issues when the party was the
Opposition.  There was Elijah Harper, a former MLA in Manitoba, a person
who showed what he can handle by almost single-handedly blocking the
Meech Lake Accord in 1990.  And there was Jack Anawak from the Northwest
Territories.

Some of the issues facing the Liberal Government, like phasing out the
Indian Affairs department, are very complex, and will likely take a lot
of time.  There are other issues, such as certain land claims, that could
be resolved quickly and would send a positive message out right away.

One of the land rights disputes that could be settled very quickly is
that of the Lubicon Lake Cree of northern Alberta.  As Ethel Blondin-
Andrew wrote in a letter to former Conservative Indian Affairs Minister
Tom Siddon earlier this year, this decades-long land rights dispute has
been a disgrace to Canada, and "has grabbed the world's attention and is
now considered an international human rights issue".

The Lubicon have for a long time had in place the plans and mechanisms
for regaining their political, social, and economic self-sufficiency --
plans which have been examined and supported by a wide range of people
and groups, including the Lubicon Settlement Commission of Review, which
released its report early this year.

That report has received widespread support, and the federal Liberals
have supported key recommendations in it.  For example, the following are
excerpts from a letter written earlier this year by Jean Chretien, in his
capacity as Leader of the Opposition, to the Friends of the Lubicon
organization:

"Time is wasting...It is time for action.  As a start, we believe the
government should proceed with recommendation number five of the
Settlement Commission report to hold all royalties in trust and withhold
leases and permits on traditional Lubicon lands -- unless approved by the
Lubicon.  Moreover, future negotiations should reflect the intent of
recommendation number eight, asserting that the extinguishment of
Aboriginal rights must not be a condition for a settlement -- a position
consistent with Liberal policy...

"We support the swift resolution of all claims, and consider the Lubicon
claim to be a priority."

That seems to be stated clearly enough.  Let's go, then.

As I stated earlier, there is so very much to be done.  Will concrete
action be taken?  Or will this election produce yet another exercise in
one-day democracy, in which voters, and especially Aboriginal people, are
given the opportunity to put an "x" beside a name on a piece of paper,
and are then ignored for four or five years?