April 10, 1991
Enclosed for your information is a copy of a newspaper article
regarding the evolving situation of aboriginal people in Canada.
Canadian Solicitor General Pierre Cadieux -- Minister responsible
for Canada's national police force -- obviously still believes that
problems of oppression can be dealt with through suppression.
Just as obviously Mr. Cadieux isn't a very good student of history.
re-printed without permission from the Windspeaker, March 29, 1991
QUEBEC CREES WARN OF VIOLENCE
OTTAWA -- A Native leader warned helicopters will be shot down and
power poles blown up unless Cree land claims are settled in
Quebec's James Bay region. Cree Chief Billy Diamond told a Commons
committee March 21 "animal violence will erupt next month" unless
there's immediate negotiation of aboriginal claims in the area,
site of Quebec's massive James Bay 2 hydro project. "It's a bomb
with a short fuse," Diamond told committee members. "We are
peaceful people, but our animal instincts are about to come out."
Diamond said Quebec's steamrolling of Native claims could lead to
a standoff between armed Crees and police, similar to last year's
Oka crisis. The Crees are furious work on the project is going
ahead in the absence of environmental studies and despite
aboriginal claims it violates their rights. Diamond and the Cree
people spent years battling the first phase of the James Bay
project in the 1970s and eventually won a major court victory.
Diamond's was the most explicit warning of violence to the
committee, which is probing the Oka crisis. But Solicitor General
Pierre Cadieux, who followed Diamond in addressing the committee,
had a warning for Natives who take the law in their own hands.
While he stressed he takes their concerns seriously, he said they
must respect the law. He said that applies particularly to
"respected" leaders such as Diamond. Meanwhile, following
Diamond's comments one of the unions representing Hydro-Quebec
employees asked the utility March 22 to stop flying helicopters
over the James Bay area.
--- FD 1.99c
* Origin: Lubicon News Station: Edmonton, Alberta Canada (89:682/32)
--
Terri Kelly - via IMEx node 89:681/1
Terri.Kelly@f32.n682.z89.onebdos.UUCP
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[ The following article appeared in Usenet's "alt.native" conference. --Gary ]
Path: pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!agate!agate!jym
From: jym@mica.berkeley.edu (Jym Dyer)
Newsgroups: talk.environment,alt.native
Subject: NEWS: Hydro Quebec Project is in Doubt
Message-ID: <JYM.91May15142531@remarque.berkeley.edu>
Date: 15 May 91 22:25:31 GMT
[From SEAC-L]
> From: vandal@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: Boston Globe reports Hydro Quebec project is in doubt
Sorry I don't have time to elaborate, but check out the Monday, May
13, Boston Globe Science/Health section for a feature article on the
status of the Hydro Quebec project. The Canadian government is
forcing the project to go thru environmental review; the
long-suspected deals with the aluminum smelting industry have been
uncovered and Canadian citizens are upset; and furthermore, the
recession and acknowledgement of the promise of efficiencies measures
has caused the New England Power Pool to question the need for
the Canadian power. New York and Vermont now have until November to
decide on power purchases.
Keep up the pressure. It sounds like Hydro-Quebec is on the run...
-Van