The sessions are now scheduled for June (the 14-16 in New Liskeard,
the 17th in Elk Lake, the 22-23 in Temagami, the 24th in Latchford,
the 28nd in North Bay, and the 28-30 in Sturgeon Falls).
"Phase One" of the public consultation process, conducted last
early autumn, was marred by the persistent presence of organized
racism, and a seeming reluctance on the part of Ontario to assert
the province's commitment to aboriginal rights or to acknowledge
those rights as they exist in fact and law and treaty.
Northwatch has a continued interest in the discussions between
Ontario and the Teme Augama Anishnabai with respect to the
ownership and management of the lands and waters of n'Daki Menan.
It has been Northwatch's position, since its formation in 1988,
that the authority of the Teme Augama Anishnabai over their
traditional territories, n'Daki Menan, should be recognized by
Ontario and Canada, and we have supported what steps have been
taken to date by the Province to recognize the Teme Augama
Anishnabai's unceded right to their lands and waters.
We have concerns about the present negotiations. We are made uneasy
by the very short timelines and the frequently extreme deadlines
which we believe the negotiating teams are being required to meet.
We question the reasonableness of the T.A.A. having to wait 116
years for a treaty, and the parties (Ontario and the Teme Augama
Anishnabai) now having to reach a settlement within 120 days. We
are worried by the inequity of the resources of the negotiating
teams - the resources of Ontario versus those of the T.A.A. And we
fear the return of organized "anti-Indian" response during the
public consultation process (not that unorganized "anti-Indian"
attitudes are acceptable!).
We are asking you to commit to a few achievable actions within the
next several days :
- call Paul King-Fisher at the Comprehensive Planning Council
(tel. 705-569-2744) and ask for information about the
consultation - if you're in the region, register for one
of the sessions and then come out to express your views;
if you're outside the Districts of Nipissing or
Timiskaming, ask how "Ontario" intends to hear your views
- and them give them!
- write a letter to the C.P.C. expressing your support for the
Teme Augama Anishnabai's "Vision of Co-Existence"
- write a letter to the Hon. Bud Wildman and another to Premier
Bob Rae, expressing your support for the T.A.A.'s "Treaty
of Co-Existence". You can write to them at the
Legislative Building, Queens Park, Toronto, M7A 1A5
We can provide you with further information from our files, which
include material on aboriginal and treaty rights, the statement of
political relationship and the Ontario government's aboriginal
agenda, government correspondence on the negotiations and public
consultations to date, and the some of the history of the Teme
Augama Anishnabai and n'Daki Menan, as provided to us by the Teme
Augama Anishnabai. Further information can be received directly
from the Teme Augama Anishnabai (David Kilgour, tel 237-8933) or
Ontario (Cathy Dwyer Smith, tel. 569-2637) or the C.P.C. (Paul
King-Fisher, tel. 569-2744).
Please take what action you can, as soon as you can. These next few
weeks are extremely critical - the chance might not come again to
support a fair treaty and just recognition of the rights of the
Teme Augama Anishnabai on their traditional lands.