DUTCH UPDATE III: NEW DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING SIGNING OF A NEW
DUTCH-CANADIAN LOW-LEVEL FLIGHT TRAINING AGREEMENT
On February 6, 1997 de Defence Committee of the Dutch parliament decided
to first have a written preparation of the discussion. The deadline for
comments in writing by MP's on the agreement is February 27. We will try
to have meetings with the responsible MP's before.
As informed before the Dutch Council of Ministers has decided on Friday
December 20, 1996 that low-level flights in Canada can ONLY be continued
AFTER the parliament has discussed the new agreement.
This means that: THE DOOR IS SET AJAR. THE TASK NOW IS TO GET THE DOOR
OPEN!
The agreement was signed in Ottawa on December 24, 1996 and was sent to
the Dutch parliament on January 24, 1997.
The Dutch parliament will also debate the ratification of the ILO-169
convention regarding indigenous people's rights. The government signed the
convention last year and it has to be ratified by parliament. The date of
the debate on the ILO-convention in unclear, but it will be some time this
year.
In our view one cannot sign a new low-level flight training agreement,
when one has also signed the ILO-convention 169 and the UNCED Declaration
(Rio de Janeiro, 1992) [5 years ago]. We have written a petition to the
parliament with the message that in our view that they need to debate the
ILO-agreement first, before they can responsibly discuss the low-level
flying agreement. After the debate in the Second Chamber, the First
Chamber of Parliament (Senate) must debate both the low-level flying
agreement and the ILO-convention. This will all take quite some time we
expect, and low-level flying starts in April. So there is some change that
the length of the parliamental deliberations will effectively hinder
continuance of low-level flying in the coming season.
When you did not sent a protest letter to the Dutch parliament already,
please send a fax to:
The Chairman of the Defence Committee of the Second Chamber of
Parliament
mr. A.H. Korthals
PO Box 20018
2500 EA The Hague
the Netherlands
fax: + 31 70 3183440
It would be very good if you would also contact the Dutch consulate or
embassy in your country.
On Thursday, February 6, 1997 Els de Meijer from (NCIV) and me had a
fruitful meeting with the Canadian ambassador to the Netherlands, Mrs.
Marie Bernard-Meunier, regarding:
- the general situation of the First Nations of Canada;
- the Arctic Treaty (and Council);
- the fur-issue: The EU-ambassadors had a meeting on Febru-
ary 6, 1997. Probably they have made a decision that it
is the Council of Ministers either Trade, Environment or
Foreign Affairs that must approve the agreement regarding
the leghold trap.
The ruling on the appeal of the Metis Council of NWT
against the Dutch state is postponed (again) to February
20, 1997. In the Dutch justice system is it quite normal
to postpone the judgment in an appeal case like this.
- an AFN delegation will visit the Netherlands from April 2
to 12.
And a group of Inuit students will visit the Netherlands
as well in April.
- the Dutch low-level flights: We also spook about this hot
topic. We mentioned that the Dutch parliament shall
probably have questions about the non-participation of
the Innu in the Institute which monitors the effects of
the low-level flights.
We informed the Canadian ambassador about the current
Dutch situation and our own experience as Innu Support
Group during our stay at an Innu-hunting camp: In May
1996 we were overflown at least 4 times. This means that
the avoidance program did not work. We urged her that the
land rights must first be settled, also because of the
urgency of development regarding the mining at Voisey's
Bay.
We mentioned to her the misinformation by the Canadian
government, and clarified that there are 13.000 Innu, and
not -as the government claims- 1100. DND did not provide
telephones to the camps and the planes used by the Innu
are civil, not military, and they are not paid for by
DND.
She welcomed all this information and we had a good dialogue We noted that
she was familiar with the situation of First Nations of Canada. On behalf
of Canada she was involved in establishing of the Arctic Council. She
knows Marie Simon quite well (ICC/ITC) etc. At the end, we presented the
petition below.
Govert de Groot
coordinator
Innu Support Group NL
PO BOX 13670
NL- 2501 ER The Hague
The Netherlands
ph. + 31 70 3888553
NEW FAX NUMBER FROM Feb 12: + 31 70 4020943 (was 70 3887900)!
e-mail: innusuppnl@gn.apc.org (a new extra and more direct
address will follow).
Appendix:
To the Government of Canada
c/o the Ambassador of Canada
Mrs M. Bernard-Meunier
Postbus 30820, 2500 GV Den Haag
the Netherlands
The Hague, February 6, 1997.
Dear Mrs Bernard-Meunier,
The Foundation Netherlands Center for Indigenous Peoples and the
Foundation Innu Support Group like to express our general concern
regarding the situation of the First Nations of Canada.
This year, Canada celebrates the discovery of Canada 500 years ago by
John Cabot. Canada and the Netherlands have a long and strong
relations- hip. As human rights organizations, we are concerned about
the ongoing export of low-level flights by the Netherlands to Labrador
and Quebec. In the Canadian government's view, this export brings
economical developments to the Goose Bay area. That a First Nation as
the Innu Nation must suffer from this - some even term it cultural
genocide- is in our view a price that is too high, beside the
environmental effect of low-level flying on this unique sub-Arctic
nature.
The Canadian and Dutch government have signed a new bilateral low-level
flight training agreement on December 24, 1996. We are, with many Dutch
and Canadian NGO's, very disappointed about this new agreement. Despite
the EIS-process of ten years, the effects of the low-level flights are
still not known. The avoidance program does not work. We have
experienced that ourselves during our visit to an Innu-huntingcamp (of
which the position was known to the authorities) in May last year. A
week later, Dutch Mp's who visited the camp were overflown as well. As
of yet, there is no participation of the Innu in the Institute that will
monitor the effects of low-level flying.
The Dutch government has signed the Rio-declaration of UNCED '92 and the
ILO-convention 169. To us, this is in direct contradiction to signing
the new low-level flight agreement. The Dutch Second and First Chamber
of parliament will first debate the new agreement before the low-level
flight training can continue this Spring.
In this John Cabot year and the third year of the UN-decade for
Indigenous Peoples we ask the Canadian Government to respect the rights
of First Nations of Canada, and in particular those of the Innu in
Labrador and Quebec, by stopping the low-level flights.
Yours faithfully,
Govert de Groot
coordinator
Foundation Innu Support Group NL