[PEN-L:879] (Fwd) Alert: Quebec threatens to attack Mik'Maq Monday!

["James Michael Craven" <cravjm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:16:27 -0700 (PDT)
From:          John Shafer <wy430@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-to:      John Shafer <wy430@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To:            sovernet-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject:       Alert: Quebec threatens to attack Mik'Maq Monday!

Please distribute widely - Urgent Action -

ALERT: QUEBEC & CANADA PLAN TO USE FORCE AGAINST MIK'MAQ TRADITIONALISTS

CBC radio has reported that Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard has ordered Mik
Maq traditionalists to dismantle their protest blockade. If not,
force will be employed against them by Monday. Please support in any way
you can and condemn this latest colonialist plan to criminally attack
the Mik Maq at Listaguj

DON'T ATTACK THE LISTAGUJ MIK'MAQ!

Lucien Bouchard, Premier of Quebec
Hotel du Parlement, Quebec City, Quebec
Ph. (418) 643-5321. Fax (418) 643-3924
Email: premier.ministre@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.gouv.qc.ca/commenta.htm

SUPPORT:
Gary Metallic Sr. Mi'gmaq Nation
Keptin  PO Box 173 Listuguj
PH (418) 788-2745  Fax: (418) 788-5575 or (418) 643-4318
Email: jigug@xxxxxxxxxxx
       USERNAME@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 12:30:28 -0400
From: Mohawk Nation Office <mnation@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Press Release - Clarification of Misinformation by media

PRESS RELEASE
P.O. Box 173
Listuguj, QC G0C 2R0

For more information contact:
Gary Metallic Sr. 418/788-2745

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLARIFICATION OF MISINFORMATION BY MEDIA

Lsituguj, QC - August 12, 998 - In recent days the Government of Quebec
through its Minister Guy Chevrette, Minister Responsible for Aboriginal
Affiars has released information that is unfounded and damaging the honour
and reputation of Gary Metallic Sr., the local representative for the
traditional government of the Micmac Nation.  It is without a doubt that
Mr. Chevrette sought to minimize the role of the traditional government of
the Micmac people by attacking its local representative.

Mr. Chevrette suggests that Mr. Metallic is attempting to further his
political career.  The fact is Mr. Metallic will not seek any political
office.

As the local representative of the traditional government he exercised and
promoted the harvest of timber on Crown lands in accordance with
regulations established by the traditional government.  His authority is to
establish self-governing mechanisms that promote the economic and social
development of his people are found in the findings of the Delgamuukw case
which deal with the Aboriginal societies having original jurisdiction to
this land prior to the arrival of the Europeans and others;  Section 35 of
the Canadian Constitution that affirms and recognizes aboriginal
self-government placing a duty on the Crown to negotiate in good faith;
various treaties from 1725 to 1779 acknowledging the right of the Micmac to
harvest and trade in natural resource products.

The suggestion that the men of the protest are heavily armed are false.  We
are certainly heavily armed with moral conviction and fortitude of our
ancestry.  We have strongly stated our position and asked that our protest
be respected respected by others.   AT NO TIME HAVE WE RAISED A HAND TO
HURT ANOTHER PERSON.

It is our belief that the Government of Quebec is bound to the Canadian
Constitution and by its own the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to not
interfere with our peaceful assembly and freedom of association.  Their
attempts to portray this protest as an armed stand-off is the only trigger
that will allow them to make an armed assault on the protesters.  This
appears to be the prelude to an Oka situation.

As to recent news reports concerning Gary Metallic Sr., it is confirmed
that he was the General Manager of Jigug Enterprises Inc..  The corporation
was jointly established in 1995 by the previous Chief and Council that the
traditional government as a band owned corporation for economic development
purposes.  One of the activities passed to the corporation was forestry.
In this respect, other employees of the corporation were assigned the
management of forestry activities.  These and other activities are all
accounted for with the appropriate financial statements which are submitted
to the Band Council at the end of each fiscal year.  The suggestion that
Jigug was owned by Gary Metallic Sr. are false.  The statements that he
sold $1 Million worth of logs to GDS is false.

It is also clear that Guildo Duchene, owner of GDS, has collaborated with
the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation by releasing copies of canceled cheques
which were issued by Jigug Enterprises.  Although the corporation has
expensed 95% of the cheque to pay salaries, operating cost and fees it is
used to imply there is something wrong.  This is not true.

Shortly after the current Band Council advised the corporation that they
had decided to withdraw their interest in the corporation in December of
1997, Mr. Metallic left the corporation to pursue other interest of a
personal nature.  Without the participation of Band Councillors in the
corporation it cannot function making it in essence defunct.  Subsequently,
Mr. Metallic sought to promote the Micmac participation in logging after
the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia
on December 11, 1997 and Judge Turnbull in New Brunswick vs. Thomas Peter
Paul in November 1997.

In light of the aforementioned, Mr. Metallic sought legal advice on the
misinformation campaign intiated by Quebec and the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First
Nation Council.  It is clear that Quebec is bound by its own Human Rights
legislation to not harm a person's honour or reputation which it did not
respect when it belittled and the role and responsibility of the
traditional (Delgamuukw) and its local representative Gary Metallic Sr. and
suggested that it was an illegal organization.  As well, the Listuguj
Mi'gmaq First Nation Council's suggestion that Mr. Metallic personally
profited from the sale of $1.2 Million has done irreparable damage to his
career as an administrator and manager.  Furthermore, the disclosure of the
private and personal matters of a corporation by Mr. Chevrette is illegal.
These matters must be submitted to the courts or the appropriate agency for
consideration and reparation, if at all possible.

We ask all media outlets to take caution when publishing misinformation
that may cause damage to Mr. Metallic and the Grand Council of Micmacs, 7th
District Gespe'gawaqi (traditional government).




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 James Craven
 Dept. of Economics,Clark College
 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663
 jcraven@xxxxxxxxx; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
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"The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards Indians; their land and
property shall never be taken from them without their consent."
(Northwest Ordinance, 1787, Ratified by Congress 1789)

"...but this letter being unofficial and private, I may with safety give you a more
 extensive view of our policy respecting the Indians, that you may better comprehend
the parts dealt to to you in detail through the official channel, and observing the
system of which they make a part, conduct yourself in unison with it in cases where
you are obliged to act without instruction...When they withdraw themselves to the
culture of a small piece of land, they will perceive how useless to them are their
extensive forests, and will be willing to pare them off from time to time in exchange
for necessaries for their farms and families. To promote this disposition to exchange
lands, which they have to spare and we want, for necessaries which we have to spare
and they want,we shall push our trading houses, and be glad to see the good and
influencial individuals among them run in debt, because we observe that when these
debts get beyond what the individuals can pay, they become willing to lop them off
by cession of lands...In this way our settlements will gradually circumscribe and
approach the Indians, and they will in time either incorporate with us as citizens
of the United States, or remove beyond the Mississippi.The former is certainly the
termination of their history most happy for themselves; but, in the whole course
of this, it is essential to cultivate their love. As to their fear, we presume that
our strength and their weakness is now so visible that they must see we have only to
shut our hand to crush them..."
(Classified Letter of President Thomas Jefferson ("libertarian"--for propertied white
people) to William Henry Harrison, Feb. 27, 1803)

*My Employer  has no association with My Private and Protected Opinion*
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