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Email is proof Senate greenlit expenses, Brazeau says The Canadian Press OTTAWA-Senator Patrick Brazeau says he will not pay back $48,000 in Senate expenses because he has evidence he was given the green light to claim the costs for an apartment in Ottawa.
In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Brazeau produced an email dated March 8, 2011, which he says is proof the Senate cleared him to file those expenses in the first place.
In the email, Brazeau's office asks the Senate, "given that Senator Brazeau is renting an apartment in Ottawa, will the rent be reimbursed only for the months when the Senate is sitting?"
Within the hour, the Senate replied "if the Senator is renting an apartment, he will have to submit a copy of the lease and the expenses will be reimbursed for all months and up to the budget limit."
Senators can claim up to $22,000 a year in living expenses, as long as their primary residence is at least 100 kilometres from Ottawa.
Brazeau declared his primary residence to be in Maniwaki, Que., about 135 kilometres from Ottawa.
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Pickton victims' families skeptical about adviser's resignation The Canadian Press VANCOUVER - A former British Columbia lieutenant governor appointed five months ago to help implement recommendations from the Robert Pickton inquiry resigned Friday, saying he's been "served with documents" related to a series of lawsuits filed by the children of four murdered women.
But Steven Point's departure raised immediate questions about the explanation both he and the provincial government provided, with the mother of one of Pickton's victims saying Point told her he was considering stepping down more than a month ago and the lawyer involved in the lawsuits denying Point has been formally served with anything.
Point, who was appointed chair an advisory committee last December, said his resignation was prompted by four lawsuits filed earlier this month by children of women whose remains or DNA were found on the serial killer's farm.
"Litigation has been commenced by certain family members of the victims of Pickton, and I have been served with documents that have put me on notice regarding this litigation," Point wrote in a letter to Attorney General Shirley Bond, dated Friday.
Bond released her own statement that said "the plaintiffs have put Mr. Point on notice" that his public comments could become evidence in the civil case. A ministry spokeswoman later said the families sent Point a copy of the statements of claim, which he interpreted as having been "put on notice."
Point was appointed to help oversee the implementation of a report prepared by Wally Oppal, who spent months hearing evidence about the failed police investigations into Pickton and reports of missing sex workers. Oppal's report included 63 recommendations.
Earlier this month, the children of four women filed separate lawsuits against Pickton, his two siblings, the B.C. government and the City of Vancouver, seeking damages for the women's deaths and the botched investigation that failed to prevent them.
A lawyer for the victims' families, Jason Gratl, said neither he nor his clients have ever suggested Point could be dragged into the civil case.
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Environmental, First Nations activists plan protest at Sarnia oil sands meeting The Canadian Press SARNIA, Ont. - Activists plan to protest in Sarnia, Ont., as a two-day national conference on oil sands bitumen kicks off today.
The "Bitumen Adding Value Conference" is meant to bring together industry leaders, experts and decision-makers to discuss the production of value-added products from the oil sands resource.
Environmental and First Nations activists have gathered in the southern Ontario city to demonstrate their opposition to Alberta oil sands development and proposed pipelines.
Protesters have planned a rally and water ceremony for today at Sarnia's city hall (at 11 a.m. ET).
Community members from Aamjiwnaang (OHM-JIN'-nong) First Nation, located in the Sarnia area, will then lead a march to the site of the conference to protest.
Organizers of the rally say the First Nation is surrounded by a cluster of 60 industrial facilities in Sarnia's "chemical valley" - including petro-chemical plants and refineries.
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Sports Headlines
Powless wows crowd with highlight goal vs. Brampton
By Neil Becker Sports Writer
There was something
quite magical at this
year`s Six Nations Arrows
home opener.
Moments before witnessing
a 12-5 victory against
the Brampton Excelsiors
fans were treated to a
firsthand look of at the
prestigious NLLChampionship
trophy which was
proudly paraded out to
the ILA floor by a few
Rochester Knighthawks
players including MVP
Cody Jamieson.
What also made this
such a magical game was
that Arrows captain
Johnny Powless who is
one of many fan favourites
thrilled the crowd by scoring
a hat-trick with one of
those being a highlight
marker which he scored
with only one hand on the
stick.
Powless who as captain
participated in the ceremonial
faceoff was of
course part of this year’s
NLL champion
Knighthawks team.
“It was a dream come
true,” Powless said about
winning. “I was looking
forward to the parade and
showing what we accomplished
and it was a lot of
fun.”
Playing on Bread and
Cheese Monday the Arrows
who kicked off their
season with a win in
Toronto got off to a strong
start as Randy Staats who
also had a three goal game
scored his first just past
the five minute mark.
Early in the second after
Arrows Brendan Bomberry
was robbed Brampton
who won their home
opener stunned the ILA
crowd with consecutive
goals in less than three
minutes which turned a
hard fought 1-1 affair into
a 3-1 Brampton lead.
‘‘When we were down 3-
1 it was pretty scary,”
Powless said. ‘`They are a
really good team and were
coming on strong. We
turned things around and
I`m just glad we won.”
Saying they turned things
around is a complete understatement
as Six Nations
went to work in
doing what they do best
which is scoring goals.
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Shorthanded hagersville fall short against McKinnon Park in Zone championships
By Neil Becker
Sports Writer
Though they lost on the
scoreboard there is no questioning
the strong work
ethic and resiliency of the
Hagersville lacrosse team.
Despite finding themselves
quite shorthanded
Hagersville still displayed
some strong energy and
generated their fair share of
offensive opportunities but
despite dropping the zone
finals by a 9-2 score against
McKinnon Park School they
still earned some strong
words of praise.
“You got to give credit to
Hagersville,” McKinnon
Park’s lacrosse coach Geoff
Stead said. “They were short
handed but they played hard
and both teams put in a big
effort which I love to see.”
Recently McKinnon Park
have been playing their best
lacrosse as they first beat
their number one rivals in
Assumption in officially becoming
the league champions
before a day later
becoming the zone champs
courtesy of a 9-2 win
against Hagersville.
“We were a little shaky at
the start but then we got
better as a team,” Stead
said.
When asked about McKinnon’s
strength Stead was
quick to reply “Playing
strong defence, passing,
shooting, catching.”
Playing on their home turf
and receiving some strong
support from their fans
McKinnon Park who were
still riding momentum from
becoming league champions
opened the scoring as Tyson
Bomberry who was a real
force scored his first of two.
After surrendering a
Hagersville goal to Tyler Hill
McKinnon Park put their offensive
game to another gear
as they showcased their vision,
passing and execution
as they went on a serious
goal scoring run which
proved to be the game’s
turning point.
Hagersville generated
quite a few offensive golden
opportunities from the likes
of JR King, Howie Smith and
Hill but weren’t rewarded
unlike McKinnon Park who
found the range as Steve
Harris, Garrett Vyse-Squire,
Bomberry with his second,
Riley Monture, Colman
Powless, and Vern Hill with
his first of two scored for a
comfortable 8-1 lead after
two periods.
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Team red outslug orange in Ladies 3 pitch By Neil Becker Sports Writer
The main objective was
pretty straight forward
heading into the Six Nations
ladies three pitch season
opener.
“We wanted to give the
people an entertaining
game,” Connie Powless
who had a few solid hits for
the orange team said. “People
look forward to threepitch
and having it on Bread
and Cheese worked out
well.”
Powless whose orange team
dropped a 7-3 decision
against team red will with
the exception of that first
game play their season
games on Friday nights.
“For the first game we had
some nice hits and made
some nice catches,” Powless
said.
Two of those nice defensive
plays came from outfielder
Natasha who wowed the
crowd with a couple of
highlight grabs as well as
showcasing some raw
power with her bat.
Looking for that fast start
Team Orange had their bats
working in the first as they
led things off with consecutive
singles and took a 1-0
lead courtesy of an RBI single
from Carolyn.
Building off that early momentum
they quickly built
off that early momentum as
they tripled their lead to
take what seemed like a relatively
safe 3-0 lead which
as it turned out didn’t last
that long.
Showing their strong resiliency
and character Team
Red quickly displayed their
offensive potential by biting
into that deficit on an RBI
single from Kayla.
An out later Team Red broke
things wide open as Kayla
scored on a single from Lisa
which was quickly followed
by a three run triple from
Gayle.
After an inning of play of
what was shaping up to be
a high scoring affair Team
Red had surged out to a 6-3
lead.
“I was very excited to play
our first game,” Stephanie
who plays on Team Red
said. “Everyone had fun and
we have a lot of team
spirit.”
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Local News Headlines
Mushy bread and
crumbling cheese
complaints
Six Nations Band Council
said it is changing bread
and cheese suppliers next
year after complaints of
uncooked bread and crumbling
cheese.
The bread was so mushy,
volunteers had difficulty
cutting it and as much as
400 loaves had to be
thrown away.
Council said it will be
putting out a statement
explaining its tendering
process.
Councillors Helen Miller
and Bob Johnson both said
they had complaints from
the community.
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Man arrested
for breaching
conditions
A Simcoe man was arrested last Tuesday at an Oneida Road residence after Six Nations Police discovered a court ordered recognizance prohibited him
from having alcohol, reports said. Police attended an Oneida Road residence to investigate a report of a dispute and found a male showing what
reports called obvious signs of intoxication. Further investigation, reports said, revealed the man was breaching conditions of a court ordered recognizance
that prohibited him from possession or consuming alcohol. Shane Lawrence Roloson, 39, of Simcoe was then arrested and charged with
Failing to Comply with Conditions. He was held in custody for a Bail Hearing,police said.
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ATV stolen from
River Range
Road residence Six Nations Police are investigating
a theft on River
Range Road. Last Tuesday
police received a report of a
green, 2007 Yamaha ATV
stolen from a River Range
Road residence. Reports
said the ATV is equipped
with a winch on the front
and heavy tread mudding
tires. The theft follows the
recovery of a stolen lawnmowner
recovered on May
12, also on River Range
Road. For entire story purchase a subscription package.
Editorial
How the tide turns...unity
is cruicial to success
Just a few short years ago Jesse Porter walked into
the Confederacy Council’s meeting to report, that
with their assistance, he had farmed the Burtch Track
and made a profit of over $70,000.
Of that amount $35,000 was given back to Porter,
by the chiefs, to purchase seed for the next year’s
planting.
Now several years later, Jesse Porter and his father
Art, vice president of the Six Nations Farmer’s Association,
are questioning why they have to sign a
lease with the Confederacy’s planning department to
farm the land, along with other farmers, that back in
about 2009 Jesse Porter produced a profit of $70,000
on and this year the farmers gave away $15,000 to a
variety of groups saying they didn’t want to give the
money to the Confederacy because they don’t know
what the Confederacy would have done with it.
And it is the Confederacy they are talking about not
just the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI)
which is the Confederacy’s planning department.
What the farmer’s don’t seem to be willing to understand
is their complicity in rejecting the Confederacy
is feeding Ontario and the federal
government’s move to continue to recognize the
elected band system as the governing body for Six
Nation.
The elected council has been no help in trying to
unite the community. It was the band council under
elected chief Bill Montour that walked away from the
land rights table and launched their first missile at
the Confederacy in an attempt to become the holder
and protector of Six Nations land and treaty rights.
A move we have seen repeat itself for decades.
Everytime traditional people have stood up in protest
and gained worldwide attention, it is the elected
councils who when the dust clears, find themselves
the centre of funding or support from outside governments
anxious to turn first nation treaty and land
rights into delegated Canadian programs and regain
control of First Nations people.
Sadly enough the only people who suffer from the
continued fighting between the band and Confederacy
are the people themselves.
Over the past several years there have been many
people take advantage of the confusion over who is in
control (although lately it seems no one is) by building
homes on community land without permission,
starting huge businesses on lands purchased with
signed agreements stipulating no retail, manufacturing
or industry would be built on the sites but there they
are along Hwy 54 for all to see.
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United Nations Declaration
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Please speak out! Within weeks, the United Nations General Assembly must make a decision on the long awaited and urgently needed UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Either the international community will move ahead with final adoption as has been urged by Indigenous peoples and their supporters worldwide, or adoption of the Declaration will once again be delayed due to the demands of a small, yet vocal group of states.
Please take this opportunity to support the Declaration.
More than 14,000 individuals and organizations have already signed a global petition hosted by Amnesty International Canada in support of the Declaration.
If you haven't already done so, please add your name and encourage many others to do so.
The petition, in English, Spanish, French and Russian is online at:
Despite a confidentiality
agreement, energy company
NextEra said HDI
(Haudenosaunee Development
Institute) can in fact
share information with the
Six Nations community.
Still, HDI has refused to
share any figures regarding
a deal that was inked in
late April over the Summerhaven
wind project.
Summerhaven is an energy
farm going up on unceded
Six Nations lands in
Haldimand.
And Turtle Island News
has learned HDI has not
even tried.
Six Nations Elected
Band Council, who made
an almost $9 million deal
with NextEra over the
Summerhaven development,
released figures to
the community in a series
of ongoing information
sessions — despite having
a comparable confidentiality
agreement with NextEra.
“(The agreement with
HDI) is similar, in that respect,
to what we have
with the Six Nations
Elected Council,” said
Brian Hay, NextEra’s Director
of Aboriginal Relations.
“They (SNEC) said they
wish to make information
available to the community
and we agreed.”
He said while it is not
NextEra’s prerogative to
share deals with Six Nations,
he said HDI does
have the option.
“The bottom line is that
each party has an obligation
to get an agreement
with the other party with
respect to the release of
the information,” he said.
“I’m not aware that HDI
has reached out to NextEra
and requested to
make the deal public.”
HDI legal adviser and
board member Aaron Detlor
pointed the finger at
NextEra when asked why
the deal was confidential.
“They (NextEra) don’t
want other groups using
the success of our deal
against them.”
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SN Band council may take over "quota" and distribution
By Donna Duric
Writer
Six Nations Band Council
and a community business
group are getting rid
of the tobacco quota system
on Six Nations and
creating a cigarette distribution
centre on-reserve.
Council voted unanimously
to work on the
new system last Tuesday
after members of local
business group Turtle Island
Trade and Commerce
(TITAC) flooded council
chambers to protest the
band’s new business registration
system.
The new system, which
came into effect April 1,
was meant to replace the
recognition letters council
supplied to businesses
under the old system. The
new system carries a $25
fee, which TITAC vehemently
opposed.
The new registration
system also asks for more
information on businesses
than the former recognition
letters did.
Council said people
were abusing the previous
system to obtain letters of
recognition in order to obtain
cigarette quotas.
Councillor Carl Hill
claimed people would pretend
to start a business,
get a letter, and one week
later, the business would
no longer exist. But the
person operating the socalled
business had already
used the letter to
get a quota.
The quota system, governed
through the Ontario
Ministry of Finance, currently
allocates a number
of cigarettes to Six Nations
on a per-capita
basis, depending on the
community’s population
and smoking habits, according
to the Tobacco Tax
Act. The ministry claims
cigarettes are only to be
sold to and used by other
people in the community.
The Tobacco Tax Act
states it gathers information
annually from Aboriginal
Affairs to determine
First Nations smoking
habits and decide how
many cigarettes to allocate
to a First Nation community
on April 1.
The new registration
policy is peppered with
rules and regulations. It
states that businesses
must notify council within
30 days if the business
has changed its location,
operating name, owner(s),
services, and/or address of
the owner. The policy
states the registration will
be revoked if the business
application contains false
information.
Council said the new voluntary
business recognition
policy was meant to
better protect local businesses
from the tax man.
Elected Chief Bill Montour
says the Ontario allocation
system is directly
tied to tax issues facing
local business owners.
He said recent changes to
tobacco legislation have
already affected two local
smoke shop owners.
A change to the Ontario
Tobacco Tax Act, which
came into effect on April
1, puts “pressure on the
manufacturer to have that
tax paid before it leaves
the warehouse if it’s coming
to an Indian reserve,”
claimed Montour.
“What if we said to get
rid of the allocation system?”
he said. “Six Nations
will take it over
among ourselves. We’ll
become the Karrys Brothers.”
Karrys is a wholesale
distribution centre in
Brantford where a number
of Six Nations businesses
purchase products to sell
in local stores. To get
those cigarettes tax-free,
businesses must produce
a letter from the Ministry
of Finance citing that that
business is able to buy a
certain allocation - quoted
by the ministry - of taxfree
cigarettes.
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Temperatures sizzled and so did fun of annual Bread and Cheese
By Chase Jarrett
Writer
Six Nations people and others poured into the sweltering hot arena to clebrate
Bread and Cheese Monday. (Photo by Chase Jarrett)
Six Nations sizzled Monday
with huge crowds of family
and friends dropping by
over the Victorial Day Weekend
to celebrate the annual
Bread and Cheese Day.
The temperatures soared
but didn’t stop the crowds
from attending the parade,
sporting events, a midway,
booths and of course the reason
everyone dropped by, the
annual Bread and Cheese
giveaway.
Six Nations District 5 Band
Councillor Bob Johnson, welcomed
the throngs packing
the Gaylord Powless Arena.
Elected Chief Bill Montour
was away for the holiday
weekend.
“It’s my first chance to see
the ins and outs of bread and
cheese. It’s a great feeling,
what an honour,” he said as
crowds entered the arena.
The huge numbers, which
longtime attendees said have
only grown over the years,
seem to support Johnson’s
claim that bread and cheese
“is THE event on Six Nations.”
George Maracle, a resident
of the Iroquois Lodge, has
been attending the event for
more than 60 years.
He said the crowd just
keeps getting bigger.
He said it’s a great opportunity
to catch up. “You see
people you haven’t seen in
years. Indians come from
across the border to visit. It’s
not just the bread and cheese,
it’s the people visiting.”
Darryl and Kim Hill attracted
attention with their
cheese hats. “We try to wear
these every year to support
the team!” said Kim Hill.
Darryl Hill joked: “And we
get bigger chunks of cheese.”
Hill, who has been coming
to bread and cheese for “as
long as I can remember” said
the biggest change is the
numbers. “There’s a lot more
people. These crowds are a lot
bigger... which is a good
thing.”
Francis Hill Bush, who grew
up on Six Nations but raised
kids in New York, said she
makes a point of coming back
each year. “I took my kids out
of school so they would know
what it was all about.”
She said the event has gotten
bigger and bigger. “This
place is so big. There’s way
more people.”
“This is where you see all the
people you haven’t seen all
year. I caught up with my best
friend from high school!”
But it wasn’t just the longtime
attendees who noticed
the growth. “It just seems to
get bigger and bigger every
year,” said Kendra Squires,
12, who was with her big
brother.
She said that bread and
cheese is her favorite holiday,
and that she was going to
meet up with some friends to
enjoy the rides. “And this is
the hottest it’s ever been.”
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SN Farmers continue to refuse to sign Confederacy lease
By Donna Duric Writer
Come harvest time this
fall, the Six Nations Farmers
Association and Haudenosaunee
Development
Institute may find themselves
at odds again over the
controversial Burtch lands.
Aaron Detlor, a lawyer and
board member for the HDI,
says farmers need to heed
the direction of the Confederacy
Council and sign a
lease with the Confederacy
to work the lands or they
won’t be allowed back on the
site in the fall.
Last Monday, May 13,
farmers planted the last of
their crops on the Burtch
property. That came just as a
bitter feud between band
council, the HDI and farmers
reached a climax with a fiery
meeting last Monday at band
council that included calls for
the HDI to be ousted from
the community.
Six Nations farmers are
continuing the farm the
lands charging they will not
sign an agreement with the
Confederacy Chief’s planning
department and have
planted a new crop on the
lands.
During the contraversy, a
Six Nations company and Infrastructure
Ontario (who is
holding the lands in trust)
were temporarily suspended
from clean-up work at the
site at the direction of the
HDI. All remediation work
stopped on May 6 and resumed
last Wednesday, May
15. Farmers were not asked
to leave.
Environmental monitors
and clean-up crews have
since gone back to work on
remediating the contaminated
soil at the site. Both
Detlor and Six Nations
Elected Chief Bill Montour
said they spoke with I.O. to
resolve the work stoppage.
“We permitted the workers
to go back,” said Detlor.
“The safety concerns were
addressed and we’ve been
assured the farmers won’t be
on the field without the permission
of the Confederacy
and Infrastructure Ontario.
They will need a lease to
go onto the land. The lease is
going to cover insurance provisions
,as well, so we can
assure that any liability is
covered.”
I.O. said no safety issues
were reported to them.
“I.O. has subsequently had
conversations with many interested
parties, including
HDI, to facilitate the return
of I.O.’s service provider and
consultant to the site,” said
Caroline Knight, communications
advisor for I.O.
“Work to remediate the
property has now resumed.
No health and safety concerns
have been reported to
I.O. or its service providers to
date.”
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Deer hunters worry band council involvement will hurt treaty
By Chase Jarrett Writer
Ontario is moving to backdoor
the Six Nations Confederacy
by drawing the elected
band council into the annual
deer hunts overseen by the
Confederacy’s Wildlife and
Habitat Authority.
The move is an attempt to
discredit the Confederacy
and negate Haudensaunee
treaty rights says Haudenosaunee
Wildlife and
Habitat Authority (HWHA)
spokesman Chester Gibson.
“They’re (Ontario) backdooring
us to try and get
the band recognized,” he
said. “We don’t go in there
as a band,” he said.
The HWHA began deer
harvesting and exercising
Haudensaunee hunting
rights in 2010 in Dundas
Valley, in Hamilton, Ontario,
and for the first time
in Short Hills, St.
Catharines, Ontario, during
the 2012-2013 hunting
season.
In both parks, a lack of
predators has led to an
overblown deer population
putting strain on the local
ecosystems.
The HWHA accomodates
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural
Resources (MNR) during
their hunts as an effort
to help conserve the parks.
The deer meat goes to longhouses
for ceremonies.
Last season 37 deer were
taken from Dundas Valley
and seven were taken from
Short Hills.
Now Ontario has gone
over the HWHA’s head and
approached band council,
asking for more hunters
from Six Nations and New
Credit to participate, indicating
that more deer need
to be taken before if park
environments are to become
healthy.
“Well over 100 deer in
there that could be harvested
without impacting
the herd,” said Paul General,
band council’s Wildlife
Officer. He said the MNR
wants to allow more people
to hunt.
In a move to cash in on
the successful Confederacy
led hunting treaty rights
fight, General approached
band council with plans to
form a committee to look at
a potential hunting
arrangements at May 13’s
Committee of the Whole.
“The idea was to open it
up to a few more Six Nations
residents and anybody
else who has treaty
territory in this area,” he
said. He said hunts could
become open invitation.
But Gibson isn’t convinced
a band-led committee to
make this decision, or an
open invitation to hunt, are
the best ideas.
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Memorial offers chance to walk in Laura Secord’s shoes
By Chase Jarrett Writer
A bridge that has been built over 12 mile creek to accommodate walkers. Legend says
Laura scaled the cliff (submitted photo)
Almost 200 years ago
during the War of 1812,
Haudenosaunee scouts ran
across a woman who was
stumbling through the
forests of the Niagara region
alone and frightened.
She was trying to get an
urgent message to a British
Col. Fitzgibbons, warning of
a potential American sneak
attack.
But she set off the wrong
way, and after getting lost,
was found by a pair of
scouts who took her to
Mohawk warchief John
Norton’s camp.
This story began a saga
that would go on to become
one of the most romanticized
tales of the War
of 1812 in Canadian history.
The frightened woman
was Laura Secord.
Now, 200 years later, a
32 kilometre walk has been
planned as part of the Battle
of Beaver Dams commemoration
in June.
Caroline McCormic, a direct
descendant of Laura
Secord is at the helm.
“June 22nd is 200 years
to the day that she walked
out of her door and made a
difference to the future of
this country,” said Mc-
Cormick, who is president
of Friends of Laura Secord.
McCormick said the 32
kilometre commemorative
trail follows Secord’s walk,
tracing her route from
Queenston to Thorold.
Thorold was known two
centuries ago as Beaver
Dams.
Popular Canadian history
tells the story of Secord as
a heroine who braved 32
kilometres of dense forest
to search out Col. Fitzgibbons
and warn him, resulting
in a British win at the
Battle of Beaver Dams.
But Six Nations oral history,
as related by warriors
Jacob Warner and John
Tutela, paints the story of a
Laura Secord who set off in
the wrong direction, ending
up lost and scared in the
forest, eight miles further
from Col Fitzgibbons’s
camp than when she
started her journey at
Queenston.
Haudensaunee warriors
found her in the bush. She
was frightened and threw
up her hands upon seeing
the warriors.
They managed to calm
her down and brought Secord
to Mohawk warchief
John Norton, (who’s father
was Scottish and mother
was Cherokee was later
adopted by Joseph Brant)
who spoke and understood
English.
Norton had already told
Fitzgibbon of the impending
American troops after
Haudensaunee scouts spotted
them on Niagara trails.
Hearing her story he sent
her with an escort of three
Mohawk warriors to
Fitzgibbons camp where
the message was finally delivered.
Norton was already
preparing for battle. The
night after delivering Secord,
Norton’s scouts ambushed,
surrounded, and
routed the American forces,
with Fitzgibbons arriving in
time to take American prisoners
and, along with Secord,
glory.
“She’s a folk hero,” said
Rick Hill, a Six Nations historian
who is also a contact
for the Friends of Laura Secord.
“You always hate to
burst the bubble on that
but... her significance has
been overblown through
history.”
Hill a former history professor
at Buffalo University
said the story of Secord
stumbling onto a native encampment,
as it is told in
Canadian history, is unrealistic.
“How is it that natives
were caught off guard and
that this white woman
could stumble into their
camp.”
He said myth and memory
often get intermixed
when people look for heroes
and heroines.
He said the event is really
about celebrating the role
of Six Nations warriors in
Beaver Dams. “She did try
to do a good service. But in
the past natives have been
depicted as secondary players
in this story but we
know they were the reason
for victory that day.”
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‘No:’ Elijah Harper, who scuttled Meech Lake, dies
By The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG -Elijah
Harper, the Cree politician
who inspired Canadian
aboriginals by
blocking the Meech Lake
constitutional accord while
clutching an eagle feather
in the Manitoba legislature,
has died.
Harper’s family said he
died Friday morning in an
Ottawa hospital of cardiac
failure due to diabetes
complications.
He was 64.
“Elijah was a wonderful
man, father, partner. He
was a true leader and visionary
in every sense of
the word,’’ the family said
in a statement. ``He will
have a place in Canadian
history forever for his devotion
to public service
and uniting his fellow First
Nations with pride, determination
and resolve.’’
Harper was a politician
and leader for much of his
life, but made his mark
during the federal government’s
1990 attempt to
enact the Meech Lake accord,
crafted to win Quebec’s
signature on the
Constitution.
Then prime minister
Brian Mulroney was pressuring
dissenting premiers
to go along with the accord,
giving them a deadline to
approve it in their legislatures.
Voting in Manitoba
came late in the national
debate.
But Harper, then a Manitoba
NDP opposition
member, believed the deal
gave his people short
shrift.
Sitting in the legislature,
holding a white eagle
feather for strength, the
soft-spoken former chief of
the Ojibwa-Cree Red
Sucker Lake band refused
to allow rules to be waived
to speed debate of the resolution.
Pictures of Harper
and his feather flashed
across the country as he
repeatedly said ``No’’ in
the face of enormous pressure
and last-minute
scrambling from federal officials.
The clock ticked down,
Mulroney’s deadline
passed. Meech died.
“I stalled and killed it because
I didn’t think it offered
anything to the
aboriginal people,’’ Harper
explained.
It was a turning point for
Canadian aboriginals.
“Elijah’s commitment
and dedication to asserting
and upholding First Nations
rights and recognition
has helped lay the
foundation as this hard
work continues today,’’
said Shawn Atleo, chief of
the Assembly of First Nations.
Harper was voted The
Canadian Press newsmaker
of the year in 1990 for his
actions.
Respect for Harper has
never faded, said Aaron
Cardinell, his longtime
friend and business partner.
``He’s very relevant for
our people, and a legend
amongst our people. The
communities everywhere
still look up to him immensely.
We still have a lot of
tremendous respect for
him in every way.’’
Mohawk Chief Allan
MacNaughton remembers
Elijah Harper fondly. “He
came to support us during
our land rights negotitions.
He lended his name so we
could move our rights talks
along.”
Harper was the first status
Indian elected to the
Manitoba legislature where
he served from 1981 to
1992. That included a twoyear
stint as minister of
native affairs in former
NDP premier Howard Pawley’s
cabinet.
Harper’s duties were interrupted
briefly when he
sought counselling for
drunk driving.
He resigned from the legislature
in 1992 and a year
later left the New Democrats
to run federally for the
Liberals. He won a seat
representing the sprawling
northern Manitoba riding
of Churchill.
Cardinell said Harper was
not only a political inspiration,
but a mentor to
young aboriginals in the
business community as
well.
``He was inspirational at
pursuing some of our goals
that are to do with entrepreneurship
and aboriginal
business and to remember
where we came from.’’
Harper was a ``beautiful,
kind-spirited man,’’
said Cardinell, who balanced
aboriginal spirituality
with
respect for his Christian
upbringing.
``He really didn’t have
any ill will. He had a lot of
respect for Canada and the
system in Canada, even
though it could be really
tough on us and on our
people.’’
Atleo also praised
Harper’s work bridging
aboriginal and mainstream
Canada.
``Elijah’s drive and actions
toward reconciliation
will continue to be a legacy
for First Nation and all
Canadians as we move toward
improved and renewed
relationships.’’
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Six Nations at the Cross Roads
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April 20, 2006 OPP Raid Kanonhstaton
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Prime Minister China Agreements
A bridge that has been built over 12 mile creek to accommodate walkers. Legend says
Laura scaled the cliff (submitted photo)
