Algonquins of Barriere Lake should have their legitimate leadership recognized

****ACTION ALERT****

Please take FIVE MINUTES to DEMAND the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have their legitimate leadership recognized!!!

JOIN the community and Barriere Lake Solidarity in showing the Department of Indian Affairs that we will not tolerate another coup d’etat in Barriere Lake!

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake held a leadership selection ceremony on June 24, 2009 on their traditional territory. The community selected a new Customary Chief and Council, confirming their confidence in long-time Customary Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan.

Since March 2008, the Department of Indian Affairs has refused to recognize the legitimate Customary Chief and Council of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. This has been just the latest government tactic to undermine Barriere Lake’s historic Trilateral agreement – a land management plan covering 10,000 square kilometers of their traditional territories – that the Customary Chief and Council have been fighting to have implemented since its signing in 1991. For the last year and half, the Department of Indian Affairs has recognized a Chief and Council who were not, according to Barriere Lake’s Elder’s Council, selected according to the community’s Customary Governance Code, Mitchikanibikok Anishnabe Onakinakewin, and who are only supported by a minority community faction.

To have their legitimate leadership recognized and to continue the fight for the Trilateral agreement, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake held a leadership selection ceremony at the end of June, but the ball is now in the federal government's court. The Department of Indian Affairs should recognize the results and enter into relations with Matchewan and his Council, but they have shown that they do not want to deal with an assertive leadership pushing for respect for their customary government and land rights.

The community needs supporters to put pressure on Indian Affairs to recognize and abide by the results of Barriere Lake's leadership selection.

DEMDAND THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESPECT THE CUSTOMARY GOVERNMENT OF FIRST NATIONS:

SEND AN EMAIL VIA THE BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY WEBSITE :
http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html

EMAIL/CALL/FAX-IN to:

Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl
Phone: (604) 847-9711, 1-800-667-2808
Fax: (604) 847-9744
E-mail: riding@chuckstrahl.com, ottawa@chuckstrahl.com

Quebec Regional Director of Indian Affairs Pierre Nepton
Phone: (418) 648-3270
Fax : (418) 648-2266
Email: nepton.p@ainc-inac.gc.ca

And PLEASE cc us at barrierelakesolidarity@gmail.com.

[See talking points for telephone calls and more background information below]


****SAMPLE LETTER****

Dear xx,

I am writing to you regarding the recent selection of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake Customary Chief and Council.

I am urging you and Indian and North Affairs to recognize the leadership selection for the following reasons:

First, the Elder's Council in Barriere Lake confirms their Customary Governance Code was followed in this selection and that there is a broad community consensus among the eligible community members about the selection.

Secondly, the entire leadership selection respected due process, transparency, and was documented by Keith Penner, former parliamentarian and author of the Penner Report on Aboriginal Self-government. On top of Penner’s documentation, several outside observers were present, including David Bleakney of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Algonquin Nation Secretariat Grand Chief Norman Young, and Chief Harry St. Denis of Wolf Lake First Nation, who all confirm that customary traditions were exercised in the leadership selection process.

Thirdly, Indian Affairs' recognition of Customary Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan and his Council should now be a mere administrative gesture.

I am aware that Pierre Nepton stated in a letter addressed to Loraine [sic Jeanine] Matchewan on June 23rd, 2009 that he would not recognize the leadership selection in Barriere Lake because of a judicial review, launched by the Elder's Council of Barriere Lake, to challenge Indian Affairs’ decision to recognize a minority faction as Chief and Council in March 2008. The fact that there is an ongoing judicial review should not prevent Indian Affairs from recognizing the outcome of the leadership selection of June 24, 2009.

Once again, I strongly encourage Indian and Northern Affairs to recognize the customary Chief and Council recently selected by the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (as follows):


· Jean Maurice Matchewan - Chief
· Benjamin Nottaway - Councillor
· Eugene Nottaway - Councillor
· Joey Decoursay – Councillor
· David Wawatie - Councillor

In closing, you can be sure I will be closely watching the Barriere Lake leadership recognition by the federal government, and their situation broadly.

Sincerely,

Your name here


****SOME TALKING POINT SUGGESTIONS FOR PHONE CALLS****

-The Elder's Council in Barriere Lake confirms their Customary Governance Code was followed in this selection and that there is a broad community consensus among the eligible community members about the selection

-The entire leadership selection respected due process, transparency, and was documented by Keith Penner, former parliamentarian and author of the Penner Report on Aboriginal Self-government

-Indian Affairs' recognition of Customary Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan and his Council should now be a mere administrative gesture

-The fact that there is an ongoing judicial review, launched by the Elder's Council of Barriere Lake, to challenge Indian Affairs decision to recognize a minority-faction as Chief and Council in March 2008 should not prevent Indian Affairs from recognizing the outcome of the leadership selection of June 24,2009



BACKGROUND

After almost a year and a half of fighting through numerous channels to have their customary government recognized, on June 24, 2009, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake held their customary governance process of leadership selection on their traditional territory in Barriere Lake.

In March 2008, the Minister of Indian Affairs recognized a small, minority-faction of the community as leaders over the customarily selected council because, as documents now confirm, this minority faction would be less assertive than Barriere Lake’s customary council about implementing their historic Trilateral agreement (see: http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2560).

The selection was held on the ABL's traditional summer settlement, called Barriere Lake, about 50 km to the north of the reserve of Rapid Lake. Many families continue to use this area as the base for their hunting, trapping, and fishing, in both the winter and summer seasons. As Norman Matchewan put it at the end of the day, "This is where everything begins for us.”

The Nottaway Council had been pushing for a leadership reselection process since early last summer. Nottaway and the Tribal Council argued that if Ratt were confident that he in fact had the majority of the community's support, he should go ahead and have it confirmed by a reselection. Nottaway had always promised to abide by such a result. Despite the best efforts of the Elder's Council and Nottaway's, they have not been able to persuade the Casey Ratt-led minority faction to participate in this process. The Ratt Council has consistently refused to participate and most recently, their lawyer Michael Swinwood, tried to motion for an injunctive release, essentially trying to block the Elder's Council in the community from actually convening meetings to discuss the leadership reconciliation or reselection.

The Nottaway-led group suspended the leadership reselection process last month and tried to involve the Ratt group in a reconciliation process, but these efforts have also failed. The Ratt Council had been given opportunity to select a co-facilitator, but either stalled or refused to do so, so the community finally re-set their date and proceeded with the process without them.

So, on that bright, beautiful day in June, with more than 100 eligible people in attendance – to be eligible to participate one must be over 18, live on the traditional territory of Barriere Lake, and have connection to and knowledge of the land - the Elders' Council chose Jean-Maurice Matchewan as Customary Chief of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. Matchewan led the community's struggles in the 1980s and '90s, overseeing the signing of the Trilateral Agreement.

For more information: www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com.