And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: NATIVES SUE OVER VETERAN'S BENEFITS The Globe and Mail, December 3, 1998 by David Roberts [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] Status Indians from Saskatchewan who served during Canada's foreign wars have filed a lawsuit against the federal government, saying they were denied tens of millions of dollars in veterans' benefits. About 800 Indian men and women from Saskatchewan served in the two world wars and Korea and about 100 survive today, said Perry Bellegarde, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, which began the action in Saskatchewan's Court of Queen's Bench. The lawsuit asserts that Indian veterans were deprived of tens of millions of dollars worth of benefits that were given to non-Indian veterans returning from service in various conflicts. "These are very legitimate concerns by decent men and women who are just trying to restore some of their dignity," Mr. Bellegarde said, noting families of non-natives received $75 a month in the 1940s while husbands served overseas. The families of Indian veterans got $20 per month. Other benefits such as land grants, loans for study, home purchase or improvement, training assistance and other professional allowances were not available to Indian veterans in the same way they were for others, the claim says, alleging this treatment was discriminatory and racist. Thousands of Canadian natives volunteered for service during the two world wars and the Korean conflict, the lawsuit states. While they could not be conscripted for service, they joined in the war effort and fought alongside other Canadians. Many were decorated. "Indian agents told them they could have land on the reserves for farming," said Mr. Bellegarde. "But that land was theirs already. The non-native veterans were given grants and loans to purchase farm land and held fee-simple title on that land. It wasn't so for Indians." Even those Indian veterans who received cash - to buy farm implements, for example - received less (2,320) than their non-Indian counterparts ($6,000), he said. Delia Opekokew, legal counsel for the federation, said Indian veterans were never told what benefits might be available to them. A few even came back to find their home reserves had been moved. A spokesman for Indian Affairs, Janice Summerby, said the department will investigate individual complaints. "Our position is that the legislation doesn't discriminate against aboriginal veterans. Benefits are not geared to groups, they're geared to individuals." :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to the Globe and Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
