And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: DEMAND FOR IPPERWASH INQUIRY DOMINATES ONTARIO CAMPAIGN Canadian Press, June 1, 1999, by Lee-Anne Goodman [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.] The death of an aboriginal protester haunted Ontario's Tories on Monday as the man's brother pressed Premier Mike Harris for a public inquiry into the 1995 shooting by a provincial police officer. Harris, campaigning in southwestern Ontario just three days before Thursday's election, was met by 100 protesters who renewed their demands for a probe into the shooting of Dudley George during a standoff at Ipperwash Provincial Park. "He's a dirty man," Pierre George, Dudley's brother, said of the premier. He added Harris' appearance in Strathroy, where Dudley George died in hospital, felt like a slap in the face. Police and unarmed natives clashed in September 1995 when the aboriginals occupied Ipperwash, saying it was the site of sacred burial grounds. George was shot and killed, and another demonstrator severely beaten. Lawyers representing George's family in a civil lawsuit planned to go to court in Toronto Tuesday, in an attempt to get Harris to provide government documents related to the shooting. Both Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP Leader Howard Hampton have demanded a public inquiry into the incident. Harris has resisted such calls since shortly after the shooting. He seemed to soften that stance on Monday, implying that an inquiry might be held eventually. "There are court cases that are being dealt with, information is coming to light through the court cases," the premier said. "If there's anything else he'd like to know when they're settled, I've made a commitment to him we'll make sure he does." McGuinty, campaigning in Woodstock, reiterated his demand for an inquiry, and accused Harris of a coverup in his refusal to supply information to the courts. "He's been stalling on this forever," McGuinty said. "There's simply no reasonable, responsible reason why he's delaying coming forward with basic information. Why can't he produce those documents? He's covering up the facts, there's no doubt about that." Elsewhere on the campaign trail Monday, Hampton tried to fend off accusations that votes gained by his New Democrats would come at the expense of McGuinty's Liberals, thereby assuring a Conservative victory. Quizzed by a voter about why he's not endorsing so-called strategic voting to ensure defeat for the Tories, Hampton said the concept was "flawed" and democracy allows people to support the candidate they believe in. Some labour unions are calling for voters to support whichever Liberal or NDP candidate has the best chance to defeat the Tory candidate in their riding. The Liberals had twice as many seats as the NDP heading into the election, and polls suggest they are the only party with a serious hope of ousting the Tories. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: More information on Aazhoodena (aka Ipperwash): http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/Ipperwash/arch01.html 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. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
