Herald-Tribune (Calgary, Canada) http://www.bowesnet.com/dht/Z10_ca18unions.html Unions join to support Lubicon position Pressure mounting on Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault DEB GUERETTE Herald-Tribune staff Six of Canada's largest labour unions let fly with a fresh barrage of protest at Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault this week, urging him not to withdraw program funding from some Lubicon Lake Indian Nation members next month. Calling the department decision "an outrageous abuse of power on the part of the federal government," Public Service Alliance of Canada president Nycole Turmel added her voice to the rapidly growing number of individuals and organizations from around the world demanding Indian Affairs continue to honour a 19-year-old funding agreement with the Lubicon and get negotiations back on track. Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Dale Clark told Nault by letter the departmental move will have a "divisive effect and such a decision during negotiations suggests bad faith. "We can see no legitimate reason for the government to proceed (this way) at this stage and must question the rationale to proceed this way at this time," Clark said. Almost two years into the latest round of negotiations on the over 60-year-old North Peace land claim, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Alberta regional office gave the Lubicon notice in May the department will no longer reimburse the band for social assistance it provides to about 20 families who live at Trout and Peerless Lakes, instead of the overcrowded and underdeveloped home community of Little Buffalo. Lubicon chief Bernard Ominayak suspended talks June 21, calling the move another in a long and well-documented history of government attempts to "tear Lubicon society apart" and subvert the band's land rights. Canadian Labour Congress president Kenneth Georgetti wrote Nault last week, calling the decision to withdraw funding "arbitrary" and "mean spirited." The move "goes against the spirit of negotiating longstanding claims," Georgetti said. Canadian Auto Workers president Buzz Hargrove said the policy decision is "yet another instance of shameful treatment." "The long-term effect of such bureaucratic insults will be to threaten the very existence of the society and culture to which (the Lubicons) belong," Hargrove told Nault. National Union of Public and General Employees president James Clancy wrote that "this latest decision can only be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to undermine the well-being of the community and influence the land claim negotiations currently under way." The funding withdrawal "accentuates the legacy of bad faith and sharp dealings with the Lubicon Cree. Subjecting an already poor and exploited people to further degradations and hardship only reflects badly on you and your government," Clancy told the minister. The Quebec based la Federation Autonome Collegiate also wrote the minister, deepening the call for Nault to act from numerous individuals and organizations stepping forward to support the Lubicon. Those groups include human rights organizations from around the world, Canada's Assembly of First Nations, Alberta's Assembly of Chiefs, the Presbyterian Church of Canada and the nation-wide Aboriginal Rights Coalition. The union leader's letters were copied to the Toronto-based Friends of the Lubicon support group Wednesday. Renowned scientist, environmentalist, author and broadcaster David Suzuki has also addressed Nault. "On behalf of all Canadians who care about justice and compassion, I urge you to tell your regional office to stop the harassment of the Lubicon and start working on their behalf," Suzuki said in an Aug. 9 letter. "It is disgraceful that Lubicon country has been inroaded by oil and gas lines, roads and logging, yet have received so little support or compensation," Suzuki said. The funding withdrawal is necessary for the regional INAC office to comply with a 1991 Canada-Alberta agreement and heed treasury board pressure, department communications director Glenn Luff reiterates. The minister has received just over 90 letters of concern, Luff said today. 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