CPTNET
July 11, 1999
GRASSY NARROWS URGENT ACTION: SEND SAWDUST TO THE CANADIAN MINISTER OF
INDIAN AFFAIRS

[Note: In May 1999, three CPTers visited Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum
Anishnabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) in northwestern Ontario and heard
of the Anishnabek concerns about clear-cut logging on their traditional
lands. ]

Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs.
They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees...
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name...
they burned every place where God was worshipped in the land.
Psalm 74:4-8

The people of Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishnabek (Grassy Narrows First
Nation) have suffered several traumas in the last 40 years at the hands of
their Canadian neighbours. The latest threat to their nation is the
clear-cutting of their
traditional forest by Abitibi-Consolidated Inc.

The Anishnabek claim that this cutting violates the treaty
they signed with Canada in 1873 in which they surrendered most of their land
to the Crown but retained the right to hunt,
fish, and gather food and medicines on that Crown land. The
Ontario provincial government, which regulates the forest
industry, says it cannot (will not?) deal with aboriginal
treaty rights. The federal government, which signed the treaty
and has a constitutional duty to uphold aboriginal rights,
has done little to protect Asubpeeschoseewagong lands.

As a symbol of the destruction happening on these treaty lands, please SEND
SOME SAWDUST to the federal Minister of Indian Affairs with a letter urging
her to take up her
responsibilities to defend the interests of the Anishnabek.
Send copies also to the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources,
to the Asubpeeschoseewagong Environmental Committee, to your federal
parliamentarian (for Canadians), and to your
provincial member (for Ontarians). A sample letter follows:

Hon. Jane Stewart
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON CANADA K1A 0H4

Dear Minister:

This is a tree. It is part of the sacred web of life in our
forests. Please do not discard.

I am writing on behalf of the Anishnabek of Asubpeeschoseewagong, the
people of Grassy Narrows First Nation of northwestern Ontario.

You may be aware of the traumas faced in the last 40 years by
the people of Asubpeeschoseewagong through their exposure to
Canadian culture and economic interests. These include a
forced relocation of their community, mercury poisoning of
their waterways, flooding of their wild rice beds, and
residential schooling. Now their Traditional Land Use Area is
being clear-cut by Abitibi-Consolidated Inc., the world's
largest producer of newsprint.

At 20-30 trees per cord, and with a cutting goal of 335,000
cords of virgin forest per year, Abitibi is planning to
"harvest" at least 6,700,000 trees EACH YEAR, with close to
70% of them coming from the Asubpeeschoseewagong Traditional Land Use Area.

As a land-based culture, there is a clear inconsistency
between the Anishnabek's Treaty Rights to hunt, fish, trap
and gather plants on land which is being clearcut at the
same time.

I feel that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, which
has set itself up as the facilitator and the mediator/monitor
of the cutting plan proposed by Abitibi, is like the fox
guarding the henhouse, and the Ministry is in a clear
conflict of interest. You have a responsibility under Treaty
No. 3 and the constitution to protect the rights of this
small First Nation in its struggle against such a large
corporation and the Ontario provincial government.

Please intervene on behalf of the people of Grassy Narrows to
halt the runaway clearcutting of their Traditional Land Use
Area, and to ensure that their community has a strong say in
determining the extent and the location of the logging which
so profoundly affects their lives and livelihood.

I look forward to your reply.

(your name)

cc. Hon. John Snobelen
Minister of Natural Resources
900 Bay St.
Toronto ON M7A 2C1

Environmental Committee
Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishnabek
Grassy Narrows ON P0X 1B0