CPTnet

April 28, 2006

CPT Canada: URGENT ACTION: Call for recognition of Treaty rights of the
Rotinoshon'non:we

Call or Fax the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development,
Government of Canada, and demand
* the recognition of the treaty right of the Rotinoshon'non:we
(Iroquois) people of the Six Nations to the lands included in the
Haldimand Tract in Ontario, Canada
* negotiation on a Nation to Nation basis with the designated
leaders of the Rotinoshon'non:we Confederacy to resolve the current
conflict regarding Henco Industries housing development in Caledonia

On Friday March 3, 2006 a group of Rotinoshon'non:we people set up camp
at a 40 acre site under development by Henco Industries in Caledonia,
Ontario, Canada, and adjacent to the Six Nations Reserve. The site
forms a part of the Haldimand Tract, a tract of land six miles deep on
either side of the Grand River granted to the Rotinoshon'non:we in 1784
in recognition of their services to the British during the American
Revolution.

Very little of the Haldimand Tract remains under Rotinoshon'non:we
control. Traditional Clan mothers maintain that they retain title to
the land and that it has never been surrendered or sold. This Tract is
included in a land claim filed with the Government of Canada by Six
Nations of the Grand River in 1987. The claim is currently in abeyance,
which means it has been temporarily set aside by the court.

Meanwhile, the province of Ontario passed legislation allowing this
tract of land to be developed as part of a scheme to draw 4 million
settlers into the Golden Horseshoe area. In spite of the outstanding
land claim, which must be settled between the Six Nations and the
Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario guaranteed Henco
Industries the land for their development project.

Henco Industries filed for an injunction against the "protesters" (the
Rotinoshon'non:we people camped on the territory in order to reclaim the
land), seeking their removal. Provincial Court Judge David Marshall
ordered the "protesters" to vacate the property by 2pm, Wednesday March
22, 2006 or be arrested. They refused.

Ontario Provincial Police did not move to execute the injunction until
the early morning of April 20th, when they attacked a group of men,
women, youth, and children as they slept. Fourteen people were
arrested, including a 14-year-old who told CPTers Robin Buyers, William
Payne, and Murray Lumley later that day that he had been kicked and
beaten during his arrest. His right ear, wrist, and hand were visibly
swollen and scratched. Others complained of the use of Tasers and
pepper spray.

Later the same morning, however, a large group from Six Nations people
and their allies joined together to non-violently "walk" the OPP off the
land. Barricades were subsequently erected at various points around the
area of the land reclamation and reserve. Although tensions continue,
including with some townspeople from Caledonia, there has been no
further violence. Both organizer Hazel Hill and Cayuga Confederacy
Chief, Arnie General, told Buyers in separate communications this week
that the Rotinoshon'non:we people are committed under their own
constitution and Kaienerekowah (the Great Law) to resolve this matter in
a peaceful manner, one Nation to another.

Government and police have been negotiating with Confederacy
representatives for an end to the conflict, but Chief General and other
Rotinoshon'non:we ask that increased pressure be put on the Government
of Canada to take full responsibility for the settlement of the land
rights dispute that is at the heart of the conflict. Canadian law gives
the Government of Canada a "fiduciary responsibility for Indians [sic]
and lands reserved for Indians." Under Canadian constitutional law,
this responsibility should be fulfilled on a Nation to Nation basis.

To date, however, the Government has sent only a single official, Bob
Howsam, to the negotiating table, and the Minister responsible for
Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Jim Prentice, has not been
involved. In fact, on April 6th, a spokesperson for Minister Prentice,
Deirdre McCracken, said, "This is not a lands-claim matter."

Please call or fax letters to Minister Prentice and his officials,
demanding that the Government of Canada
* recognize the treaty right of the Rotinoshon'non:we (Iroquois)
people of the Six Nations to the lands included in the Haldimand Tract
in Ontario, Canada
* negotiate on a Nation to Nation basis with the designated
leaders of the Rotinoshon'non:we Confederacy to resolve the current
conflict regarding Henco Industries housing development in Caledonia

Rt. Hon. Jim Prentice
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
613-992-4275 (P) 613-947-9475 (F)

Michael Horgan
Deputy Minister, Indian Affairs and Northern Development
819-997-0133 (P) 819-953-2251 (F)

Bob Howsam
INAC Ontario
416-973-1255 (P) 416-954-6329 (F)