Confederacy
of Treaty Six First Nations
Suite 204, 10310 - 176 Street EDMONTON, AB T5S 1L3,
Tel (780) 944-0334; fax (780) 944-0346
INTERNATIONAL
INDIAN TREATY COUNCIL
Administration
Office |
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Information
Office |
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2390 Mission
St. Suite 301
San Francisco CA 94110 USA
Tel. (415) 641-4482; fax 641-2198
Email: iitc@treatycouncil.org |
Press Release, February 19, 2007
“Indigenous Peoples point to Canada’s violations
of the International Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Racial Discrimination”
Canada’s position on the UN Declaration
for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as its
discriminatory treatment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
and elsewhere, will be scrutinized by the UN Committee
for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
at its 70th session, which begins today in Geneva, Switzerland.
Alberta, Canada, February 19th, 2007:
“Canada has continued to insist on the inclusion of
discriminatory language in the Declaration as a requirement
for its approval”. This was one of several charges presented
to the CERD by the International Indian Treaty Council
(IITC) and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations
(CT6FN), representing 18 First Nations in Alberta. IITC
is an Indigenous Organization with Consultative Status
to the UN Economic and Social Council. They were among
several organizations representing First Nations of
Canada which filed “shadow” or parallel reports to the
CERD, challenging the Canadian government’s report.
The reports submitted by these organizations
as well as the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the
British Columbia First Nations Leadership Council and
the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) addressed
a range of policies and practices violating Indigenous
Peoples' human rights in and outside of Canada. Indigenous
Peoples’ submissions will be considered along with the
Canadian Government’s report when CERD begins its review
of Canada on Tuesday February 20th.
Canada, like all countries which have ratified this
legally-binding International Convention, is required
to report on its compliance with the Conventions’ provisions.
In response to Canada’s last report, the CERD requested
that Canada provide additional information about remedies
it has implemented to address racial discrimination
against Indigenous Peoples, among other issues.
The “Shadow reports” submitted by the
Indigenous organizations call attention to the discriminatory
position and actions of Canada in its opposition to
the Declaration’s provisions upholding Free, Prior and
Informed Consent, Rights to Land and Resources, Self-Determination
and Treaty Rights. They point out that Canada was one
of only two countries which voted against the Declaration
when it was adopted last year by the UN Human Rights
Council. Canada continues to actively lobby against
its adoption at the UN General Assembly unless changes
are made to seriously weaken its provisions. This would
create "second class rights" for Indigenous
Peoples in Canada and around the world.
The IITC and CT6FN’s submission called
Canada's response to the CERD “sadly lacking in its
assessment of the solutions that it has purportedly
undertaken to correct situations of racial discrimination….
We are in particular very concerned that Canada’s failure
to implement CERD General Recommendation XXIII with
regards to free prior informed consent in its actions
and relations with Indigenous Peoples has resulted in
dire consequences and impacts for the rights and survival
of Indigenous Peoples, both in and outside of Canada”.
In addition to Canada’s position on
the UN Declaration, these submissions addressed a range
of other urgent concerns for Indigenous Peoples. These
included institutional racism and discrimination within
the criminal justice and court systems, Treaty violations,
a range of inequities in social services and living
conditions, gender discrimination and lack of protection
against violence in particular towards Indigenous women,
youth and children (including high levels of deaths
of Indigenous children in state-managed foster care).
The IITC and CT6FN report also emphasized
the impacts of development projects on Indigenous Peoples'
lands, waters and traditional subsistence without their
free prior and informed consent. Canadian mining companies
in Canada, Alaska, Montana and Guatemala were specifically
cited.
Testimony presented by Ronald Lameman,
Beaver Lake Cree Nation and current Interim Director
of the Confederacy, included the following statement:
“Our peoples continue to suffer disproportionate rates
of incarceration, children in foster care, youth suicides,
health problems, substandard housing, contaminated water
and a range of other conditions. The Canadian government
does nothing to uphold its obligation to enforce and
protect our rights under Treaty No 6, starting with
the requirement to obtain our free prior informed consent.
Instead, the government of Canada gives a free reign
to these corporations to extract, exploit and destroy
our mineral resources, our forests, mountains, water
ways, our fish and game, and the other natural resources
we require to maintain our cultural practices, survival
and subsistence way of life.”
The reports of the Government
of Canada and the IITC/CT6FN will be posted on IITC’s
web site: www.treatycouncil.org and UN CERD website
by Tuesday February 20th. For more information also
contact the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations,
Edmonton Canada, (780) 944-0334; Rob McDonald, NWAC
(613) 295-2719 or the IITC, (907) 745-4482.
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