(Photo: Sam George calls for Mike Harris to apologize.)The results of the inquiry into the 1995 shooting of Dudley George by an OPP sniper are "a damning indictment" says Julian Falconer, a lawyer for the Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto.
"The government of former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Ottawa and the OPP [Ontario Provincial Police] all bear responsibility for events that led to the 1995 death of Dudley George, the head of the Ipperwash inquiry said Thursday [May 31, 2007.]" (CBC)
"The provincial government could have appointed a mediator or negotiator at any time, but did not," [Commissioner Sidney] Linden wrote. "The premier could have urged patience, rather than speed."
Commissioner Linden blames the OPP for racism and the government for "successive neglects" in failing to return the land to the Stony Point tribe.
The report's recommendations:
- The disputed land should be returned immediately to the Stony Point First Nation, which should also receive compensation.
- Ontario should establish a permanent, independent and impartial agency to facilitate and oversee the settling of land and treaty claims.
- Ontario should improve public education about its land claim policies as well as aboriginal burial and heritage sites.
- Access to the Ontario land claims process should depend on whether the documentation filed by the First Nations provides clear evidence that there's been a breach of the legal obligations of the Crown.
- The OPP should establish a formal consultation committee with major aboriginal organizations in Ontario.
- Provincial police should establish an internal process to ensure racist and culturally insensitive behaviour by police is dealt with publicly.
- The province should establish and fund an Ontario Aboriginal Reconciliation Fund.
It's too bad that someone had to die before the government (regardless of its political bent) does the right thing.
For more information on the report go here.
Colleen
3 comments:
Wow. How binding are the recommendations?
If findings of inquiries -- or commissions for that matter -- were binding I doubt we'd have the current state of affairs that we have.
The findings of Justice Linden were worded very carefully. While he states that Premier Harris did not direct the OPP to enter Ipperwash Provincial Park on the night in question, the ex-Premier's racial slur and desire to have the band members removed quickly created an atmosphere that mitigated the possibility of a peaceful resolution.
The inquiry took two years and cost the provincial government more than $20 million. The report lists 98 recommendations that provide what is being touted as a blueprint for dealing with land claims.
The Ontario Minister for Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, David Ramsay, was on CBC this morning saying that he was very satisfied with the report, that the province is handing a current Native occupation in Caledonia much differently, and that he has a very good relationship with the federal Minister of Indian and Norhtern Affairs. He claims that both of them are in favour of setting up an independent organization to deal solely with land claims, a recommendation that would be expected to deal with land claims disputes expeditiously.
My fear has been that Premier McGinty called the inquiry to gain political points against his rival in the 2003 election rather than out of a sincere desire to do the right thing.
Now we shall have to wait to see what happens from here.
Becca said...
The Ipperwash thing is interesting...when I was in J school I was a videographer for a classmate who was doing a story on this whole thing. We went on the camp and interviewed occupiers, it was very cool. Plus I had met
some of them before because the Kettle Point reserve right behind Ipperwash is in Lambton County where I worked for Children's Aid so I was always out there picking up and dropping off kids at foster homes. That whole thing was
a cluster. They were promised the land back and Hey guess what, Whitey backed out on the promise!!!
(I've posted this on Becca's behalf as she was having some technical difficulties. Colleen)
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