By Grand Chief Terrance Nelson
Southern Grand Chiefs Organization
Indigenous Resistance
Dear Colleen Swords
As per your duties as Deputy Minister, I as Grand Chief of Southern Chiefs Organization am making you aware of the Buffalo Point Embassy package. Ernest Cobiness, an elected member of Buffalo Point First Nation will begin a fast at the United States Embassy on Monday September 15 at noon. This will be a peaceful event meant only to highlight the injustice at Buffalo Point. Southern Chiefs Organization has recognized the election of Andrea Camp as Chief of Buffalo Point and the council members. Canada continues to recognize the so called "Chief for Life" John Conover aka Thunder.
Please see attached information which will form part of the packages of information being delivered to all Embassies in Ottawa. The Murdered and Missing Women issue which Prime Minister Harper refuses to call a National Inquiry on continues to anger the First Nations in Canada.
Here is my own reasoning on why Ernest Cobiness is at the United States Embassy. The following will be one page of the information package
Canada’s GDP is over $1.9 Trillion
Trade between Canada and United States is one million dollars a minute, every minute in every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year, yet many of the 633 First Nations in Canada have unemployment rates of between 60 to 95%. Indigenous people deliberately impoverished in a G8 country. U.S. Government “no comment” policy continues when it comes to Canada.
Trade between United States and Canada has been $4.5 Trillion in the last ten years. Canada has purchased $2 Trillion worth of American exports in the last ten years, more than the entire European Union put together.
Canada sends the United States 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. First Nations do not receive payment or royalty for any of the 60 different metals and minerals mined in Canada.
In 1982, Canada omitted the right to property from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when the Canadian Constitution was patriated from Britain.
The Government feared the “Americanization” of the Canadian Courts if the right to property was in the Charter. How would Canada deal with the rights of indigenous people if the Charter recognized the right to property? The right to property was therefore deliberately omitted to protect Parliament from the courts regarding the property rights of indigenous people, the first peoples who owned the land and the immense natural resource wealth in Canada.
SCO Grand Chief Terrance Nelson
I continue to urge that you as the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada meet with Cobiness to deal with this injustice. There is apparently no peaceful process for the people of Buffalo Point to come out of the so called Chief for life "Custom Code" Governance at Buffalo Point. The fidiciary obligation of the Minister of Indian Affairs is clear in matters of Treaty.
The immigrants to our lands signed treaties with the indigenous people in order to have legal access to "shared use" of the lands in Canada. Canada made promises to the indigenous people who signed the treaties that Canada would protect the rights of the indigenous people to land set aside as reservation lands. The people of Buffalo Point have had their reservation lands taken from them and they are jailed for protesting.
You need to take your fidiciary obligations to the people of Buffalo Point seriously. They are Treaty Three and they have rights.
Grand Chief of SCO
