1988 Windspeaker Unsung Heroes: Fred and Louise Boucher
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1988 Windspeaker Unsung Heroes: Fred and Louise Boucher Warriors instructed to arrest police Haugeneder By Rudy leaders Courtesy of Kainai News Telling Indian Biche couple win first -ever $200 award they "have to prepare for Lac La in the Unsung Hero Contest. My par- KAMLOOPS, B.C. war" against forces I nominate my father and mother Fred and Louise Boucher as candidates equipped with dogs, heli- ents have been managers of the Lac La Biche Fisherman's Co-op for 12 years. Indian fighters from copters and machine guns, Their contributions to the community are many. My mother Louise is very active in supporting the Senior Citi- is very well known as an northern B.C. warrior soci- Ryan is urging other bands zen's Drop -in Centre. She is also an organizer in the Royal Canadian Legion. Louise of reading or eties have been instructed to set up similar special interpreter for the Senior French Community and also an interpreter for Native people not capable by hereditary chiefs to arrest forces. writing. help needy police the -next time they Ryan said the peacekeep- With the large garden my parents grow, my mother does a lot of canning which is forwarded to the invade Gitksan Wet' - ers would have to be espe- people with little or no income for groceries. mother eight, suwefen lands. cially trained in Indian lan- Louise also organizes bingos, bake sales, etc. which benefit the people in need. My mom is the of And the hereditary chiefs guages and customs. excluding raising six more grandchildren. A total of 14 is a large family. week for the last want other bands to set up He also told the chiefs My father Fred is, in my mind, a strong candidate in this contest Fred has worked seven days a for gas money, for his specially- trained mobile assembly it's time Indians 12 years at the fish plant. Father Fred spends his early hours by picking up bottles in town units that did away with elected band vehicles for which he receives no expenses from the Co -op. The Fish and Game Association gives Dad approved, could be sent into trouble councils and returned to the seized, wild meats to distribute to the needy people. He also drives countless miles to give away fish, meat and gar- spots whenever Indian land traditional base of Indian den produce. you, is attacked by outside leadership - hereditary My father is close to 60 years old. My mother is close to 50 years old. Please feel free, or I welcome to forces. chiefs. confirm these nominations. My parents are very well known in Lac La Biche, and very well loved and thanked. Don Ryan, president of Current elected bodies Also, all the free firewood my parents give away to the needy disabled is appreciated. the Gitksan Wet'suwet'en are non -Native institutions Tribal Council, told about which do not reflect Indian Submitted by Wally Boucher, St. Paul, Alberta. law, effec- 100 chiefs and observers custom and and Wally receives $100 for sending this nomination letter. attending the Union of B.C. tively prevent Indians from regaining control of their Indian Chiefs annual assem- 4, 6 7 bly here during the third own destiny, Ryan said. Contest runner -up, plus more nomination letters on pages and week of November that its He said Indians must set the type of "direct action" up special business and needed to establish Indian career training courses to authority on Indian land. prepare Natives for all A special peacekeeping aspects of self- determina- resume force was ready to swoop tion and to show those Charges dropped, talks down on the Mounties dur- opposed that Indians are an historic By Susan Enge Alberta government who I route." He said "it was the leaders produced ing a recent northern block- ready to do so. Windspeaker Staff Writer suspected were setting it up proper and just course of agreement in which Premier ade, but the police didn't Chief Saul Terry, presi- so that negotiations would action for the attorney gen- Getty agreed to transfer 79 show. ent of the chiefs union, said EDMONTON But they have eral to take, which was in square miles of land, plus Ottawa and Victoria are break down. made a gracious gesture and the spirit of the Grimshaw an additional 16 sq. miles of everything possible to doing Land claim talks are on leadership," agreement." land, restricted to surface halt Indian bands from a gesture of again after the provincial a jubilant James The Lubicon have been rights only, to the federal regaining control as Indian declared government unexpectedly outside the court engaged in a court battle government for the creation nations. O'Reilly dropped contempt of court house. ever since barricades were of a reserve. "Today we find ourselves charges against 22 Lubicon Attorney General Ken torn down by the RCMP. Since that time, Prime in a state of siege," he said. band members and support- had the power Band members and support- Minister Mulroney assigned "Our lands and Rostad, who ers who manned Little Buf- to drop civil charges, ers erected them in a move his chief of staff David Bur- resources - our very sur- falo road blockades last refused to do so until Lubi- to assert jurisdiction Oct 15- ney to serve as a go- vival as Indian peoples - month. Bernard Orni- 19. between in negotiations in are under constant attack con Chief The band withdrew from nayak discussed the matter The move was prompted an attempt to help resume by the federal and provin- negotiations on Nov. 22 on Nov. when land claims negotia- talk. cial governments and by with Premier Getty upon learning Alberta's 25, negotiations tions with the federal gov- At press time, land claim the powerful corporations citing Attorney General Depart- would grind to a halt if the ernment stalled over the negotiatons between the that they represent. ment intended to proceed issue of membership. The band and federal govern- "In that state of siege, charges continued. with the charges. Band counsellor Steve Lubicon wanted to define ment had resumed in the greed of timber, mining Band lawyer James Noskey praised the govern- their own membership Ottawa. and oil company barons is O'Reilly admitted the Nov. ment's cooperation. "I wel- while the federal govern- Terry Laboucan, the first matched only by the deceit 28 decision to drop charges come this decision very ment wanted to limit their person arrested Oct. 20 at and lies being used by the was unexpected. In fact, he warmly. This will remove recipients to registered the Lubicon's road block- federal government to pro- was preparing for a hard- the that was Treaty Indians only. ade, continues to defy a mote its termination agenda impediment line approach but was sur- and help us move Talks also ground to a Nov. 9 court order to pay a for Indian peoples," said there prised by crown counsel - in halt when provincial nego- $200 fine for civil contempt Terry. along negotiations. Bruce Fraser's move. We've cleared the road now tiators could not agree on charges. Justice Berger did And he said the provin- "I wasn't optimistic but to the land claim," he the size of reserve the band not impose a penalty of cial government "is throw- settle I'm glad to say that I was to. incarceration should the ing all of its resources exclaimed. was entitled wrong. I was very con- lawyer Bob A seven- hour private Lubicon member decide not against our people in court Lubicon cerned and very skeptical Sachs felt Attorney Gener- meeting in a small hotel in to pay. He has until Feb. 9, and at the negotiation table." about the position of the al Rostad "took the better Grimshaw between the two 1989 to make payment. Page 2, WINDSPEAKER, December 2, 1988 OUR PEOPLE CLOSE TO HOME 7i '/. > % Ady/y/1/hsa//// ,W.' . í/ .` 7/, Y%Z / ' %//, s í" % %6 i7 /!! ;Ó/, D í / /, z % /'/ ; ï' ï i ',é i,rAWA.eagr i agt%,i,r:NW::W ;>;gWA;c,;rW.,'x WINDSPEAKER FILE PHOTO SUSAN ENGE, WA,dspeaker French Leader: Ex- Indian Affairs minister Chretien Kainai honors Chretien By Jackie Red Crow sent telegrams to voice their W indspeaker Correspondent opposition. In the end, Chretien stayed for a few BLOOD RESERVE more years, eventually moving on to more presti- A non -Native politician gious posts such as minister and sportsman, recognized of Finance, president of the for their significant contri- Treasury Board and later butions to the tribe, were losing the Liberal leader's Foster Child film a healing process: Gil Cardinal inducted into the exclusive post to John Turner in 1986. Kanai Chieftainship on He now practices law in Nov. 18. Montreal. Chretien is cred- Filmmaker Gil Cardinal: Jean Cretien, former ited with uniting Canadian Indian Affairs minister who Indians who presented their helped the Bloods convince counter position, the Red federal officials to construct Paper, to Pierre Trudeaú s into painful past Kainai Industries in the infamous 1969 White Journey early '70s, and long time Paper, which recommended coach and friend Gerry the enfranchisement of Dawson, were honored dur- Treaty Indians into main- ing an afternoon ceremony stream society. worth the experience at St. Mary's school. "I guess I was the only The colorful headdress Indian Affairs minister and naming ceremony start- who stayed the longest - By Susan Enge The 30- minute film gives from an Edmonton social decades to connect with his ed when war veteran Reg- you've had seven since I Windspeaker Staff Writer an unpretentious, first hand worker, that his mother Native roots.