Windspeaker December 15, 1989

Quote of the week: "We find that they're being discriminated against, not just because they're women, but because they're A Special Fireside :minorities. We term it double discrimination and something has to be Christmas Section done." - Sylvia Fanant, after releasing results of a study showing Native women continue to be dis- Page 1-40 criminated against in the workplace. AK. December 15,1989 North America's No.1 Native Weekly Newspaper Volume 7 No. 41 Northern Inuit agree to largest- ever Native land claim settlement Nunavat to receive $580 million 225,000 sq. km. in NWT deal By Jeff Morrow a strong decision-making em Arctic when they ne- Windspeaker Staff Writer role in environmental otiated a 93,240 square management and a guar- ilometre settlement and OTTAWA antee to wildlife harvest- $45 million in compensa- ing rights and resource tion. The largestNative land- revenue-sharing. Last year Indians in the claim settlement in the TFN chief negotiator YukolintittsiVed a 41,000 nation's history was Paul Quassa said the ten- square kilometre, $243 agreed to in principle by tative agreement is a million settlement and the the Government of Can- dream come true for the Dene/Metis of the N.W.T. ada and the Inuit of the Inuit of the eastern Arctic negotiated a $500 million Northwest Territories in a who have waited 15 years claim and a 181,000 square landmark decision last for the creation of the Nun- kilometre settlement. Josie Auger, Windspeaker week that could split con- avut Territory. The boundaries for the trol the far northernmost "This is what the Inuit Nunavut Territory have Brotherhood spirit! regions of Canada be- have been waiting for... a yet to be determined but tween Native govern- separate territory in which the area chosen will be tra- Two inmates from Edmonton 'Max' Institution give the brotherhand shake after ments. we can show the people in ditional land used by the inmates and their families celebrated an early Christmas with a Christmas So- The Tungavik Federa- the rest of Canada that we Inuit, said Quassa. cial on Dec. 10. tion of Nunavut (TFN) has are able to run our own negotiated a 225,00 square affairs," he said. kilometre land settlement The Inuit, federal gov- and $580 million in corn- ernment and the Govern- pensation over the next 14 ment of the Northwest Ter- Paddle vote 'invalid', charges councillor years. ritories must enter into By It will also gain 36,000 further negotiations to rat- John Holman square kilometres in sub- ify the agreement. Windspeaker Staff Writer Council bitterly divided over FMS walkout surface rights. Talks will take place ince. other way that you can get indicated that the coun- The TFN, an organiza- PADDLE PRAIRIE, over the next six months. ALTA. Bellerose alleged the back in as a councillor is (to cil members should tion representing more The Minister of Indian council had accepted be) elected by the people or agree to accer the with- then 17,000 Inuit, will have Affairs, Pierre Cadieux, A dissenting Paddle Martineau's resignation on appointed by the minister drawal of her resigna- said there will be a plebi- June 5 at a meeting al- (of Municipal Affairs)," tion on the advice of scite with northern resi- Prairie councillor is call- ing into question the va- though she stayed in- said Bellerose. Dennis Surrendi. assis-- dents to determine if a lidity of a decision by volved with the council af- But minutes from a June Lint deputy minister of division will be made. terwards. 19 council meeting Inuit, three other councillors to show the Alberta govern- The which make pull ment's Native Services up about 80 per cent of the community out the of the Federation of Metis division. population of the eastern Martineau could not Arctic, will Settlements. "The public was control an area Mervin Bellerose, be reached for comment that is equivalent to a third who along with Joe told that they but Paddle Prairie coun- of the Alberta if the deal is councillor put through. Cardinal, was absent don't have a voice cil's liaison officer Law- when the council's three rence Cunningham, TFN president Donat other members voted at the meeting. speaking for Martineau, <17 Milortok said his people 14 What's explained this is enough still have a lot of work Nov. to separate from the use of FMS, charged last week evidence that she is stili a ahead of them in landing having a general member. their rightful claims, but that one of the council meeting if the admits members - Emma Bellerose also claimed they're at a turning in a 6 point in Martineau - had al- public can't that Dec. council acquiring self-suf- meeting, 40 of 58 resi- ficiency. ready submitted her resignation in June, making speak?" dents supported a non "We still have a lot of confidence vote against work to do in communi- the Nov. 14 vote invalic. Mervin Bellerose. Chairman Robert Par- Cora Weber-Pillwax Paddle Prairie council cating the contents of this chairman Robert Paren- tentative agreement to our enteau and councillors Pat Gaucher and Emma "In the Metis Better- that a motion was passed teau. A previous meet- people. But I want to as- Martineau voted on Nov. ments Act, it states in there rescinding Martineau's ing, he claimed, brought fr: sure them that we are that the only way you can June 5 ready 14 to separate immedi- resignation because strong negative reaction to continue to pur- ately from the federation hold office as a councillor there was not a legal quo- to the decision to sepa- sue our dream and will is to be elected by the rum accepting her resigna- rate. 4" push over serious disagree- for the recognition at ments over the federa- people or appointed by the tion. The vote of non-confi- last of Nunavut, he said. minister," he explained. Cardinal moved the dence, said Cardinal, In 1984, a similar tion's $310 million land agree- and resource settlement "And once you resign motion and Bellerose sec- ; ment was made between as a councillor, the only onded it. The minutes also Col* page 5 the Inuvailuit of the west- agreement with the prov- PAGE 2, WINDSPEAKER, DECEMBER 15, 1989 Provincial News Job study finds Native women discriminated against By Jeff Morrow tion aimed at minority women. ternatives in Ottawa suggests federal employers, fall- Windspeaker Staff Writer "We recognize it's an area we don't have specific rec- ing under the Employment Equity Act, especially Ca- ommendations for any specific government body. But nadian banks, discriminate against visible minorities. CALGARY we recognize that it just isn't fair to be forced into jobs. The report said Native people make up 30 per cent They would make better money on welfare," she said. less than non -Native bank employees. The figure in- Native women are no further ahead in gaining The Advisory Council on the Status of Women has creases with women to 42 per cent and 40 per cent for equitable employment than they were four years ago found that there is still a high percentage of minority Native women. when their poverty- stricken existence was recognized women in low- paying jobs qualified for better paying The 1986 Employment Equity Act legislation calls in a national study, says a spokesperson for the Cana- employment. for companies to report their hiring and wage prac- dian Advisory Council on the Status of Women in tices for specific minority groups. Calgary. The National Employment Equity Network, the Native women in Canada are still being hit twice "We find that they're being discriminated coalition of womens and minority groups that cam- by employment discrimination when they look for against, not just because they're women, paigned for the legislation, believes the legislation work, Sylvia Fanant said. but because they're minorities. We term it should be more binding than it is. And it's no different now than when the Secretary has Researcher Marjorie Cohen said the contents of the of State of Canada released a report in 1986 called double discrimination and something latest report is an indication that government legisla- "Native Women: A Statistical Overview." to be done." tion is useless in providing minority women equal "We find that they're being discriminated against, employment opportunities. not just because they're women, but because they're The Secretary of State report revealed that the unem- It's appalling. You can see the lack of representa- minorities. We term it double discrimination and ployment rate for Native women was 16.5 per cent of tion by minority women. The banks are the worst," something has to be done," she said. the population in the 1981 census, the last taken of the she said. Fanant said her organization has been conducting Native people. Non -Native women in the labor force The federal banking system is the largest employer its own research and will be releasing a book this had an unemployment rate of 8.6 per cent. that falls under the act. Spring, 'Women and Poverty,' because there is cur- According to the census, there were 491,460 Native Cohen said the most startling conclusions that rently no government department set up to tackle the people in Canada in 1981, 248,815 were women. Native banks were not hiring the minority women they should problem on its own. people made up 2.1 per cent of the total population of came from their own records.

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