|
Side event of the UNWGIP: "By any means necessary ", documentary by Adelard Blackman |
|
Thursday, 03 August 2006 |
Monday 31 July 2006 Adelard Blackman, Special Emissary for the Buffalo River Dene Nation (UNPO Member), held a side-event at the UN and presented the documentary By any means necessary to participants at the WGIP.
This documentary had its premiere on the first day of the WGIP and had an audience of around 50 people. Adelard Blackman, special emissary for the Buffalo River Dene Nation and active member of the UNPO produced the documentary several months ago with the subtitle Exploitation of our traditional territory by the Canadian Government, Military and Transnationals a title that is close to this years WGIP principal theme. A central element of the documentary was Treaty Nr. 10 from 1906, created by the English Crown and representatives of the Native-Canadians.
When a group of traditional hunters were arrested by the Canadian military while hunting close to a military base he was taken to court. While the Native-Canadians where sure that their claim on the use of their traditional lands was secured in Treaty Nr. 10 the actual text of the treaty was interpreted as they had given up their rights on the use of their traditional land.
After research the judge ruled in favor of the hunters, but when the military appealed to the High Court the hunter was ruled guilty. As a last resort the hunter lodged an appeal to the Canadian Supreme Court, which refused to rule on this case. This along with the clear cut logging and the extraction of oil and gas by transnational corporations are some of the examples given in the documentary on how the Canadian Government is ignoring Treaty nr. 10. This is the reason that the Elders from Buffalo River Dene Nation are preparing a lawsuit against the Canadian Government that they will present to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
This lawsuit will consist of four central elements: the loss of Treaty rights, the loss of traditional territory, the loss of natural resources and genocide. Although the Buffalo River Dene Nation people learned not to expect too much from the International Community they have high hopes that this lawsuit will change their destiny so they can live without harassment from the Canadian Government, the military or transnational corporations. |
