Little Buffalo, AB/ The Lubicon Lake Nation continues to face outrageous human rights abuses at the hands of the Alberta and Canadian Governments. In the letter forwarded by the Government of the Lubicon Lake Nation to Alberta Aboriginal Relations (AAR) Minister Robin Campbell and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AAND-C) Minister Bernard Valcourt, a Lubicon member outlines the current attempts by government to restrict the connection of power to Lubicon homes in their community as a result of government pressure on the electricity supplier ATCO Electric. This pressure has prevented the new homes from being connected despite ongoing housing shortages and overcrowding in current homes.According to Lubicon officials, the policy adopted by ATCO Electric is new and their homes have never required the permission of any other level of government to be built or energized before. This is a result of their outstanding aboriginal title and rights settlement that has been the subject of on and off negotiations for decades. Chief Bernard Ominayak says "Ultimately, we are the only ones with jurisdiction to approve a development on our land, especially while the Government sits on its hands instead of dealing with us fairly and legally as people."
The Lubicon resident who intends to make one of the new homes his own says that he shouldn't be discriminated against for his "race, political position or geographical location". This letter follows a string of communications to government officials about ongoing mistreatment of the Lubicon Lake Nation and the Chief and Council elected on May 30, 2013 in their General Elections. "The Federal Government doesn't like the results of our election because we're not the go away quietly kind of Indians they were hoping for. So now they're basically trying to ignore us, and if we speak up they find other ways to try and shut us up, like keeping our power shut off or telling oil and gas companies not to hire our residents or the contractors they work for." said Councillor Dwight Gladue.
For More Information Contact:
Councillor Dwight Gladue
Lubicon Lake Nation
P.O. Box 6731 Stn. Main
Peace River, AB T8S 1S3
(780) 625-4208 Direct
(780) 629-3939 Fax
Info@LubiconLakeNation.ca
www.LubiconLakeNation.ca