Natives plan rail blockade

The military identify those they consider to be "terrorists" and a threat to the country but the indians are removed from the list because it might hurt their feelings. Which is the home grown one?

Final version of terror report will not refer to natives, O'Connor says
BILL CURRY

OTTAWA -- References to radical natives in the Canadian army's counterinsurgency manual will not appear in the final version of the document, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has announced.

And the response of the indians.........

Natives plan rail blockade
By JORGE BARRERA, NATIONAL BUREAU

Parliament Hill -- Unbowed by federal government threats to cut funding, First Nations across the country continue to make plans for a one-day shutdown of the railway system that could spread into weeks.

Relations with the government have soured significantly since Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget completely ignored demands to make First Nations poverty a priority.

Things weren't helped on the weekend after it was revealed that the Canadian military labelled the Mohawk Warrior Society and radical Native groups as "insurgents" in a draft anti-guerrilla field manual obtained by Sun Media.

Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice's aggressive stance on First Nations demands has also pushed relations to a level of acrimony last seen under the Liberals, when former Indian Affairs minister Bob Nault was pushing unpopular reform legislation.

"The Conservatives have united First Nations across the country," said Terrance Nelson, chairman of the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council Chiefs, which represents nine Manitoba First Nations. "They have pissed off one hell of a lot of chiefs."

Anticipating the actions of the Conservative government, the Assembly of First Nations overwhelmingly passed a resolution in December calling for a day of action on June 29.

Prentice reacted by sending open letters last week to the Globe and Mail and the Winnipeg Free Press threatening to cut federal funding to First Nations groups if the actions went ahead.

The minister's actions were interpreted, in the words of AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine, as a "direct threat" and stoked an already roaring fire.

During a planned April 10 Winnipeg emergency meeting of treaty-holding First Nations, which cover western Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and parts of British Columbia, attendees are to compile of a list of treaty violations that will then be presented to Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway.

"My personal goal is to have the Treaty 1-11 First Nations jointly demand that CN and CP voluntarily cease operations for 24 hours on June 29 or face the threat of a month-long roving blockade across our treaty territories."

TAKE NATIVES SERIOUSLY

Nelson said the Conservatives need to take First Nations seriously.

"We want a share of our resources and we want to sit down and clearly talk about our treaties that said we would share in the resources of our own wealth," said Nelson, in an interview with Sun Media.

"If the federal government wants a fight with First Nations it is a very stupid thing to do and we will prove it."