Khwe Akwataru,

The following comment has been received from one of our list members concerning Treaty rights. I am distributing this as it is pertinent to the subject of the current NewsLetter.

I would further note that Reserves in the States are experiencing the same situation regarding, not only casinos, but taxation issues. States tend to deal with reservations as though they were municipalities under the state's jurisdiction, rather than a sovereign (and foreign) Nation.

Ishgooda

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Khwe

... All the people are in bush. We hope to have the harvest at the end of the month. There is a good news about hunting and fishing (rights). This last week the Supreme Court of Canada made a decision about our rights. They said that the Native people have a legal right to hunt and fish all year without following the Province of Quebec law.

Let's see what they are going to do with our canoes.

(NOTE: ISH- The canoes were confiscated last year when the traditional people were arrested in the bush for hunting moose out of "Season" as determined by Quebec statutes. The Murray Treaty guarantees full year round rights to hunt in traditional territories).

Unenh

Tarehta'de

Wendake, Quebec

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Good morning, i just looked over the update you sent out and i began to think about our provincial governments.It disturbs me when the provincial governments in Canada try and have jurisdiction over the First Nation people when the issues involve our treaties.When First Nation people want to better the situations on the reserves to enable them to improve the lives of their people the provincial governments intervine in the process and challenge any progress native people want to achieve.A good example of this involves First Nation people in Manitoba.Aboriginals in Manitoba were trying to establish gambling on the reserves. Since the province has legalized gambling in the province and has the manopoly , why shoudn't natives try and benefit from gambling also.The provincial government intervined right away and had the R.C.M.P. lay charges on any reserve who had slot machines on the reserve. The provincial governments forced the native people to sign agreements which would give the government a share of the money that the reserves make from gambling.Most reserves signed the agreements but their are still a few that won,t,my reserve is one of these bands.It seems that the provincial governments only deal with native issues when it is to their benifit,all other issues such as education for example is not their concern they say but, a good portion of the money that comes in from gambling goes to education in the province except on reserves.I strongly agree with the leaders from the reserves that won,t give in to the provincial governments demands.In my opinion ,they have no authority on our lands and any issue we may have should be discussed with the government that should honor our treaties,that being the federal government.