Friends of the Lubicon
485 Ridelle Ave.
Toronto, ON M6B 1K6
tel: (416) 763-7500
fax: (416) 603-2715
e-mail: fol@tao.ca
Hello everyone;
Thank you all for your letters of support in the wake of Tuesday's court
decision. So many of you have written we haven't had time to respond to you
all personally, but we will try.
Although we realize that there is still a long way to go -- especially if
Daishowa's threat to appeal rings true -- we are still happy to know that
by standing up for our rights we can still win a few. We learned that
lesson from the Lubicon people themselves, to whom we should all be
indebted for showing us how to stand tall in the face of incalculable odds.
Tuesday's decision comes at a crucial point for the Lubicon people. The
decision should be a clear signal to the Canadian federal government that
now is the time to begin sincere negotiations towards a settlement. To that
end, it would be extremely helpful if people would write letters
immediately to the media and to the federal government proposing that:
1) the dispute between the Lubicons and Daishowa shouldn't be fought out in
the courts. It's time for the government to step in and negotiate a land
rights agreement.
2) The government should begin negotiations by reaffirming agreements
already made, and use comprehensive Lubicon settlement proposals as a
serious starting point for further discussion
It should already be apparent to the federal government that it is time to
act. They have been discussing potential negotiations for over seven months
now, but have yet to propose a serious mandate for those negotiations.
Public pressure in the form of letters to the editor will help push them in
the right direction.
Send those letters to your local and national newspapers, and copy them to
Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Langevin Block, 80 Wellington Street, 2nd
floor, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6. Or better yet, fax the letters to Chretien at
(613) 957-5556.
Copies of the letters can be sent to Friends of the Lubicon.
Thanks again for all your support.
Friends of the Lubicon.