Alberta Game warden Assoc statement/Metis

[Puma]

AGWA releases statement based on Alberta Government Media Release.
On September 15, 2017, Fish and Wildlife Officers were involved in an investigation at the Conklin Metis Cultural Camp around 150 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. The incident was filmed and posted on Social Media. The video and several media statements have been released commenting on this ongoing investigation. AGWA supports the officers and it’s members involved in the investigation and believes that politics should be left aside as it is now an ongoing legal matter. The officers involved were professional and respectful while attending the Cultural Camp. WE believe that the comments made by Indigenous Relations Minister Richard Feehan are inappropriate at this stage of the investigation. This is currently an ongoing investigation. AGWA will be discussing the comments made by Richard Feehan with Minister Kathleen Ganley and the Chief of FWEB. AGWA stands behind and supports the Officer’s involved in this investigation.

Background story at ;

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?x...6FDF14BB555EC3

[elkhunter11]

A Fort McMurray council member who is metis has been posting a video all over Facebook condemning the actions of the officers. She seems more interested in pursuing more benefits for the metis , and herself, than working for the citizens of Fort McMurray.

[270person]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

A Fort McMurray council member who is metis has been posting a video all over Facebook condemning the actions of the officers. She seems more interested in pursuing more benefits for the metis , and herself, than working for the citizens of Fort McMurray.

That would NEVER happen would it?

[Grizzly Adams]

Time to file a complaint with the UN about the discrimination we're facing. Thought net fishing had been banned ?

Grizz

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Time to file a complaint with the UN about the discrimination we're facing. Thought net fishing had been banned ?

Grizz

I know in the Fraser Valley the practice of net fishing for salmon is alive and well, used frequently by a lot of people.

But the fall run is closed because of too much fishing...

[Big Grey Wolf]

Looks like Laws of Alberta/Canada do not apply to a select group of Canadians.

[Team Anzac]

Personally, if every ???METIS?? is allowed to harvest at will. Our fish stocks will be descimated. What a joke,

[BCSteel]

Originally Posted by Newview01

I know in the Fraser Valley the practice of net fishing for salmon is alive and well, used frequently by a lot of people.

But the fall run is closed because of too much fishing...

Hahaha. 100% not why it's closed, nice try though.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by BCSteel

Hahaha. 100% not why it's closed, nice try though.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

It is closed because of over-fishing, both commercial and native fishing have made a significant dent.

[Trochu]

Just another instance were our government supports racism.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Just another instance were our government supports racism.

In this case , it's more like the officers were doing their job, the people that are upset about them doing their job are racist.

[270WIN]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Just another instance were our government supports racism.

Is anyone surprised?

[270WIN]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

In this case , it's more like the officers were doing their job, the people that are upset about them doing their job are racist.

I thought Trochu was referring to the government's apology not the actions taken by the officers.

[treeroot]

I am pretty sure this is the truth, but if its not I apologize and feel free to correct me.

Treaty an metis can net. However, before they net they are required to go to fandw office and get a permit that is specific to the lake they wish to net. So if I was Metis and I wanted to net cold lake, I would have to go to fandw office and get a permit to net that lake specifically. The permit is free and written up on the spot, but law requires them to have it.

Believe it or not, there are lakes that have restrictions for even treaty/metis netting. There is not a lot, but there is some.

In this situation I believe the officers asked to see the permit of the people who netted the fish, and those people didn't have a permit and didn't even know they needed a permit. So officers did their job and seized the fish.

I am positive this is what happened based on what I have read.


To issue an apology when the officers did their job is degrading, disgusting and devalued their jobs and them as a person.


This is a slippery slope to even worse laws.

I imagine a time in AB where the game/fish are so decimate that our AB government bans hunting/fishing for all populations except our metis/treaty. There is many metis/treaty who would support this and have talked about this already.


Personally from the metis/treaty people I know, more do not know the laws that pertain to their rights than those that do know.

The best example is the many who believe they can keep a walleye they catch fishing on a lake that is closed for walleye retention.

Most have the attitude "I'm native I can do whatever I want" and they truly believe this.

Don't get the wrong idea here. I know a few natives that do not have this attitude at all. These people respect the law and their rights and do not abuse either.

I am completely fine for metis/treaty harvesting rights. I think it should exist to preserve their culture. But I believe only traditional means should be allowed. Ie handmade nets set with a handmade canoe, hunting with handmade long bows, night hunting without the use of light bulbs etc.

I believe this because their culture is not high powered rifles and plastic nets set with jet boats.

Sadly their culture is all but lost, and the fingers are not being pointed in the right direction.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by 270WIN

I thought Trochu was referring to the government's apology not the actions taken by the officers.

That is correct. Thank you for clarifying.

Feel sorry for the officers, nothing like your boss cutting your legs out from under you.

[270WIN]

[QUOTE=treeroot;3624951




I imagine a time in AB where the game/fish are so decimate that our AB government bans hunting/fishing for all populations except our metis/treaty.


[/QUOTE]

So do I.

[sns2]

Tip of the day: There is a way to express frustration and disgust without getting infracted or banned. There really is. Think about it.

Something tells me not all will get it. Carry on. Thread will be watched closely. You've been warned.

Have a good day.

[elk eater]

Treeroot you hit it right on the head. To save there " Culture " harvest of resources should be done traditionally by traditional means. High powered rifles, commercial nets, jet boats or a reefer truck have no buisness being part of tradition. They were not used when the treaties were signed and have no place in traditional hunts or fishing to preserve there culture. I get tired of metis and native groups hiding behind there culture as they put it. As for these fellows who did not obtain the proper licence to fish they should be charged. The law is there for a reason. If they had being driving there kenworth to there traditional hunt with no drivers license or insurance and got pulled over and ticketed would the minister have stepped in an tried to have them pardoned ? The licence for netting for them is free so cost was not an issue. Leaves me to belive they either did not care about the law. Or as they claim did not know. Negligence of the law is not an acceptable exscuse.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 270WIN

I thought Trochu was referring to the government's apology not the actions taken by the officers.

How rewarding it must be to do your job, and have your employer act as though you did something wrong.

[R3illy]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

In this case , it's more like the officers were doing their job, the people that are upset about them doing their job are racist.

They had a legal right to the fish for a yearly event that they do for cultural purposes.. way to stoke the flames though.

[R3illy]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

A Fort McMurray council member who is metis has been posting a video all over Facebook condemning the actions of the officers. She seems more interested in pursuing more benefits for the metis , and herself, than working for the citizens of Fort McMurray.

Oh no. A metis councillor standing up for metis rights that were violated. How dare she/he.

[crownb]

Culture

This word sickens me already, I am afraid most of the indigenous people have forgotten what there culture is, most of them are blinded by thinking they are being treated unfairly, sad really.

[elk eater]

Originally Posted by R3illy

They had a legal right to the fish for a yearly event that they do for cultural purposes.. way to stoke the flames though.

Yes they had a legal right to fish. And as part of that they a legal obligation to pull the proper licensing. Again hiding behind cultural law if you will in defiance of our provincal laws. Province give metis all these privleges that others don't recieve and the metis can't respond in kind by notifying the province if there netting. Come on. The resource belongs to all of us that reside in the province why can't the metis play nice.

[1stLand]

Those dried whitefish looked delicious

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by elk eater

Treeroot you hit it right on the head. To save there " Culture " harvest of resources should be done traditionally by traditional means. High powered rifles, commercial nets, jet boats or a reefer truck have no buisness being part of tradition. They were not used when the treaties were signed and have no place in traditional hunts or fishing to preserve there culture. I get tired of metis and native groups hiding behind there culture as they put it. As for these fellows who did not obtain the proper licence to fish they should be charged. The law is there for a reason. If they had being driving there kenworth to there traditional hunt with no drivers license or insurance and got pulled over and ticketed would the minister have stepped in an tried to have them pardoned ? The licence for netting for them is free so cost was not an issue. Leaves me to belive they either did not care about the law. Or as they claim did not know. Negligence of the law is not an acceptable exscuse.

Several things arise from your rant, you have no idea what traditional methods are or what date that statement would be relevant. Second go back to school and learn the English language so you can use it correctly. Third, the paperwork to drive a semi has nothing to do with this and is only used as a tool to rile up more people and is not relevant in any way. Fourth, as for them not getting a license, I believe ( look a metis spelled it correctly) maybe/possibly they did forget to get the license, if its even possible to get one, as did the lady in the fishing forum that so many of you volunteered so much information to help her out and possibly ease the penalty. Heck the OP went on here actually asking for help, which he got after she used someone else's fishing license and got caught. She was charged as were the metis but there sure is a difference in responses to both situations of someone being charged. You had a nice rant though, full of your ill informed/non-relevant statements, but a nice inflaming rant non-the-less.

[gman1978]

These issues will never go away. The only way is to treat every man as a equal. No special laws or treatment to one man over the other. Chances of that happening are slim to none epsically since the socialist government keep using the First Nations as polictial pons.

[diamonddave]

Originally Posted by R3illy

Oh no. A metis councillor standing up for metis rights that were violated. How dare she/he.

Its my right to hunt and fish as well, but I have to obtain the proper licencing before I can start, if I don't, I will be charged.
So explain how their rights were violated please?

[Bourbon Outdoorsman]

Originally Posted by Team Anzac

Personally, if every ???METIS?? is allowed to harvest at will. Our fish stocks will be descimated. What a joke,

As a first nations native, i do believe the hunting and fishing should be regulated. Once the metis and non status indians get full treaty rights, the moose/deer/elk/fish population will take big hit.

[Puma]

From what I gathered as a third person observer, the Officers did their duty to the best of their abilities. Another govt department Minister overstepped his boundaries and embarrassed the officers and the entire govt.

Rules are put into place to practice conservation of the resource, everyone needs to follow these rules.

These special rights and political correctness will be the ruin of us all.

[Newview01]

This is a very smart individual.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/beya...zens-1.4284671

After vowing to*take the summer months to meet with Indigenous people*after a series of controversial remarks, Conservative Sen. Lynn Beyak says she now believes*First Nations should give up their Indigenous rights and integrate into Canadian society.
"Trade your status card for a Canadian citizenship, with a fair and negotiated payout to each Indigenous man, woman and child in Canada, to settle all the outstanding land claims and treaties, and move forward together just like the leaders already do in Ottawa," she said in an open letter published Sept. 1 on her Senate website.
(Indigenous people*born in this country*are Canadian citizens, and were given full voting rights in 1960.)
"None of us are leaving, so let's stop the guilt and blame and find a way to live together and share," she wrote. "All Canadians are then free to preserve their cultures in their own communities, on their own time, with their own dime."
Beyak made headlines in the spring after CBC News first reported*her defence of the Indian residential school system in the Senate. The northwestern Ontario senator later expanded on her remarks before being removed from the Red Chamber's Aboriginal Peoples*committee by interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose.
The senator, appointed under former prime minister Stephen Harper, also denounced the Liberal government's recent move to split Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two separate departments, with one focused on the delivery of services and the other tasked with negotiating treaties, among other initiatives.
Beyak*said she worried this could simply lead to more bureaucracy and public servants who can do little to fix the ills that afflict many communities.
"No matter how qualified and well intentioned the participants, the last thing we need is another minister, ministry and bureaucracy in Ottawa to address the challenges," she said.

Beyak*said Indigenous leaders have already assimilated into the mainstream, and so too should the "grassroots."
"The real problem, as identified in letters from the grassroots across the nation, and which no government has had the courage to address, is what they themselves identify as the Indian Act Industry in Ottawa, all living and working together comfortably, huge bureaucracies, massive expense accounts, fully assimilated to the ways of the white and Indigenous worlds, with available 5-star accommodations and business class travel, while the Indigenous population is constantly reminded that integration or assimilation is not good for them," she wrote.
White paper 'ahead of its time,' Beyak said
In revisiting her previous remarks,*Beyak said she stood by her claim that history has been far too unkind to the residential school system. "A small number of Aboriginals found the schools bad," she wrote.
"Only 1 in 3 Indigenous children ever attended them. Very few were torn from their parents arms, but rather were enrolled by loving parents who were away trapping and trading for months on end."
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)*found some Indigenous students*spoke highly of the skills they acquired, the benefits of recreation and*sports, and the friendships they made at a school, but*on the whole,*for most students, academic success was elusive in the crowded classrooms and they often left feeling isolated from their families, culture and language.
Thousands are believed to have died at the schools, and thousands of others reported physical and sexual abuse.
Beyak did not respond to requests for an interview.
Beyak, who lives near Dryden, Ont., also praised former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's 1969 white paper on Indigenous issues, which proposed doing away with the Indian Act and treaties and eliminating a distinct legal Indian status.
She said Trudeau, and Jean Chrétien, the government's then minister overseeing Indigenous affairs, "got it right."
"Their paper was brilliant and ahead of its time. Can you imagine how life would be for Indigenous people today, had it been implemented nearly 50 years ago? Indigenous leaders soundly rejected it, without consulting their own people, but it still has merit," she said.*"We do not need an Indian Act. We have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all Canadians."

A 1969 white paper was a Canadian government policy paper that attempted to abolish previous legal documents pertaining to Indigenous people in Canada, including the Indian Act and treaties, and assimilate all 'Indian' people under the Canadian state. Jean Chrétien, far right, was the minister of Indian affairs at the time. (Provincial Archives of Alberta)
The white paper was later abandoned in the face of sustained outrage from First Nations people, who said their long-established treaty rights could not simply be extinguished unilaterally by the federal government.
The current Liberal government has also sought to dismantle parts of the Indian Act (namely parts that deal with land use) while maintaining constitutionally protected rights. Many First Nations people have spoken of their desire to get out from underneath the colonial document that dictates much of everyday life on reserves.
Life under Indian Act a 'horrible existence,' Indigenous senator says, but there's hope
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is leading an effort to review all federal laws that pertain to Indigenous people. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett has also sought to sign self-governing agreements with Indigenous groups, transferring control of education and health systems to First Nations peoples.
Bennett said Beyak simply doesn't understand Indigenous issues, and is peddling uninformed and offensive comments.
"What is also worrying is that she still won't admit she has a lot to learn. Once again, we suggest she sit down and listen to some of the survivors of residential schools. They have a great deal to teach her," Bennett said in a statement to CBC News.
Larry Smith, the Conservative leader in the Senate, issued a tersely worded statement late Thursday after Beyak's latest commentary came to light. He said Beyak's "personal opinions" do not reflect the positions of the larger caucus.
"Accordingly, we have taken additional steps to address Senator Beyak's ongoing role within our caucus," he said.