Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

ONTARIO, CA - Negotiations between the Lubicon Nation and the Canadian federal government were scheduled to restart September 26 in Little Buffalo. However the meeting did not take place as planned and a new date had to be scheduled.

The federal negotiating team informed the Lubicons last week that they would only be available for a one-day meeting on September 26th to resume negotiations after the summer-long suspension. They told the Lubicons that other commitments made a longer session impossible for the federal team. They proposed to meet for "one long day" by chartering a plane to nearby Peace River which would allow them to stay later in the day than they would normally be able to under regular airline schedules. The Lubicons agreed to meet with the federal negotiating team for "one long day" to get negotiations underway again.

On Tuesday, September 26th, the Lubicons awaited the arrival of the federal team in vain. Chief Federal Negotiator Brad Morse called to inform Chief Ominayak that heavy fog at the Peace River airport had made it impossible for their chartered plane to land. After periodic calls to report their status, Morse finally called around 3:30 pm to inform the Lubicons that the fog had lifted and the federal team could now fly to Peace River and they could be in Peace River around 4:30pm. However, he said, he would have to fly out again by 7:30pm at the latest. He asked that the Lubicons meet with him in Peace River (about an hour's drive from the Lubicon community of Little Buffalo) rather than in Little Buffalo.

After consulting with the assembled community members who had been waiting since 10:30 that morning to observe the negotiations, Chief Ominayak spoke to Brad at 4pm and told Brad Morse to come back another time when the federal team would have more time to meet. Chief Ominayak and Brad Morse agreed that the Lubicons and the federal negotiating team would meet on Tuesday October 10th in Little Buffalo.

Public pressure on the federal government to settle Lubicon land rights continues to grow. Lubicon supporters gave the public information campaign a boost when they gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa that same day to construct a mock Lubicon reserve, telling the federal government to get on with the job of settling Lubicon land rights and building a new community at Lubicon Lake.