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Strasbourg, France - Chief Arthur Manuel who is presently lobbying in Strasbourg, France at the European Parliament was completely disappointed at hearing the sentence given Beverly Manuel, Nicole Manuel and Miranda Dick regarding the roadblock at Sun Peaks Resort in August 2001.

Nicole Manuel was given 45 days imprisonment and one year probation. Beverly Manuel received a one year suspended sentence, one year probation and thirty hours of community service. Miranda Dick received a six month conditional sentence to be served at Neskonlith Reserve and thirty community hours.

Chief Arthur Manuel said that "these sentences are directly linked to the failure of the Canadian government's Aboriginal title land policies". He said "there is no good-faith negotiations going on in the BC regarding Aboriginal title despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada asked Canada to do so in the Delgamuukw decision in 1997". Furthermore, Chief Manuel said "that there are no negotiations with the province or Sun Peaks Corporation regarding the unilateral approval of the expansion of Sun Peaks Ski Resort in view of the BC Court of Appeal decision in the Haida case. He said "the Haida case clearly establishes a duty on the province and Sun Peaks Ski Resort to consult and accommodate Secwepemc title in Sun Peaks-Skwelkwek'welt".

Chief Manuel is bringing to the attention of the European Parliament the violations of the fundamental rights of Aboriginal peoples in Shuswap territory especially as it relates to the matters regarding Sun Peaks expansion (CERD) and the logging at Harper Lake (WTO). Chief Arthur Manuel said "he will continue to bring up these specific sentences up to European Parliamentary members in view of the Concerns and Recommendations made by the United Nations Report on Canada",

The Skwelkwek'welt and the Sutikah did file a shadow report to the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on July 30, 2002. The United Nations CERD Report raised Concerns and Recommendations to Canada on August 23, 2002. These United Nations Concerns and Recommendations directly address the root-cause of the problem at Sun Peaks.

Chief Arthur Manuel is also telling the European community that Canada and British Columbia are acting very self-servingly and in a conflict of interest when they pretend to be the "victim, judge, jury and prison guards when sentencing Aboriginal people like Beverly Manuel, Niki Manuel and Miranda Dick for defending their Aboriginal rights".

Chief Arthur Manuel - Hotel Du Rhin - Strasbourg, France - 03 88 32 35 00