Demonstrators highlight Qalipu lost status
Corner Brook rally urges federal government to resume talks
CORNER BROOK — Greg Janes may get his membership in the Qalipu First Nation reinstated, but for the former chief of the Burgeo Band of Indians and retired member of the Canadian Forces, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to give up the fight for all the others who lost their status.
Janes, who now lives in Corner Brook, organized a demonstration outside the Qailpu First Nation offices on Church Street at noon on Friday. The demonstration was spurred by the fact that after 27 months of talks the federal government recently notified the band it was stopping any further discussions and abandoning joint efforts to address membership for former members of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) and its affiliates.
Janes said he organized it to send a clear message to Ottawa.
“We want talks to resume,” he said while many of the 25 people who gathered with him listened nearby. “Not only do we want talks to resume, but we want to have a clear mandate on talks.”
At the same time as the talks were halted, it was revealed that a new agreement to be co-developed by the federal government with Qalipu and the FNI on the reconsideration of applications for veterans, active armed forces members and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was close to being announced.
“There is some positive light there,” Janes said, adding there is still no clear mandate for that to happen and he’s gotten signs from band council members that it could take up to 18 months and would require ratification by the band.
He also has no idea what’s being negotiated.
“It all resembles the supplemental agreement again,” he said.
It’s that agreement that resulted in so many people losing status.
“These are bad vibes coming again,” he said.
“The Government of Canada is sending the wrong signal when it says it wants reconciliation, but turns its back on us.”
And there’s something else that bothers him.
“Unfortunately, they’re using one group against the other,” said Janes.
“We are not a bunch of groups. We are one. We’re 10,500 who rightfully held status, we were given status under the law of the Government of Canada of the day (which)e were wrongfully taken away,” he said.
“So, I don’t feel very easy about receiving status over another group. It makes me feel uneasy to be pitted against another group.”
The Assembly of First Nations regional office and national chief have said they stand with Qalipu in its fight with the federal government, but Joseph Gallant says national chief Perry Bellegarde should do more and be more vocal.
Gallant, 74, travelled from South Branch to attend the demonstration. He’s a founding member of Qalipu who lost his status after the supplemental agreement came into effect.
“It took away my recognition from me, who I was.”
He took part in the demonstration because of what that recognition means to him.
“Because it’s my right. It’s my heritage,” he said.
His brother, Loyola Gallant, joined him. He had lived in Corner Brook for 41 years before moving back to the Codroy Valley and also lost his status.
“You should never lose your status because you move from one place to the other. That should never happen. It’s not happening in any other band.”
After spending some time outside the band office, which was closed on Friday, the group marched to the office of Gudie Hutchings, the Liberal MP for the Long Range Mountains, on Park Street.