Time for Bryant to Return to School-His Era of Aboriginal Rights Thinking At An End

Elementary Teachers Support First Nations' Land Rights

TORONTO, May 30 /CNW/ - Elementary teachers applaud the Ontario Court of
Appeal decision to release native leaders who had been jailed for protesting
mineral development by mining companies on traditional First Nations land.
"As a federation which promotes and supports social justice in the
broader community, we were shocked by the harsh sentences imposed on First
Nations people who were simply engaging in a peaceful protest," said
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) President David Clegg.
Clegg was referring to the six month sentences originally given to Ardoch
Algonquin First Nation spokesperson Robert Lovelace and six members of the
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug.
Clegg noted that the Ipperwash Inquiry, requested by the current Liberal
government in 2003, produced a report strongly recommending that provincial
laws, policies, and practices be reformed to ensure they are consistent with
the government's legal obligations towards indigenous peoples.
"These legal obligations, which have been reinforced by over a decade of
Supreme Court decisions, include the duty of consultation, accommodation, and
consent of indigenous peoples around the use of treaty lands. This duty
applies to mining rights, even when land claims are still in dispute," said
Clegg.
"We strongly urge the government to honour its own guidelines on how
mining companies should consult with First Nations at every stage of the
mineral development process," Clegg said.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario represents 73,000
elementary public school teachers and education workers across the province
and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.



For further information: David Clegg, President, ETFO, (416) 962-3836
(Office), (416) 948-1592 (Cell); Larry Skory, ETFO Communications, (416)
962-3836 (Office), (416) 948-0195 (Cell)