I was on CTV’s Canada AM this morning talking about the racist comments made by an aide to Conservative Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, against Norman Matchewan, a member of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, who is also a teacher and part-time police officer.
In a conversation recorded by the Aboriginal People’s Television Network outside Cannon’s Maniwaki campaign office during its opening Tuesday, Matchewan asked the aide, Darlene Lanningan, whether he will be arrested if he visits Cannon’s campaign office. She responded:
“If you behave and you’re sober and there’s no problem and if you sit down and whatever, I don’t care.”
The Barriere Lake reserve is about 300 kilometres northwest of Ottawa in Cannon’s riding of Pontiac, and a group including Norman Matchewan had visited the office for a rally.
She went on to say that, “One of them showed up the other day and was drinking.” There were several allegations she made that were much worse after that.
In 1991 the Algonquins of Barriere Lake signed a Trilateral Agreement with the governments of Canada and Quebec, establishing a landmark sustainable development, conservation, and resource co-management process. Not surpisingly, the Government of Canada has regularly tried to ignore their obligations under the agreement. On March 10th, 2008, for the third time in 12 years, the government of Canada interfered in their internal governance, ousting the Customary Chief Benjamin Nottaway and his Council and recognizing a Chief and Council whom the Barriere Lake Elder’s Council say were not selected in accordance with the community’s customs and whom the majority of the community does not support.
Lannigan basically said what I know for a fact: a lot of people, especially near reserve communities who are non-Native, already make stereotypical assumptions of us. This is the environment the youth in our communities are growing up in, but we’re doing such an awesome job of kicking ass in so many things that it’s only a reminder of what we need to resist and stand up against.
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nine comments
You are a wonderful, articulate woman.
Posted by Deborah
September 19, 2008, 3:13 PM
Your interview was amazing! I'm proud to call you a friend. :)
Posted by Julia
September 19, 2008, 9:17 PM
Awww, thanks everyone!
Posted by Jessica Yee
September 20, 2008, 7:02 PM
Hey Jessica..
I wish you much continued success with POWER and the cause they are working toward.
I used to be a doorman in several "Adult" clubs and loved it and I have many, many friends that work the streets.
I talk to them all the time and have always been proud to call them friends. Keep up the fight.
Posted by kelly D
September 22, 2008, 10:45 AM
Dear Jessica! Im glad to see you gettin involved in issues that need tending in regards to aboriginal rights and issues we natives go through on a day to day basis! We most definitely need more of you in this day and age! We need more and more strong native women taking a stand and advocating whats right! But please take this into consideration...Barriere Lake you have no clue! Its terrible that the govt. still takes shots at us a we the ones left looking the way we've always been percieved..like you said drunk indians! But what you are not seeing is people like Norman Matchewan spoon fed all of his life because his father being the former chief. Yes Mr. Matchewan is a former police officer but was one that never did his job. And now he acting like he's a victim?? Former Acting Chief Nottaway did show up drunk at that tory office previously shooting his mouth off making "Us" me and you look like a bunch of drunks. Mr. Matchewan was offered his job back as a policeman and he turned it down flat with the chief of police present with the contract in hand.this has to be looked at objectively. There are people living here. I have to ask are you with the liberals? The former council are allied with the liberals and would like nothing better but to see another re-selection. The PEOPLE of Mitchiganibikok have spoken the only thing your doing here is preventing the new council from doing what the old faction never did in nearly 25 years..thats take care of the people with a structured governance,have all possible resources implemented for the people by the people. You ever hear about the story of a Chief kicking out his own people in the dead of winter? Men women and children minus 30 temperature? Only to say that after countless number of his own people being assaulted and threatened by his pawns for politcial gain! Then yelling out "Im GOD around here!" Sounds like some sort of sedistic movie huh?....Well that took place on March the 7th, 2008....That was Jean Maurice Matchewan....Mr. Norman Matchewans father!! migwetc...
Posted by anishnabe
September 29, 2008, 1:44 PM
Hi Anishnabe,
Thank you for your comment and thank you for being so active and vocal about the issues facing your community.
You will notice however with the post and the interview I did that I did not say anything specific about Norman Matchewan. I did not claim to know him, I did not speak about who he was or even what he did. I spoke solely about the comment that Darlene Lannigan made and how that is a sad and racist stereotype a lot of our people have to face, as well as what we SHOULD be focusing on this coming election.
In regards to what is happening at Barriere Lake, since that is not my reserve and I'm not from there, I can only go on what friends of mine who live there or those credible people I know that have done work there have said. You will also notice that I didn't speak to who Chief Nottaway is as a person (since I don't know him), but that the government did intervene on something that we as a community need to be deciding and doing ourselves, for our own people.
Posted by Jessica Yee
September 29, 2008, 2:09 PM
Dear Jessica,
I am appreciative of your efforts to speak out against racism towards our people. However, I think would have been a good idea to learn ALL the facts (as mentioned by Anishnabe), and all sides of the story before jumping aboard with people like Norman and Jean-Maurice Matchewan. Perhaps this was not the appropriate situation to become involved in order to demonstrate your political involvement. A person with half the facts holds half the credibility in the eyes of those aware.
I would like to thank you, and I hope to see you continue in your hard work. We need more strong women like yourself out there advocating for our rights. Kitchi Migwetch.
Posted by Elder Ikwe
September 29, 2008, 3:44 PM
Hello Elder Ikwe (and I truly appreciate an Elder posting on Shameless! Nia:wen!)
Again I will state as I did in my response to Anishnabe that I DID NOT take sides with anyone in what I said in the interview, nor did I speak of anything that is personally relative to them. In my post I did not say I supported Norman Matchewan, or Chief Nottaway, I was stating the facts as reported back from those I know who have been there.
I pray for resolution, strength, and peace for everyone in your community.
My goal with the interview was to simply heighten the awareness with the oppressive labels our people still have to deal with, day in and day out, which we should not have to take any more.
I am glad to continue to learn all sides of the story and thank you for your input here. I promise you I will continue to speak out and stand up for all our people, for the next 7 generations.
Nia:wen
Posted by Jessica Yee
September 29, 2008, 4:13 PM
IT is sad to see some outsider taking part in that big scam organised by ex chief jean maurice matchewan and is ex consultant who just cant accept what the majority of the people decided in barriere lake,,,,,,for 25 year,s bullying was the name of the game ,,,,,did you know that former chief matchewan was cut with a pick up truck full of weed last fall by the S.Q. not only a few little bag,s,,,,about 10 big garbage bag,s full of marijuana and stil the former council play ,s the pitty card.
a new generation had stand up to change for a better future.oh yes they will make mistake but it cant be worst than the old council,,,million,s of dollars was giving to barriere lake in 25 year,s,,,,,WHERE IS THE MONEY,,,,,WHERE IS THE MONEY not in barriere lake for sure that reserve is so poor,,,,,just think about the big COCAINE AND MARIJUANA TRAFFIC ON THAT RESERVE and you will understand why people want a change.
OK the comment from that lady of the conservative party was not really nice,,,,,but you know a few week,s before that incident the ex chief from barriere lake went in the conservative party office and try to make is way with that lady and he was DRUNK,i dont really liked to see people called drunk indian,,, but in that situation,,,with the election commin soon it was a real good timming for the liberals to speak of racist comment.
AS for you jessica i think that you are honest and intelligent and you could see that there is alway,s two side in any story,
IKWE.
Posted by baby girl
September 29, 2008, 11:02 PM
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