Napping Liberals lose on Caledonia

Karen Howlett
Globe & Mail
Posted on 06/06/06

[SISIS note: The following mainstream news article is provided for reference only, as an example of how mainstream media treats indigenous resistance to genocide. Mainstream media often presents biased and distorted information, lacking pertinent facts and/or context. Inclusion of this article on our site should not be considered an endorsement by SISIS.]

TORONTO -- Ontario MPPs endorsed a motion yesterday calling for a public inquiry into the three-month-old dispute over a tract of land adjoining a Six Nations reserve in Southwestern Ontario.

The governing Liberal MPPs opposed the motion made by Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory. But it passed anyway, because twice as many Tories as Liberals were sitting in the chamber when the time came to vote on the motion late yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Tory said he wants a commission of inquiry to report on how poor communication and weak leadership by Premier Dalton McGuinty's government allowed the Caledonia situation to escalate into a full-blown standoff between native and non-native protesters.

"It has been over three months since this standoff began, and there has been no indication that an end is near," Mr. Tory said. "Ontarians want answers. They have a right to know how the situation came about, and even more importantly, how we can prevent this from happening again in the future."

Chris Morley, a spokesman for Mr. McGuinty, defended the government's handling of the land dispute.

"We make no apologies for trying to resolve the Caledonia dispute peacefully," Mr. Morley said last night.

The issue became a priority for the McGuinty government in April after the Ontario Provincial Police raided a construction site in Caledonia, south of Hamilton, that native protesters had occupied since Feb. 28.

The Six Nations community has made it clear that the primary party they want to deal with is the federal government.

An Ontario Superior Court adjourned an unusual legal hearing last week to give Ottawa two weeks to decide whether it will appear in court on June 16.

The judge has issued injunctions ordering an end to the protest.