For Immediate Release

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) June 20, 1997 - The Supreme Court of Canada yesterday denied leave to appeal a lower court ruling outlawing an "enormously successful" consumer boycott. No reasons were given. (FoL note: "enormously successful" above are the words of the appellate court)

The multinational paper company Daishowa is suing the Toronto group Friends of the Lubicon for its boycott campaign in support of the Lubicon Lake Cree Nation of Alberta. Since the boycott began in 1991, Daishowa has been forced to hold off clear-cut logging operations on disputed Native lands. But last year the company convinced an appellate court of the Ontario Court General Division to enjoin the boycott pending a trial and is now seeking damages it claims have topped $12 million.

The multi-billion dollar paper company will press its damages claim against volunteer members of Toronto Friends at a trial scheduled for 3 weeks beginning September 2, 1997. Daishowa is also seeking a permanent injunction against the consumer boycott at trial.

The Supreme Court's refusal comes 7 months after the Friends' leave application was submitted. Prior to that, the Ontario Court of Appeal had also rejected a Friends' leave to appeal application -- also without giving reasons.

Friends' spokesperson Kevin Thomas explains "In 1995, the courts ruled the boycott legal. When Daishowa appealed, the judges flung the courtroom doors wide open, heard the case and stopped the boycott. When we knocked, the courtroom doors have twice been locked...Our biggest fear now is that Daishowa will get the trial court to shut down the boycott forever and then resume clearcut logging Lubicon land either directly or using others this fall."

For more information please call:

Kevin Thomas, spokesperson, Friends of the Lubicon, 416-631-4048
Ed Bianchi, spokesperson, Friends of the Lubicon, 613-235-9956
Stephen Kenda, spokesperson, Friends of the Lubicon, 416-763-7500
Karen Wristen, counsel, Sierra Legal Defence Fund, 604-685-5618

or view the Lubicon supporters' web page at