Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 10, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page 14 Metis ill treated a court decision that this week quashed a charge against Hunter will Goodon establishes in Law the Hunting rights of Metis people across Southern Manitoba where they roamed widely before and during the imposition of the control of the British Crown. Or. Good ones right however could and should have been secured without the time and expense the Manitoba government forced upon taxpayers and the Manitoba Metis federation in pursuing a charge. Or. Goodon was accused of Hunting illegally in the fall of 2004 in the Turtle Mountain area because he did not have a licence. As provincial court judge John Combs pointed out the supreme court of Canada in 2003 had already enunciated the constitutionally protected Hunting rights of Metis people and How they Are proven in any Given area of the country by any particular Petitioner. Or. Goodon met All the criteria and so should have been permitted to Hunt without a licence for his own purposes but Manitoba ass wildlife act did not recognize that. As europeans began trading and settling in and then organizing territory Metis people were roaming the Prairies to scratch out a living from the land while serving traders. Their settlements were dotted about Southern Manitoba moving As they needed to As the seasons changed. Judge Combs accepted Good evidence from historians that their traditional territory extended from present Day Winnipeg South to the United states and West to Saskatchewan. The Metis used this territory throughout the 1800s and continue to do so around Turtle Mountain. The province made a weak Effort to defend its Law by asserting the Metis rights were extinguished with the Manitoba act of 1870, which covered a postage stamp sized area of what is now Manitoba. The judge dismissed the argument and the province offered no evidence to prove that the Metis extinguished their rights to Hunt around Turtle Mountain. It is an Odd Way to defend a Law that effectively thumbed its nose at a supreme court judgment. More to the Point it is an Odd Way for a government to fulfil its obligations. The Metis As aboriginal people with rights recognized in Canadas Constitution enjoy the Benefit of natural resources on land where they can prove unc eded and continuing use. The recognition is a part of an obligation to do right by people who helped give Rise to Canada. Honouring the obligation continues the peace Britain through treaties brought to a new land in conflict. Judge Combs decision Means that the Metis who continue to reside or use the territory will have to be consulted and perhaps compensated in future development there. The doer administrations decision to Force or. Goodon into court and the fact it made no Effort to change the wildlife act to recognize Metis Hunting rights after 2003, reveals it is a government that chooses to follow not Lead. Canada and its original people Are in Many ways still learning to live together. Government should Lead in that Pursuit. Deferring to the courts is an abdication of responsibility. Editorials Winnipeg free press saturday january 10, 2009 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights a 14 comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca Winnipeg repress. Com have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697 7412. E mail letters free press. My. Ca letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg free press or its staff. Poll vote online at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com status quo not Good enough re Only the pm can resurrect abortion debate Jan. 7. Misleading the Public has never been a strategy Ive condoned. This is Why Ive always been upfront with constituents about my views on a number of issues including our Lack of abortion Laws. So i am alarmed to see Dan Lett chose to write such a misleading column which effectively quoted me As saying something i have never said. I have been Clear from the beginning i believe our Complete Lack of Legal valuation for a child prior to birth is not the hallmark of a just and compassionate society. As chair of the Multi party pro life caucus i will continue to advocate that some Legal value be associated with the unborn. Right now i would just like to see an intelligent discussion that puts personal agendas aside and looks critically at the facts. Contrary to Letts column i did not say i would advocate for a Complete ban on abortion and the pro life caucus is not asking the government to bring such legislation Forward. I am simply saying Canada can do better than the status quo. Rod Bruinooge my for Winnipeg South pay More attention re Katz cancels overnight parking ticket Jan. 7. I think that is a very Nice gesture by mayor Sam Katz to forgive All the parking tickets. Since i doubt that he is paying the total out of his own pocket the appreciation and thanks Are misplaced. Its not the Cost so much As it is the principle. Taxpayers Are now footing the Bill for Peoples Lack of attentiveness to where they Park. The Cost of Snow removal is More since now the plows and trucks must go Back to Clear that area properly. It is a new year and i am All for generosity toward our fellow Man. Just remember where its coming from and pay More attention next time. Val Hudson Winnipeg study our Constitution re As ugly As its ancestor Jan. 7. Francis Russell thinks that a Senate designed to Champion provincial rights would cripple the government. But our Constitution establishes these provincial rights to enable the people to govern themselves in accordance with their local wishes and interests. It provides for their representation in the Senate As it provides for the representation of our common interests in the House of commons. Our Constitution establishes this constitutional balance to enable the people through parliament to determine what should be governed locally and what in common. Further it was designed based on the lessons Learned during our constitutional evolution to ensure an executive government responsible to the federation for its conduct. Rather than worry us about How a fully functional parliament constraining our Federal government to its legitimate jurisdictions would cripple its exercise of Power she should learn and promote How our Constitution was designed to permit the conciliation of the Unity with the diversity of Canada. Vincent Pouliot Quebec City columnist applauded re the last occupied people Jan. 7. The free press should be applauded for publishing Idris Elba Kris thoughtful column on the latest crisis in the Middle East. Too often canadians and americans Are denied a balanced perspective in the Media by a powerful pro Israel lobby. Perhaps this is Why our prime minister unlike French president Nicolas Sarkozy and other leaders has so far failed to Call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. His silence makes me ashamed to be a Canadian. Faith Johnston Winnipeg Hamas rejects peace according to Idris Albakri there is nothing wrong with sending hundreds of rockets Over Israel As they killed Only 20 people. This has been going on for eight years. What would any other country do if one rocket was fired into its territory also what does he mean that the palestinians Are occupied by Israel Israel moved out of Gaza years ago. Gaza is currently occupied by Hamas which is heavily armed and controls the area. Hundreds of palestinians Are being killed thanks to Hamas which Shields itself among the palestinians and stores its explosives in mosques schools and Homes. Would it not be wonderful if Hamas stopped thinking about destroying Israel Hamas would do the area a big favour by declaring peace. The area could thrive and curious tourists would come from All Over the world to visit. However Hamas does not want peace. It is being financed by Iran and Arab countries to torment the israelis. If Hamas stopped harassing the israelis its finances would dwindle. Moe Rosenberg Winnipeg get used to israeli state As Battles rage in and around Gaza Israel Ashers and jew haters take to the streets and continue their Campaign of de legitimizing the state of Israel the Homeland of the jewish people. Typical of the inflated rhetoric and misleading information was the pathetic piece by Idris Albakri. Albakri spews the Normal drivel about Israel colonial Power apartheid state puppet of the United states Etc. He talks of the palestinians As a peace Loving people driven to violence and terrorism out of a sense of frustration and desperation their leaders modern Day Nelson mandelas. David fighting the monstrous Goliath. These images can Only inspire even More hatred and violence. Albakri supports Hamas and Hezbollah As resistance groups that continue to fight zionist occupation. He is part of a Large group that still cannot reconcile themselves to the reality of the state of Israel. In their minds Israel is a colonial Power occupying Arab lands that must be driven out like the French out of Algeria. The implication All forms of resistance Are legitimate including firing missiles into population centres or blowing up women and children in pizza Parlours. Perhaps it is time to accept the reality of Israel. Maybe israelis too have a right to live in peace and Tranquillity. Bob Freedman ceo jewish federation of Winnipeg end pigs suffering re Farmers feel heat from fire Jan. 2. You would think the Manitoba pork Council would mandate that producers must update current operations to meet new building codes because its the right thing to do. It comes As no Surprise however that the Industry in which profit supersedes animal welfare concerns will allow substandard facilities to be grandfathered in and hundreds of thousands of pigs whose existence is already a living hell remain at a real risk of burning to death. My question to the Council the fire commissioner Premier Gary doer the minister of agriculture and the Consumers who support cruelty by picking pork is Why does the suffering not matter Debbie Wall Winnipeg Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 137 no 60 2008 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian newspapers limited partnership published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697 7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bob Cox / publisher Margo Goodhand / editor to Days question will you use the Winnipeg River Trail this weekend previous question should the Metis like status indians and inuit have the right to Hunt without a licence yes 44% no 55% total 3,265 letter of the Day not just orthodox re another Noel for some of us Jan. 7. Many thanks to Jessica Hassard for the Good and very Welcome article. It is indeed a Beautiful family oriented religious Celebration. It would however be More Correct to state that Christmas liturgies Are held on Jan. 6 at All ukrainian churches that follow the Eastern rite and keep the Julian Calendar and not just at the orthodox ones. For example msgr. Michael Burachok who is in the photo is Parish priest of the ukrainian Catholic metropolitan Cathedral of its. Vladimir and Olga in Winnipeg. Krystos parody via merry Christmas and a Happy new year to All Ostap a Waleska Winnipeg Back Row from left Ostap a Waleska msgr. Michael Burachok and Zenovia Husulak. Front Row from left Nina Husulak and Maksym Husulak. Parking science parking meters have been driving motorists Batty for about 70 years which is Long enough when you think about it for scientists to have invented a Model that works All the time in All weather conditions. How difficult can it be Well based on the evidence harder than rocket science. The Winnipeg parking authority yes fancy space age pay stations for example Start to freeze when the Mercury hits 37 c and they will go offline when the paper runs out or the machines Are overflowing with Money. On any Given Day in fact five to 40 of the pay stations Are on the blink for several hours. All of this would be merely interesting if it we rent for the fact the City seems to think the motoring Public is somehow responsible when one of the machines Breaks Down. The parking authority wants the Public to report out of service machines and then to look for another machine on the same Street. If there Isnit on please Call us an official said. If the City wants to be in the business of renting parking spaces then the obligation is on it to ensure its machinery works and that the customer is being treated fairly. The parking authority claims it rarely enforces parking tickets handed out on blocks where the machines dont work but then adds that motorists who receive a ticket should Call the City and request a review. Its somewhat difficult to understand Why the Public is responsible for ensuring the system is functioning properly particularly when we Are told the machines actually communicate electronically with the computers at head office. The City actually knows when they Stop working thanks to the miracles of modern science. The pay stations Are not universally loved some motorists still prefer to plug a meter rather than walking half a Block to a pay station but they do offer some advantages. Motorists can pay by cellphone after registering on a special website for the service. Its also possible to buy pre paid parking coupons so you never have to worry about running out of pocket change. Parking meters on City streets Are a necessary evil for a variety of reasons they prevent Drivers from hogging one spot All Day and they restrict parking when the City wants More lanes open for traffic. As the monopoly operator of on Street parking however the City has a responsibility to treat the motoring Public fairly. That Means in part ensuring its machinery is working and if not fixing it without penalty to the Public. A 14_ Jan 10 09. Ind a14 1/ 9/ 09 7 53 55 pm ;