The Dene Suline of La Loche have been fighting the further encroachment of capitalism and the Canadian state on their traditional territories. For years they have struggled as mining companies take their land away for uranium to feed the nuclear industry while the government took their land away to create a Provincial Park, displacing Dene people in favor of tourists.
In 2001, the struggle erupted into blockades, a land reoccupation, and direct action. On May 24, 2002, the Dene Suline will be meeting with the government for the final time, and are calling on all supporters who can to come to La Loche on the 24th and all summer to help them in their struggle for freedom from the control of the government and recognition of title to their traditional territory.
The Cluff Lake Uranium Mine began operating 64 km outside of La Loche in 1974. Since that time, people in the community have been getting sick and three out of five deaths have been linked to the uranium mine. Uranium mining is the most destructive type of mining and because of this, most often occurs on Native territories especially in Saskatchewan. The mine has had devastating effects on the environment as well, killing animals, plants, trees, fish and berries; the lifeblood of the community. Skip Montgrand says, "Lots of rabbits, lots of animals are dead. We're seeing green fuzzy stuff on the tops of ponds. Young guys are dying from cancer. Guys 26, 27 years old."
Like most mines, there has not even been any economic benefits to the local community as all the profits go to rich owners elsewhere, and only 2% of the people working at the mine are from La Loche. Trucks from the mine travel through La Loche, futher spreading the radioactive pollution directly into the air the Dene women, children and men breathe everyday.
In 1984, the Saskatchewan government and the Ministry of Environment decided to make a provincial park in the traditional hunting and trapping grounds of the the Montgrand family, who are Dene Suline of La Loche. They claimed to have consulted the family and the Dene, but as is usual went over their head and stole 890 sq. miles to make the Clearwater Wilderness Provincial Park.
Since that time, the Montgrand's have lobbied the government in an attempt to regain control over their lands. In 2000, the Montgrand's asked the government to bring forward the documents that would prove that they legally took the land from the family. Numerous deadlines were graciously given by the Montgrands, but each time the government came to the meeting empty handed.
"They could never bring us the documents, because they never had the documents. They stole the land away from us, the first people of this land," says Skip Montgrand.
The Montgrand family granted the government a final deadline of May 1, but the government again failed to produce any documents. After this meeting, the Montgrand family and others from the La Loche community established a blockade on the road leading into the park and the access road for the Cluff Lake mine. They blocked all industry, government and RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) vehicles from preceding. While this blockade was in place and afterwards, they faced intense persecution from the RCMP.
A SWAT/sniper team was preparing a siege on the camp with automatic weapons. "They were going to come into our camp and kill us and make sure that nobody saw what happened," says Skip Montgrand. A dog alerted the camp to the snipers and the Dene people confronted and surrounded the snipers and took their weapons away. The Dene stood their ground and continued to assert their title to their lands. The government said they would produce the documents on May 14 if the Dene took down their roadblock, so they did but the government had once again lied to them. That same day they went back and blocked the road again. The roadblock came down but a camp was established and people stayed there throughout the summer, building a cabin for the winter.
There has been a lot of support in the community with over three quarters of the community supportive of the occupation, but as is typical the government controlled Band Council has not been supportive and has been actively working against the Montrgrand's and their supporters.
On June 21, National Aboriginal Day, the Band Council Chief from La Loche, spoke on NBC radio in Saskatchewan speaking against the Montgrand family. Buckley Balenger, the Saskatchewan Environment Minister, is from a town 90 minutes away from La Loche and is Native, but he has sided with the government and sold out his people. "He's a lost puppy, greedy for the green. He forgot about the people" says Skip Montgrand.
The government has not relinquished any control over Dene territory, and just this year gave permission to Mystic Forest Products to log between La Loche and the Clearwater Park. This has not affected the Montgrand's stand to protect their trapping and hunting grounds from Canada and the uranium industry.
Colonialism is not dead in La Loche. It is not a far off history, but a daily reality the Dene feel every time a uranium truck drives through town, or the tourist dollars are more important than homes and hunting grounds for the Dene.
Colonialism and its latest incarnation of Globalization has reached its tentacles to the furthest ends of the planet, asserting more and more control over all indigenous cultures. Indigenous territories are taken away piece by piece, to feed the white power structure and its insatiable appetite for more control and profit. The indigenous people of the land are left dispossessed of their land, dying from industrial pollutants and poverty.
The North American governments have been based on a policy of genocide and terrorism to the indigenous people of Turtle Island. The people of La Loche need support from people around the world. The struggle of people in remote communities such as La Loche often goes unnoticed in the "outside world" so it is important to inform ourselves and others about their struggle and the struggles of all indigenous peoples throughout.
The Montgrand's are promising more blockades and are continuing to build their community back on their traditional territory. They welcome any visitors to their community to come and help them in their struggle to defend their land.
"If we stop right away what's the worth living? You'll be controlled all your life, I'm fighting so that my people can be free. We use the land, we don't take the more than we need, we don't pollute, we use animals. We are the land. We are the law. We are the first peoples of this land. Its time for them [the government] to settle down and keep their mouths shut, and the let people who live on the land to decide what should happen. Last summer we sent someone to Geneva to present our case before the World Court and to the International community. We can do that, and we can get our land back and get freedom from the government!"
– Skip Daniel Montgrand
Box 359
La Loche
Saskatchwan
S0M 1G0
(306) 822 2550
