Take a Stand with the Last of the Lubicon Cree

Wilderness Committee Educational Report Vol.14 - No.12 Fall 1995

Facts and figures


Alberta was always interested in the Lubicon land claim settlement, chiefly because the areas involved sit on top of one of the richest oil and gas deposits in the country. As one energy resources official said, the region represents the "Saudi Arabia" of Western Canada. Losing a portion of the land and mineral rights to the natives would cost Alberta hundreds of millions of dollars a year, greatly upsetting Premier Ralph Klein's "Alberta's Advantage" and his provincial debt elimination plans. What's good for the Lubicon is bad for Alberta. The numbers speak for themselves.


  • Average profit earned each year since the late 1970's by the petroleum companies exploiting Lubicon territory:

    $500 million


  • Amounts earned by now:

    $8 billion


  • Royalties paid to the Lubicon people, who have lived and hunted in the area for generations, since all oil and gas development began:

    zero



    • Boycott halts unjust logging on Lubicon territory

    Daishowa's plans on hold for now

    By Ed Bianchi * National Coordinator * Aboriginal Rights Coalition

    Ottawa, ON - A good way to tell if you are doing something right is if there are people who are mad at you. Well, if lawsuits are any indication, the Friends of the Lubicon boycott of Daishowa is the right thing to do. Friends of Lubicon (FOL) is a Toronto-based, grassroots support group for the Lubicon Cree that was formed in 1988.

    That year, the Province of Alberta gave Daishowa Inc., which is owned by the gigantic Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company of Japan, a license to harvest trees in an area that almost blankets the entire 4,000-square mile Lubicon territory.

    In the fall of 1991, the Lubicon were worried Daishowa was going to start cutting trees on their land as soon as the logging season began. They asked supporters to help keep Daishowa out of their traditional territory until they had negotiated a land rights settlement. The FOL responded by calling for a boycott of Daishowa products at a press conference in Ottawa that November.

    In January 1995, Daishowa initiated legal action against the FOL accusing them of engaging in illegal activities and seeking an unspecified amount in damages. By then 47 companies representing more than 4,300 retail outlets across Canada had chosen alternate paper suppliers. Daishowa claimed $5 million in lost sales.

    Daishowa also tried to prevent Lubicon supporters from effectively pursuing the boycott until a full trial could be heard by seeking an injunction. But on May 19, 1995, an Ontario Provincial Court judge delivered a 131-page decision rejecting Daishowa's claim that the boycott was illegal. She ruled that Daishowa had no grounds for an injunction against the FOL as the company had not proved their accusations of wrongful interference with economic interests, defamation, injurious falsehoods or nuisance.

    The judge further ruled that secondary picketing, where Lubicon supporters hold information pickets outside stores that use Daishowa products is not illegal. The company's reaction was to immediately demand a speedy trial and appeal the decision.

    Since the boycott, Daishowa has not cut trees on Lubicon territory. The boycott is an effective and peaceful way for consumers to ensure that Daishowa complies with basic human rights. In a capitalist, consumer-driven society, the ability to inform people about their purchases is crucial if companies are to be held accountable for their actions.

    Daishowa does not need to go to court to end the boycott. It need only make a clear, public commitment not to cut or buy wood cut on unceded Lubicon territory until land rights are settled and a fair and environmentally balanced timber harvesting agreement is reached.

    For more information or to get involved, contact:
    The Friends of the Lubicon
    485 Ridelle Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
    Canada, M6B 1K6
    Phone: (416) 783-4694 Fax: (416) 603-2715
    E-mail: kthomas@envirolink.org

    The FOL is also part of a coalition called the Unocal Information Campaign (UIC), initiated to oppose Unocal's sour gas facility on Lubicon land. The UIC calls upon Unocal to address all Lubicon concerns about the gas plant and to inform the public of the company's activities in Canada and overseas. The UIC is also contacting Unocal customers in the hope they will investigate these matters themselves.

    You can contact the UIC at:
    Box 192, 253 College Street
    Toronto, Ontario
    Canada, M5T 1RS
    Phone: (416) 631-3576 Fax: (416) 971-2292