Lubicon Lake Indian Nation
Encyclopedia
The Lubicon Lake Indian Nation is a Cree
First Nation in Northern Alberta
, Canada
. They are commonly referred to as the Lubicon Lake Nation, Lubicon Cree or the Lubicon Lake Cree. The Nation has been embroiled with the Government of Canada
regarding disputed land claims for decades. Their primary complaint is that oil
and gas
development on or near their land has dangerously threatened their way of life, their culture
, and the health of those in their community.
Amnesty International
has commented on the struggle of the Lubicon by issuing a report imploring the Canadian government to respect the land rights of the Lubicon. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights
has found Canada in violation of article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
They have repeated their call for Canada to take immediate action to avoid irreparable damage. This call was first made in 1990 and was repeated in 2003 and 2006. This struggle has been described in a book, Last Stand of the Lubicon Cree, by John Goddard.
The current Chief of the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation is Chief Bernard Ominayak. Chief Ominayak has been Chief of the small first nation since the 1970s. Prior to this, Chief Walter Whitehead served the Lubicon before stepping aside to allow Ominayak to run for the position. The Nation has 4 elected Councillors: Walter Whitehead, Alphonse Ominayak, George Whitehead and Bryan Laboucan.
The Alberta government estimated in 2009 that only 32 people from the Lubicon Lake Band lived on reserve, one of the smallest on-reserve populations of any First Nation in the province. This is because the Lubicon Lake Nation live on their own sovereign territory which has never been ceded under treaty to the Canadian crown and as such do not have a "reserve." The 32 person estimate released by the Alberta provincial government is likely related to members living on other First Nation reserves.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
First Nation in Northern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They are commonly referred to as the Lubicon Lake Nation, Lubicon Cree or the Lubicon Lake Cree. The Nation has been embroiled with the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
regarding disputed land claims for decades. Their primary complaint is that oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
development on or near their land has dangerously threatened their way of life, their culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, and the health of those in their community.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
has commented on the struggle of the Lubicon by issuing a report imploring the Canadian government to respect the land rights of the Lubicon. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
has found Canada in violation of article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
They have repeated their call for Canada to take immediate action to avoid irreparable damage. This call was first made in 1990 and was repeated in 2003 and 2006. This struggle has been described in a book, Last Stand of the Lubicon Cree, by John Goddard.
The current Chief of the Lubicon Lake Indian Nation is Chief Bernard Ominayak. Chief Ominayak has been Chief of the small first nation since the 1970s. Prior to this, Chief Walter Whitehead served the Lubicon before stepping aside to allow Ominayak to run for the position. The Nation has 4 elected Councillors: Walter Whitehead, Alphonse Ominayak, George Whitehead and Bryan Laboucan.
The Alberta government estimated in 2009 that only 32 people from the Lubicon Lake Band lived on reserve, one of the smallest on-reserve populations of any First Nation in the province. This is because the Lubicon Lake Nation live on their own sovereign territory which has never been ceded under treaty to the Canadian crown and as such do not have a "reserve." The 32 person estimate released by the Alberta provincial government is likely related to members living on other First Nation reserves.