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.[1]
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.[2][3][4] 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.[5] The Nation has 4 elected Councillors: Walter Whitehead, Alphonse Ominayak, George Whitehead and Bryan Laboucan.[6]
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.[7] 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."[8] The 32 person estimate released by the Alberta provincial government is likely related to members living on other First Nation reserves.
|
|||||||||||||||||