Lubicon Lake Cree
|
Lubicon Lake Nation Muskotew Sakahikan Enowuk |
|
|---|---|
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Alberta
|
| Census division | Division No. 17 |
| Government | |
| • Type | First Nations Council |
| • Chief | Bernard Ominayak |
| • Councillor | Dwight Gladue |
| • Councillor | Cynthia Tomlinson |
| • Councillor | Bryan Laboucan |
| • Councillor | Dwight Jordie Sawan |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| Postal code span | T8S 1S5 |
| Area code(s) | 780 |
| Highways |
Highway 2 Highway 684 Highway 743 Highway 744 |
| Waterways |
Peace River Smoky River Heart River Pat's Creek. |
| Website | - Lubicon Lake Nation Website |
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. . In 1899, a government party visited northern Alberta for the arranged large-scale surrender of the Lubicon lands. However, many of the Lubicon people were never contacted and continued to live in their traditional ways, by hunting and gathering on the land. During the 1970 liquid gold rush, the province of Alberta leased areas of the Lubicon lands for resource exploration and exploitation. The oil, gas, and lumber industry on Lubicon territory has caused damaging repercussions on the natural environment, the Lubicon culture and people.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 by the UN Human Rights Committee in 1990 in a case known as Lubicon Lake Band v Canada and was repeated in 2003 and 2006. This struggle has been described in a book, Last Stand of the Lubicon Cree, by John Goddard. Repeated attempts to gerrymander and politically overthrow Lubicon leadership especially that led by internationally renowned Chief Bernard Ominayak have been organized by the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta and documented by the Lubicon Lake Nation.
The current Chief of the Lubicon Lake Nation is Chief Bernard Ominayak. Ominayak was re-elected Chief on May 30, 2013 in the most recent Lubicon Lake Nation General Election. The Government of Canada refuses to recognize the leadership of Chief Ominayak and the Lubicon Lake Nation Council. Instead the Department of Indian Affairs created a new governing body in February 2013 who refers to themselves as the "Lubicon Lake Band". According to the Canadian Department of Indian affairs, and various news outlets, the leader of the Lubicon Lake Band is Billy Joe Laboucan. Whether Ominayak or Laboucan is the legitimate Chief of Lubicon Lake is an ongoing matter of dispute. The Treaty 8 Nations of Alberta currently recognize Billy Joe Laboucan as Chief of the Lubicon Lake people. Information gathered by Canadian News outlets and journalists who have visited the Lubicon community show that a large number of Lubicon people recognize Bernard Ominayak as Chief of the Lubicon Lake people.
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