More delay for the Cree lawsuit on forestry. A scheduled meeting was postponed in the community of Waskaganish that would have given the lawsuit a green light to proceed.
Originally scheduled for April, it was then postponed to May, and now there is more delay.
Jack Blacksmith, member of the Cree
Forestry Working Group, said the lawsuit has solid support in the four communities already visited. “We got very, very good support in those four communities,” he said. “People are fed up, even the people who signed those agreements in Waswanipi (with forestry companies). They felt we really need to find a solution.”
Asked why there have been delays, Blacksmith said, “Consensus takes a long time to accomplish.” He added that the people of Waskaganish also support the lawsuit.
“People I’ve talked to in Waskaganish said we need to find a solution to this thing. People aren’t happy with this (the forestry operations). I don’t think there’ll be a problem getting their support.”
Blacksmith said Crees are looking at a public campaign that would focus on Canadians’concerns about environmental issues. “This is not just an issue in our Cree world. It’sbecoming a big issue all over Canada.”
