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[This edited version of the report has been prepared by Dr Robert N Moles]

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30 May 2007 The Toronto Star - Canadian Press reported:  
A decade-long crusade for the truth behind the fatal police shooting of Dudley George culminates Thursday as the inquiry into the aboriginal protester's death releases its final report and provides guidance on how similar occupations can be handled without bloodshed. It has been almost 12 years since George, 38, was felled by a police sniper's bullet during the botched raid on Ipperwash Provincial Park in September 1995. Still, Commissioner Sidney Linden's report comes at a pivotal time as the Ontario government continues to grapple with a 15-month occupation in Caledonia. Aboriginal leaders across the country have warned of similar protests this summer, starting with a national ``day of action" June 29.

Linden is expected to report on what influence, if any, then-Conservative premier Mike Harris played in the fatal police response to the occupation – but also on what future governments can do to avoid a similar tragedy. For the George family, Linden's report brings a 12-year nightmare to a close. Many, including aboriginal leaders and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, are looking for the report to provide a blueprint on how to handle the mounting frustration among Canada's aboriginal communities given the slow pace of land claim talks. "The country will be able to profit from this advice given the heightened tensions between an impatient aboriginal community which is seeking to have settlement of over 800 outstanding land claims," McGuinty said. "I expect that the advice will be very helpful."

More than a decade after George was shot, there are conflicting stories about what happened the night of Sept. 6. A group of aboriginals from the Kettle and Stony Point reserve had occupied the park for only two days, saying they were protecting an ancient burial ground that had been expropriated during the Second World War, when the police moved in. During the inquiry, lawyers for the George family argued that Harris's desire for a quick end to the occupation filtered down to officers on the ground at Ipperwash. Some of the most stunning testimony came from former attorney general Charles Harnick, who said he heard Harris utter an obscene slur in reference to the aboriginal protesters during a meeting attended by several cabinets ministers and provincial police officers. Harris denied the accusation and contended there was no political interference in the standoff. Both Harris and his lawyers declined to comment until the report is released Thursday.

The inquiry also heard extensive evidence on the role of the police and it's expected much of Linden's report will focus on that. Witnesses described poor communication among officers, faulty intelligence and bad planning. The officer who fired the bullet that killed George, acting provincial police Sgt. Ken Deane, was later convicted of criminal negligence causing death. Deane was killed in a road accident before he could testify at the inquiry.

Ontario's current Conservative Leader John Tory distanced himself from the fatal incident, saying he wasn't around at the time. Although Tory has been harshly critical of the Liberal government for letting the current occupation in Caledonia drag on for over a year, he said he's prepared to learn from Ipperwash. "You've got to learn from things that have happened in the past and take steps to make sure they don't happen again," Tory said. For Sam George, who has fought since the night his brother was shot for a public inquiry, Linden's report is an integral part of his brother's legacy. Everyone from all walks of life "should read this report closely," George said, so politicians and aboriginal protesters alike can learn something from his brother's violent death.

"I hope the recommendations that come down (ensure) that this never happens to anyone again, that it never happens to any family or community," he said. "It was a rough go." The family fought for an inquiry for years and only got one when the McGuinty Liberals were elected in 2003. After hearing the testimony of 139 witnesses over 25 months, the final report may finally bring the closure his family so desperately wants.

The crusade to shed light on Dudley's death has so absorbed Sam George, he said now – 12 years later – he may finally have time to grieve. "Nobody felt what it was really like except for my family as we were going through this," George said. Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, with the Assembly of First Nations, said little has changed since George and his comrades occupied the provincial park. Aboriginals are still feeling an increasing sense of despair and hopelessness, not to mention frustration at the fact that it often takes some 20 years to have a land claim settled, he said.

The federal government still isn't treating aboriginal land claims seriously and must know they can't afford to ignore the simmering anger of aboriginals much longer, Toulouse added. "There are lessons we've got to learn from the death of the late Dudley George," Toulouse said. "Without learning any lessons from it, we're no better off and we're no further ahead." After calling an inquiry into the Ipperwash shooting, the governing Liberals have been exceedingly cautious in their handling of the ongoing occupation in Caledonia.  Provincial police retreated from an early attempt to remove protesters from the site when they were faced with resistance. Since then, the Liberals bought the disputed land and have allowed the protesters to remain there legally while negotiations continue.

But Six Nations Chief David General said he hopes the Ipperwash report will provide a roadmap for how all sides can avoid getting to this kind of occupation or standoff situation in the first place.

"The report is hopefully going to underscore everything that goes into creating flashpoints and I think will recommend a course of action that helps us steer away from those," General said.

"If we can make the day-to-day life of First Nations citizens better then we will stay away from flashpoints."

Source: 30 May 2007 Canadian Press report  

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