EYE ON LABRADOR

Eye on Labrador -

It's been about a month since a group of Quebec Innu crossed into Labrador and slaughtered about 250 caribou in a closed hunting zone.

The Innu say they did it because they are upset about being left out of the Lower Churchill negotiations. Instead of doing things the right way - i.e. through the courts, or through a less violent form of protest - they resorted to killing some animals in a zone that isn't open to hunters for a very good reason.

Now that the dust has settled and the war of words between the Quebec Innu and Premier Danny Williams seems to have abated, I wonder: what did Labrador MP Todd Russell make of all this?

Russell, a former president of the Labrador Metis Nation - a group that still hasn't won its battle for status - is a passionate advocate of aboriginal rights and the aboriginal affairs critic for the federal Liberal party. But try as I might - and I certainly stand to be corrected on this one - I couldn't find a press release from Russell about the hunt, or any statement from him to the media about what happened.

This seems very strange. Russell is Labrador's representative in Ottawa and this illegal hunt went down on Labrador soil. Surely he has something to say. He certainly doesn't seem to have a problem talking to the media when there are points to be scored against St. John's or Stephen Harper's government. Not his issue, you say? Think again. Todd Russell is a man with a wealth of experience on these kinds of matters. When he was LMN president, Russell once encouraged his people to use "extreme civil disobedience" in order to make a point.

And what exactly was Russell protesting when those words were uttered? He was upset the Metis were being left out of a deal that saw Labrador's Inuit win the right to self-governance. I put a call into Russell's office on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to find out what he thought about the protest. I didn't hear back from him before deadline, and that's fine. A MP is a very busy person, and I certainly respect that.

But I think, for the purposes of clarity, Russell - and, therefore, the federal Liberals - need to decide where they stand on this issue.

I suspect the reason why Russell hasn't been shouting his opinions off the rooftops is because this situation is very delicate for him politically.

Does he stay consistent with his past views, applaud the Innu for exercising their right to use "extreme civil disobedience" and risk earning the wrath of many of his constituents, who condemned the hunt and everyone involved?

Or does he denounce the hunt, and risk annoying the aboriginal people of Labrador, who certainly helped him win his seat?

Often, it's these kinds of questions that really make politicians uncomfortable. But regardless, it's time Labradorians heard what their man in Ottawa thinks. Andrew Waugh, former editor of the Labradorian, writes from Dartmouth, NS