Sam Etapp

In an interview with The Eastern Door, Sam Etapp of the Grand Council of the Cree's forestry policy office said that, "The Cree have temporarily suspended their participation in the court proceedings in order to consult with the people in the communities."

According to Etapp, GCC Grand Chief Ted Moses along with other members of the GCC will be travelling through the Cree communities meeting with the people.
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Asked for his commentary on the removal of Croteau, Etapp responded, "You have to remember that we're dealing with a separatist government which has continually tried to suppress and isolate the Cree people.
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Etapp recounted a litany of difficulties faced by the Cree in their relationship with the government.In particular, he cited the Matthew Cooncome cases.Numbered one and two, they represent 350 breaches of the JBNQA.Etapp stated that the Cree have had to deal with intimidation tactics from the government of Quebec."We have been threatened with the cutting off of monies if we didn't back away from our court cases."

Etapp cited one instance where funds for a youth center in the community of Waswannapi were withheld midway through the construction of the building.

As a final note, we are pleased to report that Sam Etapp has replaced Jack Blacksmith as Forestry Working Group Coordinator.

Sam Etapp, Forestry Coordinator with the Grand Council, said that "the reason forest products from Quebec are so attractive to Americans is because there are no social or environmental costs factored into the price-Cree hunters and the land must bear the burden of these costs because Quebec favours profits over sustainable forest management.

It was stunning," said Sam Etapp, coordinator of the Cree forestry campaign."Everybody was very pleased about it.What Crees were promised in 1975 is not what's happening," he explained.Etapp said he doesn't buy the argument that the ruling threatens many jobs."If they continued at the rate they are going, they themselves would destroy their own economy," he said.