quote:

---

Pentagon to stop recruiting aboriginal Canadians
U.S. mistaken about treaty permission, ordered to refrain from entering Canada

David Pugliese
The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

OTTAWA -- Senior Pentagon officials have warned their recruiters to stay out of Canada after the federal government voiced concern about U.S. officers going on to native reserves shortly before the Iraq war in search of volunteers for the American armed forces.
Canadian military recruiters reported their U.S. counterparts appeared last January on reserves in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, in the Sault Ste. Marie area in Ontario and at a number of native communities in the West. According to a report prepared for Defence Minister John McCallum, the Americans were operating on the belief that under a treaty signed in 1794 between the U.S. and Britain, they were allowed to recruit Canadian native Indians for their military.
American recruiters were also under the impression many aboriginals held dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship.
The recruiting attempts sparked a high-level meeting in February between justice, foreign affairs, defence department and Privy Council officials, at which time it was decided to let the U.S. know Canada did not support such efforts.
"As a result of our interaction with the U.S. embassy, a letter was sent from the director, Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, to the vice-chiefs of the U.S. military services, reminding them that their recruiters are to refrain from entering Canadian territory," foreign affairs official Reynald Doiron said in an interview Tuesday.
That prohibition covers all activities in Canada, including recruiting at high school and university job fairs and on Indian reserves, Doiron noted.
The U.S. embassy has also given assurances there was no continuing policy of active recruitment in Canada, he added.
"Quite obviously, Canadian native people are free to join U.S. military forces," Doiron said. "For that matter they would cross the border."
With combat missions continuing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has found itself in need of more troops. One method to increase the ranks has been to recruit so-called "green-card soldiers," individuals who are legal permanent residents of the U.S. but do not yet have their citizenship.
Last year, President George W. Bush signed an order significantly reducing the time that such military members have to wait before becoming American citizens. Those efforts, however, have sparked concern in the Hispanic community in the U.S., prompting complaints that overzealous recruiters have been specifically targeting Latinos holding green cards.
About 37,000 non-American citizens now are serving in the U.S. forces.
An aging population and strong economy have contributed to problems in attracting recruits. As well, over the years the size of the American military has been reduced as a cost-cutting measure. At the height of the Cold War there were some 2.5 million Americans in the regular forces but by 2003 that had dropped to 1.4 million.
Canadian defence analyst Alain Pellerin said the U.S. is facing a major problem finding enough personnel for duty in Iraq. Some units, which originally took part in the invasion of that country and have since returned to the U.S., have now been told they are heading back to the Middle East, he added.
Pellerin noted that in some native communities along the American-Canadian border there has been a tradition among young people to serve with the U.S. military. "The Mohawks have in the past joined up, in particular with the U.S. Marines," he said.
For their justification to recruit natives in Canada, the Americans were relying on what is known as the Jay Treaty.
"We did remind the U.S. authorities that even though they can refer to the Jay Treaty, we do not recognize the treaty and therefore recruitment activities on reserves in Canada was not exactly corresponding to our views on the matter," Doiron said.

© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Sun

---

RJ - SCOUTS OUT!

quote:

---

Candian born indian

---

quote:

---

(Native American)

---