By Carmen Daniels
[Did you know that ICAN co-founder Carmen Daniels is Cree Métis (First Nations) from Canada? Many years ago, she wrote a story about her grandfather Stan Daniels, who was a consumer advocate for First Nations peoples in Alberta, Canada (during the 1960s until his death in 1984), who was a great influence on why Carmen became a financial counsellor working with First Nations peoples and communities in Australia. In this story, Carmen uses the terms ‘First Nations’ because it is one of the three Indigenous groups (First Nations, Métis & Inuit) of Canada recognised in the Canadian Constitution. She also uses the colloquial terms ‘native’, and ‘Indian’ as they were the accepted terms by Indigenous peoples themselves, in the time period this story is located within]
In 1966, my Grandfather Stan Daniels manifested an event that gave hope to First Nations peoples in Alberta. Here is his story…
On October 14, 1966, thirty First Nations delegates met together in Peace River, Alberta to discuss the formation of the Alberta Native Federation. My Grandfather Stan attended this event. Mr. Steinhauer, a native leader said at this forum: “Natives must take action to solve their own problems,” stating it was necessary to protect the rights of Native people and become one strong organization, a united front.
Around this time reports came through of hunger among the peoples of Fox Lake (of the Little Red River Cree Nation) and John D’Or, a reservation and town located in northern Alberta. The provincial government had sent their own officials and reported back that the conditions were improving.
Stan Daniels and his colleague Johnny Samson traveled to Fox Lake Reservation that year to witness the conditions firsthand. The welfare situation they saw was appalling.
Native peoples were being overcharged for food purchased at the Hudson’s Bay Company Store, the only available food source.
The price of meat being sold at the store was well above the costs of purchasing meat in Edmonton, Alberta at that time. Stan purchased 2lb (pounds) of sausages at the Hudson’s Bay Store for $2.98, whilst the going rate for 2lb of sausages in Edmonton was $0.98.
Stan and Johnny delivered their findings in a report to Arthur Lang, then Superintendent General of Indian Affairs in Ottawa. Their report made recommendations that the federal and provincial governments join forces to find solutions to the subhuman conditions being faced by Native people on reservations, outlining the following three:
1. It is essential that satisfaction of the welfare needs such as food, clothing, improved shelter and cook stoves, etc be obtained immediately,
2. It is essential that the people of Fox Lake and John D’Or be involved in the solution of their problems in the future and be consulted at all times where their welfare is at stake,
3. Concrete plans be made immediately for the economic development of Fox Lake and John D‘Or in order that the people may look forward to a healthy economic and social condition.
On November 3, 1966 these issues were tabled at a meeting of federal and provincial government officials. Mr. Colburn, then Minister for Indian Affairs believed there was no reason why Ottawa should continue funding the full welfare costs, stating that Ottawa had already paid for the full welfare costs for 100 years, since the signing of the treaties. He suggested that the provincial government sign a ‘community development’ agreement and begin paying 8%. The province refused to sign the agreement. Mr. Colburn recommended that the province do a full-scale study, stating the outcome could mean better services for Native people.
While each level of government debated among themselves who would be responsible for this undertaking, Stan and Johnny were preparing a plan of their own. They had plans to hitch hike across the country to Parliament Hill, with the sausages purchased in Fox Lake as their protest.
They contacted Eddie King at CFRN Radio Station in Edmonton and he began their media campaign, telling Stan ‘this was going to be huge’.
It was not long before the Hudson’s Bay Company were made aware of Stan’s plans. They immediately offered him a refund; publicly stating the high cost of the sausages was an oversight. He refused it. The General Manager of the Hudson’s Bay Company argued that the high food costs on reservations were due to transport costs, stating that 24 staple groceries were only 18.6% higher on reservations than in Edmonton.
The Hudson’s Bay Company sent two officials to Edmonton to dissuade Stan from making his public protest. They told him he was not going to get anywhere with his protest or his call for an investigation. They offered him a blank cheque. Again, Stan refused.
On November 6, 1966, Stan and Johnny started out their journey to Ottawa on this cold frosty morning, armoured with the frozen sausages bought in Fox Lake.
In an interview recorded on the highway before they set off for Ottawa, Stan said “I’ll sit on the [Prime] Minister’s doorstep until I get an interview. I don’t want to speak to anyone but him, and I won’t be pushed off to any other official.”
Nine rides and two days later they arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba. People who had given them rides had bought them meals along the way and donated a total of $45.00 dollars to the cause. Stan and Johnny had enough money to take the train to Ottawa.
On Thursday, November 9, they arrived in Ottawa. They went directly to Parliament Hill to wait for the Prime Minister. They were told the earliest they could see him was on the following Monday. In the meantime, Harold Cardinal, President of the Canadian Indian Youth Council and the National Indian Brotherhood had heard the media surrounding Stan and Johnny’s protest and readied for their arrival to Ottawa.
Days later Stan and Johnny together with Harold Cardinal met with Prime Minister Lester Pearson and a parliamentary committee. They pleaded with the committee to investigate conditions on Indian reservations. The Prime Minister agreed that there should be further commitment from the government.
Upon returning to Edmonton, Alberta, he ran for President of the Metis Association of Alberta (now Metis Nation of Alberta). He mortgaged the family home to fund the campaign. He printed picture postcards of himself and Johnny embarking on their journey to Ottawa with their hitch hiking sign: “Sausages for P.M.” [Prime Minister]. He had his wife and four daughters address each postcard to all of the business and residential addresses listed in large print in the Edmonton phone book, hoping to raise awareness of the cause. Stan was elected as President of the Metis Association of Alberta in 1967.
Soon after the election, Stan met with Harry Strom, Premier of Alberta. He demanded the Alberta provincial government provide a grant to fund native organisations. The Premier hesitated, stating the provincial government had never provided funding to a native organisation before. He wanted to know what guarantee Stan could give him for this grant.
Stan replied “One: we will not use the money to buy guns. Two: I promise to build an organisation so strong that it will step on the toes of any civil servant that steps out of line and that includes you too, Sir.”
He got the grant. As President, he used the money to help revive the Métis Association and divvied up the rest to assist and create other Native organisations in Alberta, including: Native Counselling Services of Alberta, the Indian Association of Alberta and the Alberta Native Communications Society.
What happened for the people of Fox Lake? A series of allegations against the Hudson’s Bay Company were made by the occupants on several reserves, including Fox Lake. The people complained of the mismanagement by the Hudson’s Bay Company of the post offices in those areas, complaining that the Company was burning mail order catalogues from competitors, opening private mail and cashing personal cheques of the people without their permission, in order to regain the ‘credit’ they gave out. A crackdown was made on the operations of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Company began to receive bad press and changes were finally made to their operations in northern Alberta.
My partner Aaron turned to me one evening and said “You know, your Grandfather was like the first consumer affairs officer in the family.”
To which I replied “What? What do you mean?”
“You know,” he said. “The sausages; when your Grandfather took the sausages to Ottawa!”
After serving for many years as President of the Metis Association of Alberta, my Grandfather passed away in January 1983. Although the sausage protest happened long before I was born, it brings me closer to him today.
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This story is a historical account. I thank my Auntie Jo-Ann and my Mother for their providing me with the historical details of this story. I credit my partner Aaron for this story title: “The Price of Sausages”.