One hour of inconvenience today. More coming (17 photos)

Citizens of Garden River First Nation have reached the end of their patience.

So says band councillor Darrell Boissoneau.

"There is a lack here of consultation with our people," Boussineau [shown] said at today's protest that closed Highway 17A and 17B for a little over an hour.

"Today is one hour of inconvenience," he said.

"But if our voice is not heard, tomorrow will be another day," Boissoneau told more than 200 people gathered in the wet snow to block the highways.

While travellers stewed, folk from Garden River, Batchewana, Sault Ste. Marie and even some visitors from Fort Hope gathered to let it be known that the harmonized sales tax is just one slap in the face too many.

Boissoneau said that constant erosion of treaty rights, combined with lack of consultation and harassment of Garden River citizens by Ontario Government agents have left no other recourse but to protest.

Now, the imposition of the harmonized sales tax has made the situation untenable and Anishinabe across the country are making their voices heard.

The treaties were supposed to guarantee Canada's first people a share in the profits that are made from their lands, he said.

"We're already way behind and this [HST] puts us even further behind," Boissoneau said. "We're very frustrated, especially our young people. Their tolerance level is pretty much exhausted right now."

Although today's protest focused on the harmonized sales tax and how it violates First Nations treaties, Boissoneau said this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the federal and provincial abuses of Canada's first peoples.

He used recent stimulus funding as an example.

"$65 billion was given out across the country, with $100 million for the City of Sault Ste. Marie" he said. "Nothing for us."

Batchewana First Nation Councillor Greg Agawa said that land use allowed to visitors by the Robinson Huron Treaty was supposed to be all the taxes Anishinabe ever paid.

But now they pay taxes in effect twice over.

Not only did the Anishinabe not get a share of the revenue generated by their lands, they were not consulted nor was their approval sought on this taxation issue and now this tax has been imposed, he said.

"It's like paying taxes twice and then some," he said.

Both Agawa and Boissoneau said they will be consulting their band leadership over the next few days to gauge government reaction to today's protest and to plan strategy for future actions.