Honourable members of Parliament...[Witness speaks in Salish].
Leaders, friends, my name is Sru-ets-lan-ough. I come from Cheam and I thank you for having us here today. On behalf of the council of the Cheam First Nation, I also would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
We would also like to acknowledge the Algonquin people of this area, in whose traditional territory we meet today.
For over 20 years, Cheam has struggled to gain real and effective recognition of our aboriginal rights and title. The struggle has been focused largely on the fishery, where we have faced political and legal fights to see real change. The basic change that we have fought for in recent years and have begun to see is the real respect being given to our people and their desire to make a better life for themselves while continuing to carry on their aboriginal way of life. This struggle has involved all levels of society and has taken place in the boardrooms of DFO, the courtrooms of British Columbia, and on the waters of the Fraser River.
Our people have paid a steep price in these struggles. We have incurred significant costs, and in some cases our people have faced serious legal consequences, in trying to advance the cause of the recognition of our rights and way of life. But if you ask our people, they will tell you that the fight was worth it.
What we want you to hear and understand, as the most important part of our message today, is that because of this hard work, change is now happening where it can do the most good for both Canada and for Cheam, as well as the other Stó:lõ people.
Where before we saw our mutual issues being fought out exclusively in the courtrooms, in recent years we have finally found DFO to be a willing partner, ready to come to the table to work out issues in the spirit of cooperation. We have been able to work through difficult issues through give and take on both sides to find agreed-upon solutions to our long-standing problems. These solutions have not been unprincipled or thoughtless. These solutions have taken into account not only the needs of Cheam, but also the needs of other sectors, including the commercial and the recreational fisheries.
Most importantly, we have worked with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to develop solutions to our common problems on the Fraser that protect the fish and advance the cause of conservation, and even the regrowth of the stocks.
What we hope to do today is dispel some of the myths about Cheam and present to you a clear picture of how Cheam, the other Stó:lõ nations, DFO, and truly representative industry groups have been working together to create a Fraser River fishery that works for everyone and preserves the stocks for future generations.
What we ask is that this committee support the efforts being made by the minister and his officials, Cheam, the Stó:lõ, and the industry to move away from confrontation and litigation as the means for working out the rules for the Fraser River, towards a more cooperative, respectful relationship.
I would like to take a few minutes to give you a picture of how relations between Cheam and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have changed in recent years. One area of serious contention for many years was the question of whether or not it was appropriate for Cheam members to use drift nets to harvest salmon. This has become as issue as accretion and sediment build-up in our river has rendered many traditional harvesting areas unusable. And our opportunities to harvest in other parts of the river have been limited by increased commercial and recreational use of the river.
For many years, certain special groups campaigned against the use of drift nets, making all sorts of unfounded claims against both Cheam and the equipment. Over the last few years, Cheam has worked with the department to create a regulated and monitored drift net fishery, which is being subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny by DFO scientists. Cheam is working closely with DFO to make sure these scientific studies are carried out effectively and that the results are used to ensure a science-based approach to the management of our traditional fishery.
So far the results of these efforts have been positive. Our members have had a chance to fish, the department has achieved a meaningful level of cooperation in regulatory and monitoring activities, and a true scientific program has been put in place to protect the fish.
Another area where we have worked closely with the department to change what had been a poor history is in the area of enforcement. Historically relations between Cheam and the department around enforcement issues can be best described as strained. The department's actions were viewed as heavy-handed and unfair, and the department viewed the whole Cheam community as being opposed to it. This led to an unsatisfactory situation for everyone. Cheam members were being needlessly arrested and charged, resulting often in acquittals, while the department was not getting the cooperation from the community and the council, which is essential to effective enforcement and management.
In recent years, Cheam and the department have entered into enforcement agreements that have focused on enhancing communication between the parties on a range of issues. These agreements have allowed the department and Cheam to develop approaches to enforcement that do not pit the department against the community or inflame innocent bystanders. Instead we now see situations where the department is able to respect and protect lawful Cheam fishers, while Cheam is actually able to assist in controlling persons, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal, who are acting outside of the law.
Where a few years ago the presence of a department officials on the Cheam beach would be an act of incitement, for the last few summers department officials have been working on our beach and in our community to monitor salmon harvests, protect lawful fishers, and work to enforce the law against individuals working outside of the rules.
Another development that has been critical to this improvement of relations is the efforts that the Cheam and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans put into developing a fishing plan. Each year, Cheam has attempted to work with the department, subject to limits placed on the local officials by Ottawa, to develop a fishing plan for Cheam. This plan was designed to let both Cheam members and the department know and understand which fisheries are sanctioned by the band and which ones are not. The reality of the fisheries in the modern context is that without close cooperation between DFO and the first nations, neither side knows the rules of the water.
Just as there are cases where Cheam members have been found guilty of fishing unlawfully, so too have there been cases where DFO has been found to have breached its constitutional obligations and to have acted unlawfully in managing the fisheries.
The only way these kinds of problems will be avoided is for DFO and Cheam to work together to develop plans and management regimes that work for everyone. In the end, we ask this committee to encourage and support efforts to create a cooperative and local approach to the management of the fishery. We ask you to help an approach that values the input of local people and local officials, and that is not driven by bureaucrats in Ottawa.
We ask particularly that you not allow your agenda to be driven by special interest groups that promote racial division by throwing around false and misleading labels. We are not here asking for race-based or segregated fisheries. What we are here asking for are fisheries that recognize the uniqueness of aboriginal communities and our legal system and history. We are asking for fisheries management that is sensitive to the complex local needs of both aboriginal and non-aboriginal fisheries.
What we have to leave you with is this. Cheam and the Stó:lõ people are committed to protecting and restoring our communities and way of life. There is much that cannot be recovered, that is lost beneath Chilliwack, Vancouver, Surrey farms, and highways—things that have made the non-aboriginal communities rich. We need to know that in the Government of Canada we will have a willing partner that will stand up for and defend our rights, and that will work with us to develop new, modern solutions to age-old problems in the fisheries. Without that partner, we will all face the old ways of confrontation and judicial intervention. Is it not better for us to choose a new and better path?
Thank you.
