Mr. Speaker, on September 27, just days after the standoffs concluded at Gustafsen Lake and Ipperwash, Ontario, I rose in this House to question the Minister of Indian Affairs about what should happen next. Obviously, the issues raised in grievance by those occupying land and the concerns expressed by many who had not been occupying land had not been addressed and the frustration of aboriginal people concerning land was still outstanding.
I continue to believe that the federal government's approach to land claims and self-government, an approach that is slow, confusing, and filled with uncertainties, is the first area of concern that needs to be dealt with if the frustrations and anxieties are ever to be reduced. Indian leaders throughout Canada and through the Assembly of First Nations have said for many years that the anger among the people of their communities had to be addressed quickly or it would boil over.
Earlier, during the second week of September, when I called on the minister to get involved in the specifics of Ipperwash and Gustafsen Lake, I said that the only way to deal with the slow and uncertain nature of how land claim disputes are currently settled was with the understanding and intervention of the federal Minister of Indian Affairs. Only he has the authority to make the necessary changes. Only he has the jurisdiction to address the issues in a way that will adequately address the problems outlined by so many. Obviously those closest to the issue are the ones who should be consulted first, and those who work in the field must be consulted as well.
It comes as no surprise then to learn that the latest annual report of the Indian claims commission published this summer calls for the development and implementation of a new land claims policy and process. Here is the group caught in the middle between the bands and the government, receiving the applications, hearing and judging the evidence, and presenting the recommendations. Here is a group that does the work saying that it should be replaced; saying that the workload is increasing dramatically and the ability of the existing commission to respond is limited; saying that it is wrong for the government to have a process in place that allows the federal government to be a judge in claims against itself.
To quote the commission, "Everything that we have learned as a commission to date indicates that it is imperative to commence the process of reform immediately. It is imperative that an independent claims body be established to perform at least the initial assessment of the validity of First Nations land claims in Canada."
Upon reading the commission's report the editors of the Montreal Gazette newspaper had this to say: ``It is important that aboriginal communities establish a solid land base. From it, economic development and self-government can follow. In its red book of campaign promises the Liberal Party said the current process is simply not working and promised to set up an independent claims commission. It should do so sooner rather than later.''
That was my sentiment when I first asked the minister if it was his intention to establish a new process in policy.
That was my intention when I said I did not believe it would be in Canada's best interest to have First Nation's people from all across the country who may have legitimate land claims occupying land and leaving the resolution of those disputes to the local police. Land issues are not police matters. They are matters of critical concern to all Canadians and only the minister can deal with them. Therefore I was disappointed when the minister said he had to consult further. I hope he has now had the time to talk to the chiefs.
I ask again, will the government take the first step to relieve the anxieties over the land claims process and establish the new, independent commission called for by the Indian Claims Commission in its 1994-95 annual report?