Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court of Canada's Delgamuukw decision will have a long lasting and far-reaching impact on British Columbia.
Section 13 of the British Columbia terms of union laid out that the federal government was responsible for “The charge of Indians”. In 1924 the federal government, through an order in council, stated that the province had successfully completed all the requirements under this section.
One constitutional expert goes to the very heart of Delgamuukw by saying “This court decision goes to the very question of B.C.'s sovereignty and the right of its government to conduct its publics affairs”. With the provincial government's hands tied and the federal government's unwillingness to take responsibility, combined with the Supreme Court of Canada's activist approach, a solution does not appear to be close at hand.
British Columbians must insist that the federal government accept its legal responsibility and the cost of reaching a permanent solution with all B.C. aboriginal people and, if necessary, offer a legislated solution to the legal mess that the Supreme Court has thrown us into.