Mr. Speaker, I will take the hon. member's comments as a compliment. Let me quote again:
Nisga'a Government may make laws in respect of direct taxation of Nisga'a citizens on Nisga'a Lands in order to raise revenue for Nisga'a Nation or Nisga'a Village purposes.
Those who are not Nisga'a but who live on Nisga'a lands may receive services from the Nisga'a government, but that government does not have any authority under the treaty to collect taxes from them. Those who live on Nisga'a lands but who are not Nisga'a citizens will not be disenfranchised. They will continue to have the right to vote in federal, provincial and regional district elections and will also have the right to vote for and become elected members of those elected Nisga'a public institutions that may directly and significantly affect their interests. These may include such public institutions as school boards and health boards.
That is not all. The treaty also guarantees them a strong voice in decisions of the Nisga'a government that could directly and significantly affect them. They have the right to be consulted, which includes a full and fair consideration of their views. They will also have the same rights of appeal as Nisga'a citizens on these matters. Let us remember that the charter of rights and freedoms will continue to apply. Those are far stronger protections than those which currently exist under the Indian Act.
The fifth Reform myth is that the Nisga'a final agreement amends Canada's constitution through the back door, creating a third order of government. The Nisga'a final agreement does neither. Nisga'a rights will be well within the limits of our constitution. What we are doing through this agreement is setting out what those rights are. There is no need to amend the constitution in order to do this.
Our constitution was amended in 1982 to recognize and affirm the existing aboriginal rights of Canada's aboriginal people as well as their treaty rights. What we are doing is very consistent with the current constitutional framework.
The treaty does not make Nisga'a laws constitutionally paramount, as some Reform members have said. All federal and provincial laws will apply on Nisga'a lands. The Nisga'a government will have no exclusive law-making powers. Nisga'a laws will only prevail for matters that are internal to the Nisga'a themselves, integral to their way of life, essential to the operation of their government or where they must meet or exceed existing federal or provincial standards. Otherwise federal and provincial laws will prevail.
This is a concurrent model of law-making which does not alter the federal and provincial powers as set out in sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867. The courts have been clear that existing aboriginal and treaty rights are not absolute and do not prevail over the rest of the constitution.
Personally, I find the negative connotations associated with labelling the Nisga'a government as being ethnic or race based offensive.
Of course, the Nisga'a treaty has much to do with Nisga'a culture and heritage. Both are central to the agreement. Aboriginal peoples have unique rights because they were here before contact with white society. They have their own culture and their own customs. They have their social values and their own governments and institutions. These institutions are recognized and protected in Canadian as well as international law, including the Constitution Act, 1982 and our common law.
Through the practical self-government arrangements set out in the Nisga'a treaty, these unique rights are reconciled with the rights of other Canadians and the sovereignty of Canada. I do not know what kind of a country Reform members strive for, but in my Canada we do not have to stop being aboriginal to be Canadian. This agreement allows the Nisga'a to be Nisga'a and to remain as Canadians.
The sixth myth is that the Nisga'a final agreement will deter future economic development in British Columbia. This truly demonstrates the complete failure of the Reform Party to grasp the reality of the situation. Studies conducted by experts in the field have concluded the exact opposite. Fostering economic development is one of the principal achievements of this treaty.
A 1996 study by KPMG concluded that treaties in British Columbia will lead to increased annual incomes to British Columbia of between $200 million and $400 million, and an increase in employment of between 7,000 and 17,000 jobs.
Another study conducted by the respected Laurier Institution in 1998 indicated that treaty settlements will increase investment and economic activity in British Columbia.
Finally, a Grant Thornton study published in 1999 confirmed that all citizens of British Columbia stand to gain from the Nisga'a treaty and future treaties in that province. The report concluded that for every dollar spent on treaty settlements approximately $3 will be gained in economic benefits. The net financial benefit to British Columbia as a whole, the report said, is estimated to be between $3.8 billion and $4.7 billion.
The seventh Reform myth is that the Nisga'a final agreement involves huge costs and sets a precedent for massive payouts in future land claim settlements, the cumulative effect of which may be simply unaffordable. Here are the facts. The Nisga'a treaty is affordable. It is comparable to other treaties in Canada, as will be future treaties concluded in British Columbia. The one time cost of the Nisga'a treaty is estimated at $487 million in 1999 dollars. This includes estimates of land and resource values contributed by British Columbia and estimates of third party compensation.
Of these amounts the Nisga'a will receive $253 million in 1999 dollars paid over 15 years. Annual transfers to the Nisga'a through the fiscal financing agreement will provide programs and services which are comparable to those received by other residents of northwestern British Columbia.
The funding will be approximately $32.7 million annually and 90% of that funding is currently provided through existing government programs. Canada's share of the estimated cost will be $31.5 million. Through this agreement and the own source revenue agreement the Nisga'a have agreed to share in the costs of providing programs and services. Those arrangements are unprecedented and represent a major step forward of which we can all be proud.
Unfortunately my time is running out here and it looks as though I will not be able to rebut all the points contained in some of Reform Party propaganda on the subject, but I would be more than pleased to respond to questions and perhaps deal with some of the other points in my speech.