Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents of Nanaimo—Alberni it gives me great pleasure to rise and speak to Bill C-49.
My riding is on central Vancouver Island and has a number of native bands scattered throughout the whole riding. The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which is in Alberni, is basically the overseer of 14 bands that go from Bamfield into around Gold River, including the Opitsat, the Ahousat, the Dididat, the Theshat and other bands, including those on other areas on the east coast of Vancouver Island than Nanoose.
I point that out simply to say there are many issues, many different bands in B.C. I was quite surprised to hear the government, particularly when it came to talking about the Nisga'a treaty, saying that we did not understand the issue, that we did not understand what was going on.
I was in the Alberni valley two weeks ago at a town hall. I was very pleased that the native leaders were there to discuss that Nisga'a treaty. It was actually an excellent forum because they were there to debate their point regarding what they felt the Nisga'a treaty was. I was there to debate what I got from the different points of view.
There were many people in the audience who were most interested. The Nisga'a treaty I suggest took up probably 40% of that town hall meeting in the questions and answers. It is not an insignificant issue in B.C. It is before the provincial legislature at the moment and has great concern up and down the coast of British Columbia. People realize this is the first of perhaps 45 or 50 different settlements. If this one is not accurate and correct, then the ones subsequent and down the line also will have the same flaws.
Bill C-49 has some of those flaws. The issues are similar. Bill C-49 lacks accountability or clarification on what accountability means. Who is to be accountable? How are the band councils going to be elected? How are the band councils going to represent the individual people within their constituency?
Like many of my colleagues I have had representation from different native bands, in particular women. They feel frustrated because they do not feel represented. They cannot go to the band. They feel the band does not represent them. They come in frustration in many cases to their member of parliament because that is the only vehicle they feel they can speak freely with that will not be used against them in another forum.
In Bill C-49 one of the issues that has come forward is leases. I was most surprised to hear one of the members opposite say who is going to take their house away? It is all fearmongering on this side of the House. If he had been in B.C. over the last six weeks he would have seen the newspaper reports on the Musqueam Band because that is the issue on the leases being taken away.
That is one of the key issues in this bill that needs to be brought forward to this House and sorted out. Clearly it is a huge issue in B.C. with the Musqueam, the Nisga'a. The issues are very much in the forefront in British Columbia at the moment.
There are other areas in this bill, as my colleagues have mentioned, such as consultation with adjacent municipalities. I have been on the school board. Many members have been aldermen or mayors dealing in municipal areas.
Where do the bands report to? Are they answerable to the municipal act, for example, in B.C.? Are they answerable to the department of Indian affairs? What is the hammer? Where is the next level people can go to? That is not explained in the bill.
I touched on expropriation. In the town halls I heard from many people within the Nisga'a area. The concern was non-natives. They have no recourse. If we are in a municipal arena, and I have been there where I have had land expropriated, there is a vehicle to have that done fairly. If it is not seen to be fair it would go to the next level. That is not covered in this legislation.
All of us recognize if the highest need for an area is a highway to go through one's land, that may be the best way to go but there has to be compensation. That is not spelled out in this legislation.
There have to be checks and balances. This legislation does not have them. We need to know how the power is to be used. Again, that is not spelled out.
The Reform Party has supported native legislation in this House on many occasions. We will support and have shown that we will support good legislation. However, this is not good legislation. We cannot and will not support bad legislation. We will not and cannot support Bill C-49 in its present form.