Mr. Speaker, Bertha Williams' family has lived on the Tsawwassen reserve for generations. More than half of all Tsawwassen band members live off reserve yet are able to vote on the proposed treaty and the reserve's land use plan. This upsets her.
In a recent speech, Bertha stated:
A lot of our elders...are new to our community...They lost their status years ago. They went off, got married, they didn't want to be labelled as native....
These elders...don't know our history...don't know our culture.
Bertha states emphatically:
I have never surrendered my birthright...I have never left my homeland....
[But] we are outnumbered...The majority of those who are voting band members live off the reserve.
There are people that live in Alabama, Los Angeles...across the Prairies...They are band members but they have no intention of ever living on the reserve. Yet they are voting on our business.
A lot of them have never even visited the Reserve. It is just ludicrous how they have so much to say on our livelihood...I see it as the demise of my people.
Bertha's complete speech can be heard at johncummins.ca.