Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join in the discussion on the Nisga'a final agreement.
During the debate I have listened to my colleagues in the Reform Party with much dismay. Let me make one thing clear to the people of Etobicoke and all Canadians. The Nisga'a agreement is not a race based policy of the government as charged by my colleagues in the Reform Party. It is an agreement that speaks to the principles of fairness, equity and respect.
The Nisga'a people have spent over 100 years bringing their claim to the attention of governments and their neighbours. They participated in complex and significant negotiations and they are at this point in time in need of our support.
In British Columbia where very few treaties were negotiated at the time of settlement, approximately 50 other first nations are in the process of negotiating land claim settlements and self-government arrangements with the federal and provincial governments. We hear other members who are from that region speak of those arrangements.
From talking with my constituents I know that the Canadian public in general is supportive of addressing the longstanding grievances of aboriginal people. However, I also know that some have not yet come to terms with the fact that imposed solutions are not good solutions.
The very nature of negotiation means that no one party can have everything it wants. The ultimate goal of negotiations is to come up with solutions that balance all potential issues. At the end of the day this means that certain parts of the agreement will be easily supported by certain sectors of society, while some groups will be more satisfied with other parts of the agreement. This is life and this is what happens in just about every area.
To satisfy my constituents who are deeply interested in the agreement, I had to do my homework. I discovered that throughout the process of the Nisga'a negotiations government representatives consulted with the public, with third parties, with neighbouring communities, keeping them informed through briefings and information sessions. Approximately 500 consultations and public information meetings were held during the Nisga'a treaty negotiations.
In addition, a provincial select standing committee on the agreement in principle held hearings in dozens of communities around the province. All of this is well documented.
Much of the advice from these consultations has found its way into the final agreement. In fact the final agreement contains many provisions that directly reflect the concerns expressed during these consultation meetings. We are encouraged to hold consultation meetings. We are encouraged to hear from everyone in the community, everyone who has an interest in some way, and that has been done.
Those consulted indicated that they wanted the treaty to represent a final settlement with the Nisga'a people. The treaty contains provisions ensuring that the treaty is final. Those consulted told us that they wanted conservation to be a priority in the areas of fisheries and wildlife. The Nisga'a treaty contains provisions to ensure that federal and provincial ministers retain their overall authority to manage fish and wildlife with conservation as a top priority. The treaty also provides harvesting entitlements that give all citizens a share of the resources.
Canadians told us that they did not want treaty lands to be separate from the rest of Canada. The Nisga'a treaty contains provision to ensure that the Nisga'a lands may be registered in the British Columbia land title settlement or land title system. It also contains provisions to ensure that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the criminal code and all other federal and provincial laws continue to apply on Nisga'a lands to protect all Canadians, Nisga'a and others. This is important for my constituents, this notion of fairness, this notion of partnership with Canada, this notion of being a part of the entire system.
Those consulted told us that they wanted all citizens to be subject to the same taxation regimes. As part of this agreement the Nisga'a will pay taxes in the same way that all other British Columbians do after a transition period of eight years for sales tax and twelve years for income taxes.
The final agreement reflects years of negotiation and the give and the take on the part of all parties. I think my colleague from the New Democratic Party spoke quite eloquently about this give and take on the part of all. They negotiated throughout a wide range of views. Their goals were to act fairly, were to act justly, were to balance the range of interest expressed by people who were consulted and we see that this was done.
There were issues that arose in a discussion that I had with constituents when they talked about overlapping claims. What happens with one group of first nations people who are involved in negotiations and who have primary responsibility for resolving issues arising from overlapping claims with other first nations people? That too is consistent with recommendations that have been made.
There is a report of the tripartite British Columbia claims task force that made some recommendations in this regard. One of the things that was said was that first nations resolve issues related to overlapping traditional territories among themselves, that they resolve that among themselves.
Canada has always adopted this approach in its comprehensive claims policy. However, Canada also recognizes that it is not always possible to resolve long standing disputes. But we know that somehow this has to be worked out in a fair way in dealing with overlaps, that progress in addressing the claims of aboriginal people in this country could be very limited unless we allow them to negotiate among themselves.
For this reason Canada is prepared to proceed with treaties in the absence of overlap agreements provided that there are two conditions which must be met.
It is important to set out those two conditions. First, Canada must assure itself that best efforts have been made by the first nations involved to resolve the overlapping issues among themselves. Second, Canada must assure itself that the treaty appropriately provides protection from infringement of any aboriginal rights other first nations may have in the territory covered by the agreement or the treaty rights which they may acquire.
This treaty has been a long time in coming. The Nisga'a people have chosen a peaceful and lawful path to reach their objectives. It may not have been the easiest or the fastest path but all members in the House should applaud the Nisga'a for choosing it as the best way to maintain strong and respectful relationships with other Canadians.
Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to open the doors so that the Nisga'a first nations can have their proper agreement. Now is the time to put a Canadian framework in place. It is not a Utopian solution that fulfils the needs and dreams of all Canadians. It would be ridiculous to expect any agreement to provide that result. It is, however, a practical and fair agreement that takes into account the broad spectrum of interests and sets out detailed provisions to allow people to live together in the best way that they can. The parties have carefully negotiated, they have agreed on the terms of this treaty, it is time to get on with it.
Let us vote tomorrow to do what is fair, to do what is just for the Nisga'a people.
