Ron Irwin

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 22nd, 1994]

moved that Bill C-34, an act respecting self-government for first nations in the Yukon Territory, be read the third time and passed.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

If you do not want to listen, you do not want to listen. Leave or stop shouting. We want to do the honourable thing along with the member for Yukon, a member I am very proud to sit in the House with, notwithstanding that she is sitting in that section.

She is a woman of passion, of caring, of knowledge and it is too bad the Reform does not periodically stop staring at us and turn around. It might learn something.

These people in Yukon have been living there for 10,000 years and negotiating for 21 years with various governments. Tonight they are going to get justice and I am going to be proud to stand for that justice.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it is not only what they said after being admonished in every newspaper I saw on my way to B.C., from here to Victoria. Yesterday or the day before that hon. member said he was quite proud of those words, even after that.

If I never stand another night in the House, tonight is a proud night for me, to be among Liberals and Canadians from across Canada in all parties who want to do the right and honourable thing for some people in Canada.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

The husbands sat around and burned their wives on their arms. That is not acceptable in this country.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

Listen to your own words. No wonder members of the Reform Party are groaning. They cannot stand to listen to their own words: "I will not accept the popular myth spread by certain self-serving interests that the encroachment of European settlers constituted an injustice against aboriginal people here or anywhere else in Canada". That was said by the member for Athabasca on April 25 in the House.

I wish the Reform Party would read the recent report of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in which it says that the plight of native Canadians is by far the most serious human rights problem in Canada. It continues that the failure-and I see it here tonight with the Reform Party-to achieve a more global solution can only continue to tarnish Canada's reputation and accomplishments.

Last week I was sitting here with some Liberals and I heard a Reform member say: "Indians are lazy. They live in south sea islands and periodically"-

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

Stay quiet and you will learn something. Somewhere in this city is a lady called Judy Gingell. Somewhere in this city she is sitting close to tears because she has been working on this matter for 21 years. She did not come on the scene eight months ago with this agenda.

Then we started hearing the agenda of the Reform Party. I must apologize to the Reform Party because last week I said on the first sentence of any substance I heard that it was 56 words and there were 8 derogatory words about aboriginal people. I apologize. It was 56 words and there were 9 derogatory statements. This is the sentence and these are the words talking about aboriginal people: misappropriation, fraudulent, mismanagement, authorized purposes, interference, fear, intimidation, assault and forcibly. They were in one sentence. That is the agenda.

I have a direct quote on April 25 from a member of the Reform Party: "I will not accept the popular myth"-

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

I was shocked. I was surprised. I am facing an agenda of the Reform Party.

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, after that meeting with the aboriginal people I took the time to meet with the mayors. They said they want this legislation. I met with their legislative people, all of them. They not only want it, they have passed the mirror legislation already. I met with the mining association. They want it. I did not meet anybody up there who really did not want it. I said: "This should be easy legislation. When I get back to Ottawa I am going to have difficulty on other legislation. Reform Party members say they will listen to the people. This is in their platform. I heard it for eight months during the campaign. This should be easy to get through the House of Commons".

[Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act, June 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I rise with a certain amount of sadness. I thought I would hear something more profound, more healing tonight.

Nine months ago when we arrived I was given the red book. I come from a steel town with not a lot of aboriginal people. Within the red book there was a map, a direction. Part of that map involved exactly what we are doing tonight.

I went to the Yukon. I went north three times. I met with the Yukon people. I met women who talked about Bill C-31 status with tears in their eyes. I met elders who thought that they would never have any honour given back to them. Poverty, you have no idea of the poverty or the housing.

When the white man came to Canada-and the aboriginal people use that term not in a derogatory way; they mean non-aboriginal people-we came with a certain amount of avarice. We came here for our property which they were holding temporarily for us for 10,000 years.

We went there and we said we would do the honourable thing. We hired the best negotiators. I wish I had them today. If you look at the 11 treaties, what do they have? A suit of clothes for the head man, a suit of clothes for the chief, a medal which tarnishes, a few acres for each family of five, $8, $9 or $10 a year. We would take the equivalent of half of provinces. There was one thing honoured in those treaties-