Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's not just a statement. It's a treaty provision. I would strongly recommend that the standing committee have a presentation and be better informed on what the wording of the treaties is. That would help the crown better understand its obligations. That treaty was made at a ti

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For third party development, we've had quarries on land that's never been surrendered by the crown. Non-Indians have made hundreds of thousands of dollars by extinguishing our mineral rights, which have never been surrendered by the crown. The crown has been aware of it. We've ob

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  There are homes and businesses. On the Culbertson Tract, half of the town of Deseronto is on that land. If they want to use our land, they can work out an agreement to lease our land. The crown was responsible for what went on when our chiefs back in 1837 objected and the governm

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  On the issue of equitable compensation, Canada uses the 80-20 split. They deduct 80% of the loss-of-use funding from your settlement. You're only getting 20% of the value of the settlement. The Specific Claims Tribunal ruled in the Huu-Ay-Aht First Nations case and rejected that

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  [Witness speaks in Mohawk] I'm Chief Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. I've been the elected chief for 24 years in our community. The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are part of the Mohawk nation within the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. We are one of the Six

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  First of all, I want to say that in terms of the protection of the land there is a continuing treaty obligation, under Treaty 3 1/2, that the crown is to protect that land so that we have safe and quiet enjoyment of that property; this is what the crown guarantee was. We interpre

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We're strategically located between the two largest cities in Canada, Toronto and Montreal, and so there could be other economic development proposals struck. For example, if we were to have warehousing, I don't think we would need to alienate the land, as long as there's some ce

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The people do see it as an alienation, the designated lands, that it is not really reserve land while that function is going on.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  And I think it's sensitive because there are only 18,000 acres left and there's a growing population, so the alienation of any more interest in reserve land is something that would not fly with our people.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Our security for the loan is that property. It's no different. We foreclose the way a bank would foreclose. If you don't pay, we'll foreclose.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The band would foreclose and pay the bank and sell it to someone else.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  From what I understand about the First Nations Land Management Act, there is this business of designation, which is really tantamount to surrender of property, and I think because so much of the reserve land base in our community has been lost, from 97,000 acres down to 18,000 ac

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In our case, most of the land has been illegally alienated by the crown. For example, land has been deeded in fee simple to non-Indians without the crown ever obtaining a surrender, which is required by the royal proclamation, which is part of Canada's Constitution, or which is a

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The Culbertson Tract. We implemented that model with another 200-acre piece of land in the village of Shannonville. It was called the Turton Penn lease, and by and large the lessees were treated by the crown as though they had freehold title, fee simple title. It was just a lease

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It's been in private possession since way before there was an Indian Act. We had a private land tenure system. There were family farms and things like that. Before there was an Indian Act our people had adopted that system.