Global Courant 2023-04-16 06:20:25
Five first nations in northeastern BC, which signed a land treaty known as Treaty 8 in 1899, celebrated the culmination of decades of negotiations to have it honored as agreed more than 100 years ago.
“It’s been a long road for my people,” an emotional Chief Judy Desjarlais of the Blueberry River First Nations said at a press conference in Vancouver Saturday afternoon, attended by representatives from four of the five nations, BC Premier David Eby, and both state and federal Ministers of Indigenous Relations.
For decades, Treaty 8 countries have fought to get BC and Canada to comply with the agreements made under the treaty, such as providing 128 hectares of land per person in each country to enable and support their traditional way of life. take advantage of economic opportunities.
“Unfortunately, that’s not what happened,” said Justin Napoleon, Chief Councilor of Saulteau. “The government has failed us when it comes to investigating our reservation.”
The province said that for more than 100 years, First Nations were denied the use and benefits of thousands of acres of land owed to them under Treaty 8, while the resources on and under those lands were taken and developed by others.
LOOK | First Nation chief honors those who did not experience the settlement:
‘It’s a Good Day’: First Nation Chief of Halfway River Responds to Historic Settlement of Land Claims
Halfway River First Nation Chief Darlene Hunter honors national members who have not experienced resolution of Treaty 8 negotiations with BC and Canada. She explains how the nation will use the settlement.
On Saturday Murray Rankin, BC minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, and Marc Miller, federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, announced that more than 25 years of negotiations to address some of those abuses had been concluded.
As part of the agreements, BC will return Crown land to the nations, while Canada will reimburse the First Nations for losses and costs related to the claims.
‘A bill that hasn’t been paid for 100 years’
BC will make 109,385 acres (44 square kilometers) available to the nations, but has not broken down land amounts by nation. The Government of Canada will give $800 million to honor Treaty 8 as it was intended when it was signed.
“It’s not a windfall, it’s not free money,” Miller said in explaining the monetary value. “It’s a bill that hasn’t been paid in 100 years.”
Miller also did not disclose how the money would be divided among countries, which currently have a cumulative population of about 3,300 people. said the provincial government.
The province of Alberta has also agreed to grant an amount of land to the Doig River First Nation in that province in a related agreement.
All parties at Saturday’s event spoke at times with passion and emotion about the lengthy process of realizing the agreements, saying that building trust and belief in negotiations is a model for how Canada and BC can meet their commitments to First. Nations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
George Desjarlais of West Moberly spoke of his first work on the issue in the mid-1990s and passed it on to new generations of his country’s councils. He said he was not sure he would see the settlement of Saturday’s fundamental rights claims in his lifetime.
“As an elder of West Moberly First Nations, I would like to say, ‘Thank you very much,'” he said.
All of the elected officials and First Nation representatives who spoke at the event acknowledged the work and effort it took to bring about the agreement. They honored people who had worked on the process but didn’t live long enough to see the solution.
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“This is about righting wrongs, it’s also about restoring what was promised in the treaty,” Rankin said. “We got it done, but after way too long, but… we built lasting relationships.”
The province said at an expense that the settlements will create economic and business opportunities for the entire northeastern region of British Columbia.
Saturday’s announcement follows a revenue-sharing agreement and consensus with four of the Treaty 8 First Nations signed with BC in January, along with a natural resource development agreement with the Blueberry River First Nations.
