Tuesday, April 21: Treaty issues run deep – Vancouver Sun
Dividing up the country by bloodline is no solution
Re: Treaty-making process needs reform, Editorial, April 16
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip’s observation that our treaty-making “conceptual flaws can’t be fixed just by speeding up negotiations” puts hammer neatly to nail. Phillip’s observed flaws were not specified but this surely is fundamental: New treaties are not getting signed because nobody has incentive to sign them. The Supreme Court’s ruling-by-ruling expansion of aboriginal title gives native negotiators the leverage of time. Unmet demands can be countered by waiting out a judgment or two. Meanwhile, governments are squeezed between a rock and a hard place — agree to a province of 200 nations, or stand by and hope the courts and their supporters realize that dividing up our country by bloodline seems more like a problem than a solution.
Read More: http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/letters/First+Nation+reserves+vital/10988722/story.html
