MP stands his ground Mike Scott says he'll defend his stance on native land claims SKEENA MP Mike Scott says he isn’t backing down from his stance opposing the way native treaty settle- ments are being negotiated. Scott said he’s faced per- sonal attacks for his posi- tions on aboriginal issues, and says he hopes other can- didates in Skeena stick to the high road. “If opponents in the up- coming election believe I am wrong, let them say so. I have no problem with that but let’s keep it clean,’ Scott said, ‘“Let’s stay away from insinuations that people are not just wrong but bad people because they take a particular position.”’ That, he said, has been the Liberals tactic over the past four years. “They're saying we're evil people,’’ he said. ‘‘If you can manage to make that stick, then you're marginalizing the individual and you dén’t have to deal with the substance of the debate.”’ Scott says he expects na- tive issues and land claims will be hotly debated in Skeena in the next election. He says his position on the matter has been formulated in response to the concerns of many northwesterners, and is based on surveys he’s conducted, plus his travels Toxic sites cleanup dodged THE FEDERAL govem- ment caved in during nego- tlations with the United Stales to clean up a number of polluted sites, including one in the far northwestem tip of B.C., says Skeena Reform MP Mike Scot? ‘ He’s angry that a deal signed last week gives Can- ada $100 million over 10 " years to clean up the sites at* former American military installations located on Ca- nadian soil. But that’s a far cry from the $500 million originally wanted by Canada, said Scott. ' And what’s wegse, one of the spills is in the new Tat- shenshini Wilderness Park. “That has a world ‘heritage site designation — ‘one that (American presi- dent Bill) Clinton and {American vice president) Al Gore lobbied extremely heavily for,’’ said Scott. *‘So here we have a situa- tion where they put a lot of ‘pressure on for that designa- tion and then pressure the federal goverment to cut what they should pay to ‘clean up the mess,’’ he said. The site is at a location called Rainy Hollow, ad- ‘jacent to what was an Amer- ican military oil pipeline that went through Canada. It stopped operating in 1971 and while some cleanup was done, 40 buried canisters of DDT were dis- Mike Scott in the riding and to other parts of the province. He says people have to re- member that treaty-making wasn't being discussed to a great extent when he was elected four years ago, Scott spent the first half of his term in office trying to push for greater public in- volvement in the treaty pro- cess, Scott says many people he talks to genuinely fear publicly expressing their opinion. “They know how they will be teated,’’ he said. “So J take it upon myself to stand up and be their voice. I know there are those who will criticize me unfairly and engage in personal at- tacks. I realize that.’’ But Scott says critics have to remember they’re talking about large numbers of northwesterners. “This is a reflection,”’ he said, ‘‘not a concocted posi- | tion by either Mike Scott or the Reform Party in some back office. That is not what this is about at all.’’ Scott’s views on native is- sues are steeped in his em- phasis on democracy, the tights of the individual, and Reform suspicion of big government, © - Here’s a summary of the . MP's key siances on native issues and land claims: M Scott fears unequal treatment of native and non- native people will Icad to resentment and greater so- cial unrest. Land claims should end. historical in- equalities, not create new ones set in constitutional concrete. “If you start violating the underpinnings of democracy, no good can come of it,”’ he says. Bi He suspects native governments won’t act in best interests of individual natives. This is an extension of Reform’s general philos- ophy that less government Is better. Scott has on a num- ber of occasions championed dissident native groups in the riding who were at odds with their tribal governments. He believes there should be provision for claim scttle- ments to be paid out to indi- viduals, rather than aative governments — which he believes will tend to enrich the native elites and do litile for the masses, “People should not be compelled to join a collec- tive to benefit from these agreements,’* Scott said. - “Collective power always teans individuals in charge of the collective subverting al,’’ Individuals should instead have the option of banding together to pool their Tesources in whatever man- ner they choose, he says. a Scott opposes hereditary chief systems of native govemments in favour of democratically elected ones, ww He wants land claim settlements paid out with more cash and less Jand and resources, 80 resource- dependent regions don’t bear the brunt of the cost. W@ Scott is convinced the existing system needs to be changed. He points to the example of a native woman living in Prince Rupert with three children who could not get a court order to enforce child support against her husband because they live on reserve, ‘Tt was deemed to be an internal matter for the band to resoive,”’?. Scott said. “T’ve been down this road so many times it makes me sick to my stomach. Her rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are less than somebody who is not living on reserve and is not a native person.” eu 138g 15 lincl. freight & P.0.5.} .00° MQ/48 MONTHS Y Accent L ws.°11, 710" incl. freight & POS.) STANDARD FEATURES ACCENT L CIVIC CK 3-DR - $11,710 | 3-DR - $14,245 Carguide Magazine's “Best Buy”, 2 Years Running. TERCEL CE 2-OR - $18,198 ’ the. power of the individu- GRIME [ail STOPPERS 635-TIPS Presented by CHALKY’S BILLIARDS \Y 17 &18 * Eniry Fee $50.00 (Inc. $10.00 green fee} * Registration Deadline: May 17, 1997 at 12 p.m. Professional 9 Ball Rulas! - Double Knockaul ~ Race to 9 - Finals 1 Race to 11. 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Word of the $100 million deal came through last week as part of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's visit to Washington, D.C. “Instead of schmoozing at a fancy salmon baked in ap- ple syrup breakfast, which is what he did, Chretien had an opportunity to sland up and tell the Americans. to clean up their. problem — and he dida’t,”’ said Scott, The Tat park became a sore point in the early 1990s because the proposed Windy Craggy copper mince, located within . its bound- aries, was frozen when the park was created. : Scott was one of those ~ ‘who opposed the park ‘status, saying the copper mine would have employed ‘thousands of British Colum- ‘bia residents. © ; Also on the list of sites to ‘be cleaned are former ‘American tases in New- ‘foundland and 21 shut-down : Distant Early Warning radar ‘sites in the far north, Engine Power (HP) . 430 120 410 100. $ 5 § Variable Power Assist Steering Premium AM/FM Stereo Radio Folding Rear Seats 5 - : . with Cassette, 4 Speakers , Front Helght Adjustable Seat Belts . 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