‘A10- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 23, 1998

Gitxsan, province to talk

‘But negotiations are aimed at co-management, not a treaty

‘

‘THE PROVINCE has
yagreed to re-open land claim
‘negotiations with —the
'Gitxsan — but this time the
‘goal won't necessarily be to
‘conclude a treaty.

: Instead, the bilateral dis-
‘cussions will be aimed at a
‘series of co-management
‘agreements in areas of
‘provincial jurisdiction, in-
‘cluding wildlife manage-
‘ment, forestry, mining, eco-
‘nomic development, human
-and social services.

: Aboriginal affairs minister
‘Dale Lovick confirmed the
‘new arratigement is pretty
‘much what the Gitxsan have
‘been seeking for the last
‘couple of years.

And he said the province
‘now sees that “‘incremen-
‘al’? approach — negotiat-
‘ing issues bit by bit rather
‘than a treaty that attempts to
deal with everything at once
— as potentially beneficial.

“We're not talking
treaty,'?  Lovick sald.
“We're talking about some-
thing that meets the Iegiti-
mate needs of those people
today.”

The talks, when they be-
gin, will end more than two
and a half years of silence
since the province walked
away from negotiations ear-
ly in 1996.

That led to the Gitxsan ap-

Lyle Viereck

pealing their land claim case
to the Supreme Court of
Canada, and the resulting
Delgamuukw decision
recognizing aboriginal title
on December 11, 1997,

When the province broke
off talks, it cited
“rreconcilable _ dif-
ferences’? -~ primarily that
the Gitxsan desire for co-
management ~ over their
cnlire territory was at odds
with the province’s goal of
making all treaties conform
with the Nisga’a land selec-
tion method.

Under that system, each
native group negotiates a
small portion of their total
land claim.

Lovick wouldn't say if the
decision to negotiate co-
management with the
Gitxsan means the province
is no longer sticking with
the land selection model.

He stressed that talk about
the Nisga’a treaty being a
template for others primari-
ly involved its principles,
not specific planks.

“The province
recognizes the fact
that they have to
reconcile with us as
directed by the
Supreme Cou.

“The province recognizes
the fact that they have to
reconcile with us as directed
by the Supreme Court,’’
noted Gitxsan chief treaty
negotiator Don Ryan.

“Part of the strategy of

_the court case was to push

back the province’s land se-
lection model,”’ he said,
‘We were protecting the
whole Gitxsan territory in
the case. The subagreemenis
on forestry and other issues
will continue this strategy.”

The province’s new treaty
negotiator for the northwest
claims, Lyle Viereck, char-
acterized the agreement to
begin discussions as a good
first step.

Unresolved still is whether
the federal government will
also take part in discussions.

The Gitxsan and province
see them as key participants
on fisheries, capacity build-
ing and financial compensa-
tion.

Viereck replaces Mark
Stevenson as the province’s
treaty negotiator with the
Gitxsan, Tsimshian and
Haisla.

a

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