_ AG - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 7, 1999

It’s still not too late to stop

the mistaken Nis

By DAVID BLACK
GLEN CLARK is a short-
term tactician, but he’s not
wise. His policies have al-
ready proven disastrous,

This man thinks the
Nisga’a treaty is great. He
wants to push it through to
get his name on it before he
quits, Kind of gives you
pause, docsn’t it.

My real disappointment is
not with the cynical wastrels

in Victoria, but with the

dilettantes in Ottawa. The
Nisga’a Treaty and the
others to follow are well-
intentioned but they are the
antithesis of Canadian liber-
alism. They establish apart-
heid, reduce democracy,
hinder private ownership,
prejudice the rights of those
hot in power, and reopen ex-
isting legislation in educa-
tion and other areas that Ca-
nadians rely on as part of
our fundamental right. How
ironic that these treaties are
authored by the federal Lib-
eral government with its
noble traditions.

The treatics separate us
onto different tracts of land,
based on race. Sure it’s
being done with bribes, not
guns, It’s still apartheid. We
are setting ourselves up for
ever worsening race rela-
tions. We will grow apart,
not together.

When humans aren’t in-
tegrated, when they don’t
have equal sights, they start
to pick at each other. Picki-
ness tums to derision, turns

Comment

to anger, turns lo hate, turns
to full-blown = entrenched
racism,

Imagine trying to con-
vince Martin. Luther King
his people should be located
onto reservations rather than
integrated, should have spe-
cial rights unique from those
of other citizens, should not
have the same protection in
law and should be unequal
and different forever. He
wouldn’t be pleasant to
these federal Liberals.

The treaties lock in
reserves, Reserves are not
democratic. Band assets are
not distributed to individu-
als, Reserve homes, ‘for ex-
ample are communally
owned, not owned by indi-
viduals. Many individuals
are on the dole and there is
little to do. We know this
system dooms human
beings. Why are the federal
Liberals entrenching it?

The majority of natives
have never voted in favour
of self-government. Their
elite want it; most do not.
nalive women in particular,
have voiced concerns, They
are afraid of losing rights.
They have been ignored by
the federal Liberals,

Only 44 per cent of
eligible Nisga’a voted in
favour of their’ treaty. The

More letters

Makes no sense

Dear Sir:

In response to the letter
from Sarah de Leeuw of the
Terrace Women’s Resource
Centre, (‘‘Abortion Provider

Heroes,’’ March 10, 1999) 1:

loo wish to express my dis-
agreement over the violent
actions and murders she
refers to in her letter.

The individuals

responsible must be found .

and held accountable for
these terrible — actions.
Ponder the following points:

x. Concerning the legal
right to choose abortion,
previous governments
South Africa had a legal
right to maintain apartheid,
in Nazi Germany there was
a Icgal right to exterminate
Jews, and the southern
States in the USA made ens-
lavement a legal right.

Legal rights often do not
coincide with justice and
what is right. To speak of
such a choice as a funda-
mental right when it super-
cedes the basic right of
every human to live is a
fross exror, .

2. How can abortion ser-
vices be called a corner

stone of our democracy?

Quite simply, abortion is the
premeditated killing of hu-
man life. Referring to this
aS a pregnancy termination
service may sound political-

ly correct, but the process

does not change. a
Our democracy has neve

Stood for this and, in fact.

has gone to greal lengths to
protect the lives of the in-
nocent,
3. Using the argument of
“a right to control ones
body’? as justification for
the extermination of another

Well?

Dear Sir:

Last week this paper
reported = that = Terrace-
Kitimat Airport Society
chairman Frank Hamilton
told us ‘‘Those who use the
airport should pay the costs
of the airport and not the
taxpayers who are not In-
volved."’

This would scem to indi-
cate that we should consider
our airport as much the
same thing as a second sheet
ofice. ,

But at the ceremony to
turn the airport over to the
society, I heard with my
own cars Mayor Jack Tal-
stra say that ‘‘This airport is
absolutely essential to this
community.”

Well? Which is it?

Dave Menzies, Terrace

in.

life is absurd. Every one of
us is physically and mental-
ly affected by those who
come in contact with us.

The killing of another can
never be a choice. Other-
Wise, you and I may some

day be someone else’s —

choice. ae
Ed Hausnét,
Prince Rupert, B.C.

(received via email)

David Black

rest voted against, or ab-
Stained on one of the most
important votes in the his-
tory of their people. Why so
many abstained is unknown.
It couldn’t have been lack of

interest. The federal Liber-
als interpreted the vote as

“approval.

With 50 some treaties in
place throughout B.C., each

. Setting up different jurisdic-

tions with different laws, we
are Baikanizing our pro-
vince. The Balkans are not

just a synonym for dis-

crimination, racism, politi-
cal unrest and constant war-
fare.

They also demonstrate
that too many different
jurisdictions reduce wealth,
worsen conservalion and
resource planning and
reduce the efficiency of jus-
tice, education, health and
municipal services.

Reading the Nisga’a treaty
is like reading the Tax Act.
It is long, complex and full
of unexplored loopholes. It

ga’a treaty

will spawn an army o€ high-
priced bureaucrats, consut-
tants and lawyers. These
people are being paid a for-
tune to put the treaties in
place, They will be paid
forever to interpret them. —

The Nisga’a treaty is
worth a half billion dollars,
according to the NDP and
$1.3 billion according to
Robin Richardson, a private
economist, NDP forecasting
has been hopeless on other
issues, Let’s assume
Richardson is closer. The
B.C. treaties could then cost
some $50 billion. This is
just one province,

Treaties will also get re-
opened in other provinces,
There are no automatic off-
setting cutbacks in annual
transfer payments to natives,
The federal Liberals have
worked hard to get their
financial house in order,
Has the federal finance de-
partment analyzed these
treaties? Can we pay this
much without lowering
everyone’s standard of
living? Are we passing an
unmanageable burden on ta
our children?

I don’t think mest
politicians have really
thought through the issues.
It’s politically correct today
to be in favour of these
treaties no matter what’s in
them. But these treaties are
wrong. Canadians in future
will look back to this time
and wonder how we could
have sacrificed democracy,
equality and integration.

It’s not too late, Please
phone your MP and your
MLA. Tell them to pay at-
tention and reconsider.

David Black is the owner
of Black Press whose hold-
ings take in a number of
community newspapers in
B.C, Alberta and Washing-
fon State, including The
Terrace Standard.

{ls ree ee eta k, Se

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