Nisga’a treaty favoured,
gov t, private polls find

PROVINCIAL GOVERN-
MENT opinion poll in-
formation is in line with
other polling data released
last week indicating a ma-
jority of British Columbians
are in favour of a Nisga’a
trealy, says a cabinct minis-
ter,

And while aboriginal af
fairs minister Dale. Lovick
says he takes comfort in the
results, he'll feel better
when a large majority com-
es out in clear support of the
treaty,

‘What I’ve seen would
tend to corroborale and sup-
port the Angus Reid in-
formation,’’ said Lovick,.

Results based on two
questions asked by the
Angus Reid opinion polling
company the first part of
September were released
last week.

One question concerning
treaty ratification was asked
and 53 per cent of those
who responded said that not
ratifying the treaty would be
a bad thing for British
Columbia.

Just under a third of those
surveyed said not ratifying
the treaty would be a good
thing and 16 per cent were

unsure,
Ratification is the formal

process in which the federal
and provincial governments

pass legislation bringing the
treaty into effect and the
Nisga’a give thelr approval
by way of a referendum.

“When we factor out the
people who have not made
up their minds on the issue
of ratification, a full 63 per
cent believe it would be a
bad thing not to ratify the
treaty, compared to 37 per
cent who would support not
ratifying it,’’ a Reid compa-
ny analysis said.

The other question, a
softer one, asked people if
they felt the treaty ‘‘is a step
in the right direction or a
step in the wrong direc-
tion,”’

Of those who responded,
51 per cent said it was a step
in the right direction, one-
third said the treaty would
be a step in the wrong direc-
tion and 16 per cent were
unsure.

The questions were asked
of 600 people between Sept.
1 and Sept. 11. and the
results are considered ac-
curate within 4.1 percentage

| Dale Lovick

“Pm encouraged,
but it’s very ob-
vious to me _ that
there’s a significant
undecided _facior
and that’s not sur-
prising for this Is a
complex issue,”

y

points 95 per cent of the’ .

time.

“I’m encouraged, but it’s
very obvious to me that
there’s a significant un-
decided factor and that’s not
surprising to me for this is a
complex issue,’”
said last week of the Reid

Lovick .

results,

“'There’s just been a huge
request for more informa-
tion and we're providing it
The more we provide and
the more people learn, the
more they will come to the
conclusion they support the

treaty,’”

Lovick sald the province
will release its own polling
results but not while the
Nisga’a debate is in full
swing because the informa-
tion might skew what hap-
pens.

‘“At some point the public
information will become
public,” said Lavick.

And while Lovick said
treaty debate should be non-
partisan he did note that a
majority of Liberals are in
favour of signing and of
ratification.

**T don’t want to give into
temptation to tell Gordon
Campbell what he should be
saying,’’ Lovick added.

He found __ interesting
results which indicated thal
those who said they were
Reformers approving sign-
ing at 40 per cent. Most
B.C. Reformers, at 46 per
cent, said not ratifying the
treaty would be a good thing
for the province.

kkkke

Angus Reid vice president
Daniel Savas said pollsters
asked the two questions, the
softer one on signing and
more defincd one concera-
ing ratification, for a more
accurate gauge of opinion.

**The results seem to sug-
gest there is a consistency of
response,”’ he said.

‘The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 28, 1998 -A15

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‘Nisga’a eyes only’ document
gives important treaty clues

By JEFF NAGEL
AN INTERNAL summary of the Nisga’a treaty intended
only for Nisga’a eyes but obtained by The Terrace Stan-
dard shows few deviations from what provincial negotia-
tors have been saying about the deal.
In fact much of what Nisga’a leaders are telling their

own people in “‘Understanding the Nisga’a Treaty’’ may -

be reassuring to critics of the deal.
Nisga’a leaders have declined to release the 95-page
question-and-answer booklet, saying it might be
“misinterpreted.”
Most of the summary merely compresses the language
used in:the treaty into simpler, mdge. cot se éxpli

i ae ae is .
“But-some sections give clues-as to what ‘parts of ‘the

treaty are important to the Nisga’a,

The section on certainty and finality assures the Nisga’a
the certainty . provisions. in which. they ‘‘release’’ all
aboriginal rights not defined under the treaty ‘‘does not
suggest defeat and oppression.””

Nisga’a negotiators had successfully fought the past fed-
eral praclice of using the words ‘‘cede, release and sur-
render’ on the basis that such words had no extra legal
force but would offend the Nisga’a.

The document also firmly tells the Nisga’a that the word
“‘velease’”’ puarantees Ottawa and Victoria that no one can
ever come back and claim Nisga’a aboriginal rights that
get recognized by future court decisions or that haven’t
been thought of and described in the treaty.

“‘Othervise the agreement would not be the full and final
settlement of the claim,’’ it says,

One question asks what relationship will exist between
Nisga’a government and non-Nisga’a residents.

The response says the treaty recognizes that non-native
residents — including spouses, workers and others such as
“our neighbours who reside on fee simple properties? —
may be affected by Nisga’a government decisions,

‘Nisga'a Government will consult with these individuals
about any decision that directly and significantly affects
them,” it says.

‘‘Moreover, where the activilics of a Nisga’a Public In-
stitution directly and significantly affect these persons,
such as those of a future school board or health board,
Nisga’a government will ensure that these persons can par-
ticipate, through such means as the opportunity to make
representations, to vote for or run for office, to have guar-
anteed seats on the institution, or other comparable
measures,”

Another question asks if forest companies will use
Nisga’a contractors during the transition period of treaty
implementation leading to Nisga’a control over forests.

“Transitional licensees will be required to use reasonab-
ly available Nisga’a contractors under full-phase logging
contracts for 50 per cent of the volume they harvest in year
1, and 70 per cent of the volume they harvest in years 2 to
5."

Pine mushroom harvesting can be regulated by the
Nisga’a government, the summary says, ‘“These laws may
include the licensing of harvesters and the levying of
charges wilh respect to the harvest.””

The fisheries sectlon asks questions such as whether the
Nisga’a can enhance Nass salmon runs. The answer was
yes, with the approval of the fisheries minister.

“Because enhancement initiatives can affect wild fish
_stocks, (he minister has a final responsibility for determin-

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ing whether they take place,’’ the summary says.

Besides salmon and steelhead, it says, the Nisga’a can
also seek harvest allocations for other fish, marine mami-
mals and aquatic plants,

Asection on how the Nisga’a can establish their own po-
lice service says Nisga’a officers would have the same
powers and responsibilities as any other peace officer,

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