A6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 4, 1996 Can’t defend land claims Dear Sir: MLA Helmut Giesbrecht recently circulated a letter to Skeena residents attempting to defend his government’s position with respect to land claims and the Nisga’a AIP in particular, The problem for him and his government (and the Liber- al government in Ottawa) is you cannot defend the in- defensible. Mr, Giesbrecht contends that negotiating agreements such as the Nisga’a AIP is the best way to end “uncertainty and frustration’? over aboriginal rights. While it is true that our constitution and courts recognize aboriginal rights, these rights have been very narrowly defined in every court decision to date, a This in spite of the valiant effort the NDP made to lose the Delgamuukw appeal on behalf of the citizens of British Columbia. You will recall the NDP fired Russell Dumuloin, the legal firm that successfully argues the original Delgamuukw case and appointed Swinton & Co, to defend British Columbia’s interest at the appeal stage. You will also recall that at the time Swinton & Co. was hired to defend B,C.’s interest in what was arguably the most important legal case in the province’s history, they were in court suing the province on behalf of the very same native band they were now suppased to square off with. Mr. Giesbrecht refers to uncertainty and frustration as if this was some kind of natural phenomena yet he, his government, and the {cderal government are directly responsible for it. Irresponsible politicians, pandering to the politically cor- rect agenda of the last few years, have raised expectations in the native community to heights which are neither realistic or achievable. It was Mr. Giesbrecht’s government that signed dozens of memorandums of understanding with Indian bands that created uncertainty in our resource sector. The constitution and the courts certainly didn’t force the NDP to do that, It was the provincial government’s failure to act resolute- ly in the face of illegal road blocks in Hazelton, Penticton, the Cariboo, etc., and enforce the rule of law, that lead to frustration. These acts were, in fact, violations of lhe con- stitution and would never have been condoned by the courts, In short, Ottawa and Victoria by their own actions have created this very uncertainty and frustration Mr, Gies- brecht refers to. What is particularly galling is that the NDP and: the Libexals are now using the uncertainty and frustration their policies have created as a justification for taking our society further down a road it has never agreed to. The most odious aspect of Victoria and Otlawa’s land claim policy is the fact that most rank and file aboriginals will never benefit from the agreements being negotiated. If you are a Nisga’a living in Terrace, Prince. Rupert or Van- couver what are you going to get out of the Nisga’a deal? The simple answer is virtually nothing unless you move back to the Nass Valley. And you should know that Jess than half of all Nisga’a currently live on reserve in the Nass. The most disturbing aspect of land claims settlements as set out in the Nisga’a AIP is that it is anti-democratic to the core. It is not the quantum of land, resources, and cash that should concern us nearly so much as the lack of respect for equality, freedom, and democracy embodied in the agreement. You simply cannot square the fundamental principles of democracy with the Nisga’a AIP What this deal sets out is literally a nation within a nation whose membership is to be determined solely on the basis of race. The Oxford English Dictionary defines apartheid as a policy or system of segregation or discrimination of grounds of race. As the issue is of such importance to citizens of this area, and to British Columbia, I challenge Mr. Giesbrecht to a public debate on bis government’s Jand claim policy. I issued this same challenge to John Cashore over a year ago — he has yet to agree. Mike Scott, MP Skeena, Terrace, B.C. Big bad world of Catch 22 Dear Sir: On June 241 tumed 22. On this same day I also pave a second-try ata new venture. I discovered I was by caught 22 — twice. I’m disillusioned with the entrepreneurial assistance pro- grams promoted by the Federal Business Development Bank and 16-37 Community Development Corporation. In June of 1995 I gave up a job at Skeena Sawmills to start a wind surfing school. As is usual in any new busi- ness I assumed a net loss afler the first season. In the fall I returned to the sawmill and was laid off only two weeks later. ; Being in debt I decided to give up the sawmill and return to a career as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. ] managed to get my previous jobs back and manage two part-time jobs until the 1996 wind surfing season began. I was able to meet the hefty loan payments but obviously saving any amount of capital for investment was difficult. This spring I attended the young entrepreneurs confer- -ence at the Inn of the West and was impressed to find out that the government actually had programé to‘ assist smal! businesses and even special programs for youth. I was quite hopeful that this could mean a second chance at get- “: ting the wind surfing school established. I’ve just received the fourth and final rejection letter from the 16-37 Development Corporation. It secms con- venient now that my season is over and I’m pretty well broke because of the missed season, Here’s the Catch 22, In June, I approached the 16-37 De- velopment Corparation and FBDB for financial assistance to purchase more wet suits, wind surfers, and establish a market through advertising, this would enable me to teach more lessons and reach a broader market, I could also use the financing to consolidate several dif- ferent debts to make a more manageable payment. Every time I approached them they said I had a fair chance but they would always change my cash flow projections to justify their rejecting the loan, Finally, they said that because I supported the business with off-season wages over the first year that it is not an ongoing business and does not fit their lending criteria. Does this mean that they only lend to companies that show a profit over the first year? Why would a company that instantly makes a profit need a loan? Why is it easier to get a Joan for a car that will always depreciate than for a business that can create jobs expand opportunities and offer new services? Aren’t the risks worth it, especially for the government? Why do companies that lose million of dollars a year get a major financial bailout (often grants from the govern- ment) to save a few jobs (usually for overpaid executives), yet so many aspiring entrepreneurs are turned down for financial assistance (average loans are $12,000) and their dreams wasted because of this Catch 22 system? How can we hope for the economy to expand when the government keeps bailing out dying industries insiead of supporting entrepreneurial diversification? Fortunately, for many Canadian entreprencurs, the USA is ready and waiting next door to develop Canadian ideas and opportunities. That is why I am moving below the 49th this fall, I'll miss the clear cut mountains, but the opportunity to realize a dream is worth leaving the comfort of the Cana- dian no-risk lifestyle, It’s ironic that we live in the wealthiest country in the world but we can’t extract our most valuable resource, in- " novation, becaitse we don’t want to fake the chance. Aaron Hansen, Terrace, B.C, ts ty EA iia) Terrace Volunteer Bureau Mohawk Gemma’s Bed & Bath Boutique End Of The Roll Central Gifts Skeena Mall Reserved tickets can be picked up at he Volunteer Bureau located on the 4600 block next fo Hava Java, Mon. to Fri, 9:30 - 5:30 and Sat. Non to 4:00. _ House Lotte ~ ONLY 6,000 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD: DRAW DATE DECEMBER 27, 1996-- _ 4103 Temple St. Terrace” — PITCH-IN CANADA! co-op’ TERRACE CO-oP FAMILY FASHIONS DEPT @ 1996/97 Terrace Concert Society Presents: _. Early bird season ticket packages on co sale to members Friday September 6 to Friday September 13,1996 General public sales commence Sat, September 14, 1996. Season Pass Adult: $85.00 . Sr/Student: $70.00 Available at Erwins Jewellers in the SkeenaMall eserved sealing on fst-come-frst-sarve basis, Members are 1995/96 ticket holders, wee Comedy 4, Sab, Jan. 11/97 Joe Sealy Quartet - Jazz 5 Carole King’s hits 1. Sat., Oct. 12/96 Andrew Lloyd Webber - Cabaret Presentation 2. Sat., Nov. 2/96 Vancouver Theatre Sports - Free Willie Shakespeare- 3. Sat., Nov. 30/96 Ballet Jorgen “the Nutcracker Suite” . Tues., Feb. 11/97 Arts Club Theatre “Tapestry” - musical revue of 6. Sat., Mar. 1/97 Foothills Brass - Clossical \e See our great selection of christmas craft supplies new stock is arriving daily. Go "A © Tole painting * Candle making ® Glass balls © Fantastic selection of dried flowers, every color imaginable - Great Prices! © Ribbons And much, much more! ch ase 5 or more regu ced craft items and. 4617 Greig Avenue - 635-6347