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Kim .Campbell: You should be hearing something very positive about the Nisga'a land claim very soon. «

TERRACE — ‘Very positive’’ news should be coming from Ottawa soon regarding the Nis- ga’a comprehensive land claim, | according to Kim Campbell,

Conservative MP for Vancouver

Centre and Minister of State for — ‘Indian Affairs

‘Campbell says there are still a

few things to be worked out and

she’s not sure exactly what form the announcement will take, but, “I think that all parties are

’ very satisfied. with what they’ve

done.” '" Campbell - ‘made a ‘tour “of ; northwest Native ‘communities ~

last week}: visiting band councils ‘and Native tribal councils in

order meet people and get first-

hand information on current issues such as housing policies, economic development and so-

“cial” policies. ‘It’s extremely

helpful for me to meet people

| personally — to see their com- _.munities and to see first-hand

the things that they’re describ- ing.” ‘explains Campbell. “It just gives you a much better ability to argue for things with

"your. colleagues.””

-On the land claim issue, Campbell says, ‘1 can appreci- ate the problems that bands have, facing the long time it’s taken to get the’ land claims process going.””. ‘She explains that the federal government has

“ Terrace Review — Wednesday, August 9, 1989 eS

a policy of dealing with only six claims at a time. She says that in the case of the B.C,'land claims issue, a- “province containing 18 of the. A. jand-‘claims: in’ the «

7 ‘country, the six-at-a-time policy. » 7 will-take far: too! ‘long. aid: she’ = ‘wants it changed .

“7. would like: to. see: 5 that

| process speeded‘ up in the inter-

est of all. British Columbians because it simply creates a great

- deal’of uncertainty —-it-creates

friction in communities.”’ |

One solution, according to Campbell, may be to reach agreement on the ‘issues com- mon to all Native groups and then work out sub-agreements on individual claims. ‘‘That would make better use of negoti- ating time,”’ she says. ‘‘Because I don’t think people want to

wait another century and.a half

to have these things done. It’s great for lawyers and some other people but it’s not very good. for society.”’

“Campbell then described “framework agreements’’ and said. this is the basis of an agreement with ‘the Nisga’a which she says will be. resolved.

She ‘explains that a ‘framework. ‘agreement’ ‘is a~ptelude to an.

agreement in principle. Once that stage is reached Ottawa will then want the province to enter

the picture. She adds: the prov-

Premier . Bill Vander Zalm

says the province is ‘staying out of land claims negotiations be-

cause that’s what the federal.

‘government wants. He says the federal government will ask for provincial participation only if a

‘settlement involves land or re- sources under provincial juris- diction. But there is another reason for Vander Zalm’s hands-off policy, as he ex- plained during an interview in Terrace last week.

“I'd prefer to stay out of it,” says Vander Zalm. ‘“‘I think it would only pull us in to the extent where we would pay most of the bill. It’s happened time and time again to our province so we don’t want to get into that

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ince would be: welcomed at an earlier stage, a situation she: says would be “delightful”, ‘but: not - one: ‘that’s. going | to. happen: BL * think’: it’s very: reasonable. them. “(the provincial : govern- ment) to say we don’t ‘want tosit |

down: at the table ‘until, we-know |

“what's” expected of us,” “says: “Campbell: ©

‘Having been a provincial poli- tician, Campbell says she under- Stands the B.C, position | ‘and. agrees ‘that the “pall is in the federal court. She says it’s up to

the federal government to make {

a proposal to the B.C. govern- ment and believes that they will. She adds though, ‘‘There is no obligation on the federal gov- ernment to resolve the claims even though they may be the ones that have the primary re- sponsibility.”’

- For this reason, says Camp- bell, provincial participation is a must because they have jurisdic- tion over most of the compo- nents of a settlement — land, “resources and private tenures, “Unless,” she says, ‘you want to see land claims settled totally in terms of cash. But that’s not what the Indian people want or the best way of dealing with it.

The important issue is to get the —

province to the table and find some means of making them fee

pleased to be at the table.”

fe

situation on this big an issue. It would bail out the feds perhaps,

but it could. bankrupt | the prov-.

ince if we started to take. over those negotiations.’* a Vander Zalm adds, however, that he doesn’t mind discussing the land claims issues with Na- tive groups. “We are in fact working very effectively now to meet with all the tribal councils to deal with all the other issues — economic development, edu-

cation and social services,”” says .

Vander Zalm. “‘And at the same time, listen to what it is they ‘have to say about the land claim issue in the hopes we.can at least . bring them to the table.”

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This Skeenaview. Employees Reunion entry won first prize in the Vehicle Divisioniof the Riverboat Days parade.

Province stands pat on land claims ©

Vander Zalm and his Prem- ier’s Advisory Council on Na-

tive Affairs visited the first of 32

groups in the province when he talked to the Nisga’a in New - Aiyansh, Following that meet-

ing; -he said that every. issue

discussed was connected to the “land question”’ and that had probably set the theme for. the balance of the tour. “We would prefer talking to them about economic development possibil- ities,’ says Vander Zalm, but, “What 1 heard in the Nass would mean they would basical- ly have full contro! over, the land and what it is that.i is done o on the land. ih)

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