Treaty Negotiations under microscope: FNS political executive to appear before Standing Senate Committee
By Contributor
The political executive of the First Nations Summit are travelling to Ottawa this week to provide testimony on the state of Treaty Negotiations in British Columbia to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.
Grand Chief Edward John, Chief Doug White and Dan Smith will appear before the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples on Wednesday February 15th to provide a First Nations perspective on the negotiations process in BC.
Eighteen years into the negotiations process, much work is left to complete. The FNS political executive will discuss how the parties must all work towards concluding treaties that recognize and respect First Nations’ ability to make the decisions that affect their citizens’ lives, lands, resources and territories. Treaties must also include appropriate funding arrangements to support their successful implementation and mechanisms that enable First Nations to hold the Crown accountable for living up to its commitments and responsibilities under treaties. This will require governments to replace their impoverished mandates, intransigent positions and status quo visions with an approach that truly seeks to achieve reconciliation.
One generation has passed since the treaty negotiations process began in BC. It is crucial that all parties take deliberate and immediate action to overcome the difficult barriers that lie before us so that all First Nations in BC that wish to, can achieve reconciliation through fair and equitable treaties.
Event Date:
First Nations Summit appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
Time: 3:45 p.m. PST
Please note the Standing Senate Committee proceedings (video and audio) will be archived on the Committee website at http://www.parl.gc.ca/sencommitteebusiness/. (Follow the link to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples page)
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