August 4, 1998

Back in 1887, our ancestors, pressing to settle the Nisga'a Land Question, climbed into their canoes and paddled down the British Columbia Coast to Victoria's inner harbour, where, on the steps of the Parliament Buildings, they were sharply turned away by Premier Smithe.

Like a handful of politicians today, Smithe refused to discuss the Nisga'a Land Question, wrongly convinced the assimilation of aboriginal people was inevitable. As a result, he plunged the province into 100 years of darkness for the Nisga'a and other First Nations.

Today, that is changed forever, changed utterly. This Ceremony is a triumph - for the Nisga'a people, the people of British Columbia and the people of Canada. Today, we make history as we correct the mistakes of the past and send a signal of hope around the world.

Today, let us talk of reconciliation and a new understanding between cultures.
Today, we join Canada and British Columbia as free citizens - full and equal participants in the social, economic and political life of this country. That has been our dream for more than a century. Today it becomes a reality.

People sometimes wonder why we have struggled so long to sign a Treaty? Why, we are asked, did our elders and elected officials dedicate their lives to a resolution of the Land Question? What is it about a Treaty?

To the Nisga'a people, a Treaty is a sacred instrument. It represents an understanding between distinct cultures and shows respect for each other's way of life. It stands as a symbol of high idealism in a divided, fractious world. That is why we have fought so long, and so hard.

Has it been worth it? Yes, a resounding, yes. But, believe me, it has been a long and hard-fought compromise. Some may have heard me say that a generation of Nisga'a men and women has grown old at the negotiating table. Sadly, it is very, very true.

Words can only hint at our feelings: I am talking here about a century of frustration, humiliation and emotional devastation. We lived it every day. Devastated by smallpox, influenza and other European diseases, our ancestors were torn from their homes, exiled to reserves, forbidden to speak the Nisga'a language and practise our own beliefs. In short, subjected to a system of cultural genocide for 130 years.

It still breaks my heart to see our young men and women sentenced to a life of seasonal, dead-end jobs. To see the despair and the disillusionment on the faces of my people.

Those are the reasons, ladies and gentlemen, I am still fighting to finalize the Treaty. And will not stop until it is ratified and made into law. Look around you. Look at our faces. We are survivors. We intend to live here forever. And, under the Treaty, we will flourish.

The Treaty represents a monumental achievement for the Nisga'a people and for Canadian society as a whole. It shows the world that reasonable people can sit down and settle historical wrongs. It proves that a modern society can correct the mistakes of the past and ensures that minorities are treated fairly. As Canadians, we should all be very proud.

We have detractors, oh yes. Naysayers who say our interests should continue to be ignored. Those who say Canada and B.C. are "giving" us too much. And there are others, particularly within the aboriginal community, who say we settled for too little.

Our detractors do not understand, or, practising a willful ignorance, choose not to understand. Or worse, using carefully coded language, they are updating a venomous attitude so familiar to First Nations of the world.

They are very wrong. By playing politics with the aspirations of aboriginal people they are blighting the promise of the Nisga'a Treaty - not only for the Nisga'a - but for all Canadians.

No longer beggars in our own Lands, we now go forward with dignity, equipped with the confidence that we can make important contributions - social, political and economic - to Canadian society.

The Nisga'a Treaty proves, beyond all doubt, that negotiations - not lawsuits, not roadblocks, not violence - are the most effective , most honorable way to resolve aboriginal issues in this country.

Today, as you are my witness, the Nisga'a canoe returns to the Nass River, with a cargo of hope and reconciliation.

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