February 24, 1998

Our world is changing dramatically. The collapse of one of the superpowers of the world " the USSR. Majority rule in South Africa. The blossoming of a market economy in China.

Here in Canada, First Nations in Quebec, Yukon and the Northwest Territories settled their land claims.

And two years ago, we, the Nisga'a people of northwestern B.C. signed our Agreement in Principle.And still more change. Last week, a Cabinet shuffle in Victoria. And,just before Christmas, a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision known as Delgamuukw.

When the Court handed down its decision on December 11, many vested interests were deeply shaken.

We know that from the reaction " and from some quarters, the extreme over-reaction " to Delgamuukw.

Witness the sensational headlines, the finger-pointing rhetoric and the carefully orchestrated doomsday scenarios. More thoughtful comment was, as usual, tucked away in the opinion pages.

It is important to stress that Delgamuukw is not a prescription for the content of treaties. As I understand it, the ruling offers us a description of what happens when Canada does not have treaties. And that is why the Decision has little to say about the details of the Nisga'a Treaty.

On the other hand, Delgamuukw does provide more impetus to press on and sign a final Treaty. It underscores that the path we have chosen " negotiations not litigation, not confrontation " are the only honorable way to solve the long-standing Nisga'a Land Question.

Let me also clarify another point. In the wake of Delgamuukw, more Nisga'a people, perhaps swayed by the page-one claims of other aboriginal leaders, and clearly frustrated at the glacial pace of our talks, are now telling me (and other members of our negotiation team) to hold out for more in light of the Court's decision on aboriginal title. Our compromises, to some of our people, seem far too moderate.

Meanwhile, we still do not know what the federal and provincial response to Delgamuukw will be!

In our villages, our young people are anxiously watching and waiting. They know a generation of Nisga,a men and women has grown old at the negotiating table.

They have seen their mothers and fathers struggle with the endless negotiations, facing off against revolving teams of federal and provincial officials. X number of provincial ministers, Y numbers of Prime Ministers, Z number of political parties in office. Twenty years at the negotiating table, ladies and gentlemen.

It has been a dehumanizing process. One that has stolen away my youth.

The importance of the Nisga'a Treaty cannot be overstated. It would show the world how we solve problems here in Canada, how, through good faith and hard-fought compromise, we can negotiate Treaties that recognize our land and property rights so we can build economic independence, while protecting our cultural heritage.

In most ways, the Delgamuukw decision upholds what we have always said -- we do have aboriginal title to our land. Now, we need to finalize our Treaty.

After a century of struggle then, the Nisga'a people are on the threshold of ratifying the first modern Treaty in British Columbia history.

But as we get set to sign, a backlash begins. A campaign of disinformation, backed by big money and powerful interests, is fanning the flames of fear and ignorance.

Naysayers are still trying to intimidate our politicians into scuttling the Nisga'a Treaty and the treaty-making process in general. Groups like the Citizen's Voice on Native Land Claims (What Citizens? What Voice? A more accurate name might be the Citizen's Voice Against Native Land Claims.)

These groups don't want you to learn the truths about the Nisga'a Treaty.

The truth about economic certainty, for one. And it is good news, indeed.

Economic certainty and increased investment are the documented benefits of the Nisga'a Treaty for aboriginal and non-aboriginal business people. The Treaty will send an important economic message to boardrooms around the world.

But I'm not the only one who feels this way. Consider the following comments from Vancouver investment counselor Milton K. Wong. And I am quoting here:

"Economic certainty is crucial to the success of any business endeavor. In the global marketplace, international companies who may wish to invest in B.C. are well aware of, and seriously concerned about, the economic uncertainty that surrounds the province as a result of unresolved land claims.

The assumption is that once resolved, following any initial disruption, land claims will pave the way for future investment based on a solid foundation of common understanding.

The bottom line is that political instability is always a strike against any area that is hoping to attract investment or generate and support a lively and successful business community."

As many of you know, Mr. Wong is the CEO of a major investment management firm. He knows full well that his clients will not invest their money if there is a good chance that, due to political instability, they may lose it. Keeping a close eye on political and social conditions is a critical job for fund managers.

Others project economic benefits from treaty-making as well. Consider the findings of the Vancouver accounting firm, KPMG. Its Benefits & Costs analysis on the impact of treaty settlements on B.C. includes the following:

"When all of the financial impacts on B.C. are considered, the province can expect about three dollars worth of total financial benefit for every dollar of provincial cost. The net financial benefit to British Columbia would be between 3.9 billion dollars and 5.3 billion dollars over 40 years.

The benefit arises mainly from cash awarded to First Nations. The inflow of this money will spawn economic development in First Nations communities. Also, British Columbians as a whole will benefit; take-home paycheques will be up to 400 million dollars higher, at the end of the day.

Treaties will give aboriginal people access to the economic and employment mainstream. As income disparity diminishes, savings in social expenditures, and less reliance on government support, will bring additional economic benefits.

At the same time, the certainty that treaties will bring to the province's land and resources will encourage increased investment as people with renewed financial confidence spend money. First Nations will invest settlement money in the province, which will result in an economic boom for business people in nearby communities.

In essence, British Columbia should see a significant employment increase as a result of the treaties."

KPMG estimates settlements will produce between 7,000 and 17,000 new jobs. There will be increased investment and employment in the province because of the economic certainty that treaties will bring to its land and primary resources.

Good news indeed! Contrast that with the bad news of an earlier government study, one which said B.C. has lost more than 1 billion dollars in investment due to unsettled land claims, which have triggered road blockades, armed standoffs and court battles across the province.

I am confident the Nisga'a Treaty can play a major part in the economic reconstruction of the Pacific Northwest.

At present, the Nisga'a and neighboring First Nations pump between 12 and 13 million dollars into the city of Terrace and its region.

That figure will grow exponentially as the Nisga'a begin to invest the 200 million dollars we negotiated under the Treaty.

There is more to the Nisga'a Treaty than the bottom line, of course. There is a very human cost to consider.

Social conditions in our villages have long been below those of other British Columbia communities, with higher infant mortality, suicide and birth rates, below average life expectancy, welfare dependency and higher rates of unemployment.

The Nisga'a Treaty is designed to directly address and resolve these problems.

Above all else, the Nisga'a Treaty is about establishing a solid framework for future relations between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians; and I believe that in the context of such a framework, we can establish a social, political and economic certainty that will encourage investment in British Columbia and therefore be of enormous help to business communities across the province.

How can anyone support the alternative " the millions of taxpayer's dollars spent annually to literally keep us beggars in our own land?

What we want is simple. We want to be equal and full participants in the social and economic life of Canada.

Fears that we want to take away people's land are totally unfounded. To share the natural resources is a Nisga'a tradition, and this has been documented for one hundred and thirty some years.

One day soon, we will sign the Nisga'a Treaty. I am absolutely certain of that. We now have the opportunity to put a century and a half of uncertainty and injustice behind us. Consider the Delgamuukw decision, once again:

"Ultimately, it is through negotiated settlements, with good faith and give and take on all sides, that we will achieve, the reconciliation of the pre- existence of aboriginal societies with the sovereignty of the Crown," the Court wrote.

While the Nisga,a people have always been committed to negotiations, this latest Supreme Court decision only strengthens our resolve to finalize a Nisga'a treaty that will benefit everyone, and bring us into Canada.

Critics who think the Nisga,a treaty is generous should check the ongoing costs of leaving land claims unsettled. According to the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the total cost of maintaining the status quo " under the obsolete Indian Act" is a staggering 7.5 billion dollars a year.

This cost is expected to rise to more than 11 billion dollars a year over the next two decades.

Indeed, when considering the benefits of signing the Nisga'a treaty, the real mystery is why Ottawa and Victoria have been dragging their heels.

The Nisga'a are not a violent people. We have a deep respect for the rule of law. You have not seen us barricading roads, you have not seen us in shoot-outs with the police.

But, let me repeat, "generations of Nisga'a men and women have grown old at the negotiating table", and today, our young people grow more insistent on becoming equal partners in the Canadian community. The Nisga'a Agreement in Principle we signed in 1996 is a fact of life. Soon, we hope to announce a final Treaty.

The settlement of our claim is a monumental achievement for our tribe and for Canadian society. The Treaty proves that reasonable people can sit down and settle historical wrongs.

It proves that modern society can correct the mistakes of the past and ensure that minorities are treated fairly.

It will allow us to go forward with dignity, equipped with the confidence that we can make critical contributions"social, political and economic" to Canadian society.

There will be detractors to our settlement, those who say our interests should continue to be ignored.

Two weeks ago, your guest speaker was Mr. Melvin Smith. He issued a series of dire warnings about the Nisga'a Treaty and the whole treaty-making process, post-Delgamuukw.

In his speech, Mr. Smith practised his own particular doublespeak when it came to the subject of economic certainty and land claims.

He got it right when he said that business leaders demand certainty on land claims.

But his near-apocalyptic vision of British Columbia's economic future is dead wrong. And he is very wrong to use overheated rhetoric to try to frighten the daylights out of the investment community, here and around the world.

Shame on you, Mr. Smith. Fear-mongering is the last thing we need at this critical juncture in British Columbia history. Thoughtful, measured comment is what we need now.

In his Board of Trade speech, Smith also said, and I'm quoting here:

"The Native leadership will resist because they are not used to having their views overridden."

Not used to being overridden! What history books have you been reading, Mr. Smith? For more than 130 years, European settlers overrode everything aboriginal -- our land, our resources, our education, our spiritual beliefs, every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave.

For more than a century, Mr. Smith, the settlers tried to override us -- and you failed!

Your thesis, Mr. Smith is dishonest at best; At worst it is a deep and ignorant insult to Canada's First Nations.

There will be those that say Canada and B.C. are "giving us too much." And there may be a few others, particularly within the aboriginal community, who say we settled for too little.

Both are wrong. They have taken their eye off the financial bottom line.

I am confident the Nisga'a Treaty will soon be finalized. It has to be done soon, for, to quote Delgamuukw one final time: "Let's face it, we are all here to stay."

So, let us get on with it. Now.

Thank you. In closing I would like to invite each of you to come and visit us in the Nass. Come and witness self-government in action. I guarantee a hospitality you will never forget.

Thank you.