The Nisga'a Treaty, "Good Economic News for the Pacific Northwest" | Joseph Gosnell

Speech to the Prince Rupert Mayor and Council's Business Development Summit [01/19/00]

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Now making its way through Canada's Senate, the Nisga'a Treaty is expected to be ratified and passed into law this spring. That spells good economic news for the people of the Pacific Northwest.

(As a quick update, the Treaty was passed in the House of Parliament by a vote of 217-48 this past December 13, after a long and fierce debate with the federal Reform Party.)

I don't have to remind this audience that economic certainty is crucial to the success of any business endeavor, especially in these tough economic times.

In the marketplace, companies who may wish to invest here are well aware of, and seriously concerned about, the economic uncertainty that surrounds this region as a result of unresolved land claims.

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.

To the people of the Pacific Northwest, a ratified Nisga'a Treaty solves a big part of that problem and, in my opinion, affords tremendous long-term, economic opportunities for the aboriginal and non-aboriginal business people who live and work here.

Many others agree. Recently, the Vancouver accounting firm of KPMG completed a Benefits & Costs analysis on the impact of treaty settlements.

It said, when all of the financial impacts are considered, the province can expect about a three-to-one return for every dollar spent. KPMG estimates the net financial benefit to British Columbia would be between $3.9 billion and $5.3 billion over 40 years.

Specifically, the Treaty will provide the Nisga'a access to the economic and employment mainstream.

Over time, as income disparity diminishes, savings in social expenditures, and less reliance on government support, will bring additional economic benefits. Over time, the Pacific Northwest will also see a significant employment increase as a direct result of the Nisga'a Treaty and others now being negotiated. In the years to come, Nisga'a Government will invest settlement money in the Nass and throughout this region, which will result in a much-needed economic shot-in-the-arm.

While other experts confirm these findings, our own economic forecasts estimate that about $13 million is pumped into the regional economy each year by the Nisga'a and other tribal groups.

This is significant. Here in Prince Rupert about 27 per cent of the city's total population is aboriginal, according to the 1996 StatsCan census. And throughout the Pacific Northwest, aboriginal people comprise about one-quarter of the 70,000 total population.

Just what do these statistics signify? That we are your neighbours and we're here to stay, yes. But also that the Nisga'a and other First Nations are potential business partners.

In essence, the Nisga'a Treaty is about establishing a solid, certain framework for future relations between native and non-native Canadians.

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 here and across the province.

Now, Iâm going to shift gears and tell you about one specific Nisga'a initiative already making economic waves here in Prince Rupert:

It's called Wilp Syoon, our world-class sportfishing lodge. Built on floats, it can be towed to various locations near the mouth of the Nass River. Last summer it was anchored near Somerville Inlet. Wilp Syoon is an upmarket operation tailored to a successful international clientele. Our guests come from all over the world. Every summer we play host to software engineers from Seattle, management consultants from Germany and professors from Holland.

You may have seen these happy people at the airport, lugging boxes of ice-packed salmon onto the luggage racks. But not only do our guests come to relax and go fishing, they also come to learn about Nisga'a culture and tradition. At Wilp Syoon, we offer our guests a unique and authentic cross-cultural experience they will long remember.

When it comes to sportfishing, we don't promise they will all catch the biggest salmon but, I am pleased to report, most of our guests, escorted by Nisga'a fishing guides in Boston Whalers, usually "limit out."

Business was brisk in the summer of 1999. Our occupancy rate was 75 per cent. Our guests typically paid on average $2,500 for a five-day, four night package that includes air fare to and from Vancouver.

Now in the third of a five-year business plan, the lodge is on course to be self-sustaining next year. Like any new ecotourism initiative, we had our share of growing pains. That's why, earlier this year, we restructured Wilp Syoon as a limited company held in trust by the Nisga'a Tribal Council.

People come to Wilp Syoon to catch fish and relax in this beautiful part of the world. And while they are pleased to learn that Wilp Syoon has a satellite telephone, they are thrilled to learn there is no email, no voice mail and no digital paging in a place far beyond the range of even the most wired technologies. Our guests are hardworking executives who work hard and play hard.

Wilp Syoon stands as a real-world symbol of Nisga'a economic success. I am confident there will be more to come, once the Treaty is ratified. To this end, we are actively seeking business partners from the aboriginal and non-aboriginal entrepreneurs of this city, and this region.

In closing, I am going to make a general comment in keeping with the theme of this important summit.

These are tough economic times for many in Prince Rupert and the Pacific Northwest. Accepting and understanding the structural causes of a harsh new economic reality leads us to a time of critical self-reflection.

Some people are asking the Big Questions about the economy and their jobs. Many are also beginning to examine their own culture and their historical relationship with their aboriginal neighbors.

Indeed, invisible to many, Prince Rupert has become a kind of working laboratory for a racially integrated society ÷ a prototype for a place where aboriginal and non-aboriginal people work and live together.

Visitors to Prince Rupert can see this for themselves. The streets teem with the faces of a dozen tribal groups; young aboriginal women wheel baby strollers past people whose ancestors came from Scotland, Norway and China. Something very special has been created here in Prince Rupert and whole of the Northwest.

But I have to be blunt here. Until now, this storehouse of human potential has been lost on some civic and business leaders who appear to have little interest in the energy and ideas of the First Nations entrepreneurs who live among them.

If people are willing to think outside the box of racial bias, I am convinced we will all reap the benefit of scores of dynamic, new economic initiatives ÷ made right here in the Pacific Northwest.

And it is a very good bet that much of the driving energy will come from First Nations and a new generation of civic entrepreneurs.

Thank you.

Note: Nisga'a Tribal Council president Joseph Gosnell will receive an honorary degree from the University of Northern BC, at its 200 convocation, May 26th, in Prince George. Gosnell is being recognized for his work in negotiating the landmark Nisga'a Treaty with Victoria and Ottawa. Previously he has been granted the Order of BC, the Canadian Labour Congress' Humanitarian Award and honorary degrees from Royal Rhodes University and the Open Learning Agency.
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