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Introduction | The Present Debate | The Nisga’a Treaty | Conclusion _
_ _ _ _ Nisga’a Tribal Council Presentation to Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development [ 11/4/99 ] CONCLUSION Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the current debate is the extent to which those individuals and organizations who oppose the Nisga'a Treaty fail to recognize that the package was negotiated and agreed to as a whole, that each Party compromised on some objectives and succeeded on others. No one should think that at this point it is possible to go through the Agreement, accepting the compromises that we made at the table while rejecting our achievements at that same table. Whoever thinks that the Nisga'a or any other First Nation will return to the negotiating table to accept whatever crumbs the federal Reform Party or the British Columbia Liberal Party may be willing to offer must face the reality that this will not happen. The suggestion that "equality" requires that the objective of negotiations should be the elimination of all of the legal rights that are uniquely held by aboriginal people under our Constitution is contrary to Canada's history and evolution, and is, with due respect, perverse. No other Canadians are asked to negotiate agreements under which they will give up their constitutional rights. Why should aboriginal peoples be required to give up ours? We have bargained with the federal and provincial governments peacefully and in good faith, relying on the honour of the Crown to carry our agreement to fruition. Canadians should realize that the Nisga'a Final Agreement is a balanced and sensible reconciliation of issues that have frustrated and divided British Columbians for more than a century. It should be celebrated as the proof that people of good faith can resolve their differences without confrontation or litigation. The Nisga'a Nation has waited long enough. We ask for the Committee's support in ensuring that the Nisga'a Treaty is ratified before the end of this year, before the end of this century. Then we can go forward together, better equipped to face the challenges to come in the next century.
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