WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers reached a proposed arrangement Sunday following days of discussions over a pipeline dispute that prompted solidarity protests and transport disruptions across Canada.
Details of the draft deal, which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles, were not disclosed, however, and work on the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline at the heart of the dispute was set to resume Monday.
Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said they made progress during the talks.
B次元官网网址淲e, I believe, have come to a proposed arrangement that will also honour the protocols of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n people and clans,B次元官网网址� Bennett said in a news conference in Smithers, B.C. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檝e worked on this weekend needs to go back to those clans and then we have agreed as ministers that we will come back to sign if it is agreed upon by the Nation.B次元官网网址�
She said the proposal is about making sure B次元官网网址渢hat this never happens again, that rights holders will always be at the table.B次元官网网址�
British Columbia Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser said the talks have helped address the rights and title of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n, but thereB次元官网网址檚 still a B次元官网网址渄isagreementB次元官网网址� over the natural gas pipeline going through traditional territory.
Chief Woos, one of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary leaders, said the draft represents a milestone for everyone involved but that it hasnB次元官网网址檛 satisfied all of their concerns.
He stressed that the hereditary chiefs remain opposed to the pipeline in their traditional territory.
B次元官网网址淲e are going to be continuing to look at some more conversations with B.C. and of course with the proponent and further conversation with the RCMP out on the territory,B次元官网网址� Woos said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not over yet. We are just looking at more work in that area.B次元官网网址�
Shortly after the proposal was announced, Coastal GasLink issued a statement saying it would resume construction activities in the Morice River area, which is near the UnistB次元官网网址檕tB次元官网网址檈n Healing Centre, on Monday.
B次元官网网址淐oastal GasLink appreciates that a path has been identified to address significant issues of Aboriginal Title and Rights of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n people while recognizing that Coastal GasLink is fully permitted and remains on track for a 2023 in-service date,B次元官网网址� president David Pfeiffer said in the statement.
He added the company B次元官网网址渞emains committed to dialogue and engagementB次元官网网址� with all Indigenous groups along its route.
B次元官网网址淲e are encouraged by Chief Woos statement that he is open to dialogue and look forward to an opportunity to meet with the hereditary chiefs,B次元官网网址� Pfeiffer said.
The company had agreed to pause construction during the talks between the hereditary chiefs and the ministers, which began Thursday.
RCMP had also pledged to cease patrols along the Morice West Forest Service Road during the discussions. The Mounties did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.
The dispute over the pipeline has spurred solidarity protests across the country that have disrupted passenger and freight train service over the last three weeks. Police have recently moved to dismantle some of the blockades.
The WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n are governed by both a traditional hereditary chief system and elected band councils. A majority of its councils have approved the pipeline, but some of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary chiefs oppose it running through their traditional territory.
Gary Naziel, a WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary subchief who wants the pipeline built, said he hasnB次元官网网址檛 seen the proposed arrangement.
B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 done behind closed doors hasnB次元官网网址檛 been shared yet,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut it will be settled in the Feast Hall B次元官网网址� all this stuff thatB次元官网网址檚 been going on has to come to Feast Hall. We will deal with it there.B次元官网网址�
Naziel said no date has been set to discuss the proposal, but he noted itB次元官网网址檚 a good first step and heB次元官网网址檚 satisfied that the pipeline is going ahead.
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B次元官网网址淭he projects are going forward so that way we can get the benefits for our education and language,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f everybody is satisfied, thatB次元官网网址檚 fine by me. Internally we need to fix things in the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n Nation.
B次元官网网址淲e already know we had titles and rights to this land. We know we own this land. We didnB次元官网网址檛 have to send people across the country and start riots and all this. They said it was peaceful blockades but it was far from peaceful in some places.B次元官网网址�
The dispute also involves other unsettled land rights and title issues, including who has the right to negotiate with governments and corporations, the fact that the land is not covered by a treaty and remains unceded, and a 1997 court case that recognized the hereditary chiefsB次元官网网址� authority and the exclusive right of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n peoples to the land but did not specify the boundaries.
Lawyer Peter Grant, who represented the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n and neighbouring Gitxsan First Nation, said the proposal is not a treaty.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a draft arrangement, but I think itB次元官网网址檚 very powerful,B次元官网网址� he said.
The secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake said activists have decided to maintain their rail blockade on the territory south of Montreal, at least for now.
Kenneth Deer said the Mohawks want more clarification on the agreement between the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n hereditary chiefs and the federal government before making a final decision.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big decision to decide to take down the barricade or not, and they want to make sure they have everything before they make a decision,B次元官网网址� he said Sunday outside the entrance to the barricade, where Mohawk flags flew from a tent and pointed wooden shelter protected by low concrete barriers.
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Deer, who said heB次元官网网址檚 been in contact with hereditary chiefs, said there were good things that came out of the meeting in B.C., as well as B次元官网网址渟ome things that were not so good.B次元官网网址�
He said the agreement includes discussions on who are custodians of the land, as well as a recognition of the hereditary chiefs, which he described as B次元官网网址渟ignificant.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淗owever, the pipeline is not resolved, and that a very big issue, not only for the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n chiefs but for everybody,B次元官网网址� he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 1, 2020.
B次元官网网址� with files from Colette Derworiz in Edmonton and Morgan Lowrie in Kahnawake
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
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