Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, BC) – The First Nations Leadership Council is cautiously optimistic regarding the federal government’s announcement today of a new independent body mandated to make binding decisions with respect to the resolution of specific claims. Legislation for the establishment of this body is expected to be considered by the House of Commons in September 2007.
“An independent panel on specific claims is long overdue,” said Regional Chief Shawn Atleo of the BC Assembly of First Nations and a member of the First Nations Leadership Council. “Given this body will possess the necessary mandate with full decision-making authority and an appropriate level of financial and human resources, we expect they ensure that specific claims are fairly considered and equitably resolved in a timely manner.”
“The Government of Canada acting as both the judge and jury in the specific claims process has been in a clear conflict of interest. Removing this conflict through the creation of an independent body will ensure that we do not have to wait ninety years to resolve the existing backlog of claims,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and a member of the First Nations Leadership Council. “Furthermore, an effective Specific Claims Policy must be fully committed to addressing, and not side-stepping, all types of claims regardless of size and scope.”