And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: DRAFT TREATY FOR SECHELT ABORIGINALS EXPECTED TUESDAY Canadian Press, January 25, 1999, by Dirk Meissner [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] VICTORIA (CP) - The Sechelt Indian Band appears to have a lock on British Columbia's second modern-day aboriginal treaty. Premier Glen Clark, Sechelt aboriginals and federal government representatives are expected to announce Tuesday they have reached a draft agreement in principle on a treaty. A joint statement is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at Sechelt, located on B.C.s Sunshine Coast about 50 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. "The negotiators believe that there is the basis for an agreement in principle," Clark said Monday. He said the draft agreement will go to the federal and provincial cabinets and the Sechelt people for consultation. "If that goes well well have an agreement in principle and then we have to sit down and negotiate the actual treaty," Clark said. The Nisga'a aboriginals reached an agreement in principle on their treaty in February 1996, after more than 25 years of on-again, off-again negotiations. The three sides - Ottawa, Victoria and the Nisga'a - initialled a treaty last August, and the deal is currently being debated in the B.C. legislature. It has yet to be introduced into the Commons, where it must be passed before becoming law. The Nisgaa approved the treaty in a tribal referendum last November. Clark said he was not at liberty to discuss the details of the potential Sechelt deal. Last month, Ottawa and Victoria tabled a land and cash offer to the Sechelt. It included about $40 million and ownership of 950 hectares of urban and rural lands. The urban land included 645 hectares located near the Sechelt airport. The offer also included 288 hectares of rural land at Vancouver Bay, Stakawus Creek, Brittain River and Narrows Inlet. The Sechelt draft agreement in principle has the potential to become the first treaty reached under the B.C. Treaty Commission. Ottawa, British Columbia and aboriginal groups signed an agreement in 1992 that set out the framework for negotiating treaties. There are currently 42 sets of treaty negotiations in progress in British Columbia. The Sechelt band joined the tripartite negotiation process in 1994. Before joining the treaty talks, the band was the first aboriginal group in Canada to be granted self government in 1986 and the authority to manage its own lands under the Indian Act. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: SOVEREIGNTY IS THE ANSWER - CANADA IS THE PROBLEM To see the Draft Agreement in Principle and official propaganda: http://www.aaf.gov.bc.ca/aaf/news/Sechelt126.htm More information on the fraudulent BC Treaty Commission: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/Clark/BCgovt.html Some history of the Sechelt agreement: Feb/98: Sechelt band expected to pull out of BCTC http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/Clark/feb98bctc.html Sep22/98: Sechelt band litigates against BC http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/Clark/sep2298bctc.html In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
