And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: OTTAWA BLAMES BC FOR DELAY IN NISGA'A DEBATE The Vancouver Sun, May 1, 1999, by Peter O'Neil and Craig McInnes, with a file from Tom Barrett [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.] The federal government is blaming B.C. for Ottawa's decision to delay ratifying the Nisga'a treaty until autumn. Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart said Friday the B.C. legislature took too long to ratify the landmark agreement. But she denied reports the federal delay is also an attempt to distance her government from B.C.'s controversial use of closure to end the treaty debate last week. "Given the importance of the Nisga'a legislation, it is appropriate to introduce it when the House of Commons resumes sitting in the fall to allow for fuller debate rather than rush it through in the few remaining weeks of the session," Stewart said in a statement Friday. Sources say the government thinking was that because native issues are a major concern to British Columbians and Reform appears to have gained momentum on the issue, it was better to put the issue off and hope there will be a calmer atmosphere in the fall. The federal government had said it preferred to wait until the B.C. bill had passed before Ottawa started the final stage of enacting the historic treaty. But Stewart made it clear earlier this year she wanted the federal bill tabled this spring regardless of what happened in Victoria. Prime Minister Jean Chretien promised Nisga'a Chief Joe Gosnell in December he would act quickly to make the treaty law. Federal government officials had expected the federal bill to be passed by June. B.C. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Gordon Wilson denied Friday the province was at fault in causing the federal delay. Part of the delay was caused by difficulties with the French translation, Wilson said, and there was no reason Ottawa had to wait for B.C. to finish before starting the ratification process in Parliament. "There was never any expectation on our part that they wouldn't introduce until we were finished -- they didn't suggest that that was not an option for them," Wilson said. Even with the delay, Wilson said, he believes the treaty is still on track if it passes before the end of the year. But he said he is already hearing from native leaders who fear Ottawa's commitment to the treaty process is flagging. "There is obviously some concern and fear that if everything takes as long as Nisga'a takes, this is going to be a very expensive and lengthy process." "It sends out the wrong signal," Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit said Friday. Despite assurances that the treaty will eventually pass, "the perception is a slowdown." Premier Glen Clark said he was not overly concerned about the delay. "It's a delay of a few months and that's disappointing, but I've talked to the federal government and clearly they intend to proceed and they will proceed this fall." But some of the treaty's opponents were encouraged by the decision. The federal Reform party praised the federal government's decision Friday -- and then took credit for it. "We don't think they would have come to this conclusion if it hadn't been for the pressures we exerted on them over the past couple of months," said Mike Scott, the official Opposition's aboriginal affairs critic. Scott's constituents in the northwestern B.C. riding of Skeena include the Nisga'a people. Scott said he agreed with federal sources who indicated again Friday that Ottawa was spooked by the controversy over native issues in general and in particular the controversy over B.C.'s use of closure last week. "I think they recognize that there's a real taint to the treaty now because of that and they want some distance between themselves and the provincial NDP," Scott said. The delay in Ottawa will give Reform and other opponents of the $480-million treaty more time to rally opposition in B.C. and perhaps across Canada, he said. Scott said he takes Stewart's statement as a commitment the federal government will not invoke time allocation to limit debate in the fall. The MP also wants support from the government to have the Commons aboriginal affairs committee travel to B.C. to study the issue. A federal source said time allocation would only be imposed if it became obvious Reform was using blatant stall tactics to tie up the government's legislative agenda. Ottawa expects the bill will get through the Commons and Senate before Christmas. One federal source conceded Friday that pressure from Reform played a role in the decision, as did a desire by Ottawa to distance itself from the Clark government on Nisga'a. He said B.C. has become a "cauldron" because of issues such as Nisga'a, the huge rent increases imposed on non-native leaseholders at Musqueam Park, and the pending passage of a bill that gives five B.C. bands extensive powers of expropriation. An Angus Reid Group poll completed in March confirmed that British Columbians are far more concerned about native issues than other Canadians. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to the Vancouver Sun - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Letters to Craig McInnes - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 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. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. 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