6, 1992

Deep Cove Regatta

68 pages

as 2

Office, Editorial 985-21

PRIME MINISTER Brian Mulroney and Premier Mike

Harcourt will attend 2

treaty-signing ceremony Monday

at the Squamish Nation Capilano reserve in North Van-

couver.

A day-long ceremony, to be at-
tended by about 1,500 people, in-
cluding federal indian Affairs
Minister Tom Siddon, B.C.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister An-
drew Petter, National Chief of the
Assembly of First Nations Ovide
Mercredi and native repre-
sentatives from throughout the
province, will celebrate the signing
of an agreement to set up a B.C.

By Michael Becker
News Reporter

Treaty Commission.

Said Capilano-Howe Sound
Tory MP Mary Collins, ‘‘The
treaty commission is tripartite —
federal, provincial and the native
bands themselves. It will be the

a

QUVER

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first step in the process towards
the settling of land claims."

Said Squamish Chief Joe
Mathias, ‘‘It’s what we call a
made-in-B.C. approach. Because
of the many tribal councils and
First Nations it was necessary to
design something that would be
acceptable for British Columbia.
Any other models to this point
never did work.”

Creation of the commission was
one of the major recommenda-
tions made in a report released
last year by the B.C. Claims Task
Force.

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WEDNESDAY |

Monique Mees at
Catriona Jeffries

Now spotlight: 27

The treaty commission will in-
clude a chairman and four com-
missioners.

The commissioners will be ap-
pointed to two-year terms. Two
will be selected by natives, one
will be appointed by the federal
government and one will be
chosen by the B.C. government.

Among those signing the tripar-
tite agreement will be Mulroney,
Harcourt, First Nations Summit
members Squamish Chief Joe
Mathias, Chief Edward John of
the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council}
and Miles Richardson of the
Council of the Haida Nation.

SE RE
Beane

WIND FILLS the spinnakers of sailboats during the Deep Cove Regatta off Dollar-
ton on Sunday. More than 30 sailboats in four different classes took part in the

Deep Cove Yacht Club-sponsored competition.

Twenty-one major claims for
tribal territories covering the pro-
vince were subject to comprehen-
sive claims and negotiations as of
1990.

Said Mathias, ‘‘This is designed
specifically to move it along.’’

The Squamish have not tabled a
claims document to either the
provincial or federal government.
“We're not too far from doing
that. We’re undertaking our nec-
essary research work in putting
that package together. Once the
commission is set up, that’s the
vehicle we'll be going to,”’
Mathias said.

aes cs

OOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969