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PRIME MINISTER Brian Muironey attended a ceremony held on Monday in North Vancouver at the Squamish Nation Capilano Reserve. Mulroney, B.C. Premier Mike
Harcourt and First Nations Summit member Squamish Chiet Joe Mathias were among the signatories to a tripartite agreement establishing the B.C. Treaty Commission.

PM, premier, native chiefs commit to settling B.C. land claims by end of ’90s

FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL,

and native negotiators are

committed to settling all native land claims in B.C. by the
close of the decade, following an historic treaty-signing
ceremony held Monday at the Squamish Nation Capitano

Reserve in North Vancouver.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
and B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt
were among the signatories to a
document that establishes a tripar-
tite treaty commission.

Creation of the commission was
one of the key recommendations
made in a report released las: year
by the B.C. Claims Task Force.

The treaty commission, ex-
pected to be operational by as ecar-
ly as the end of the year, will in-
clude a chairman and four com-
missioners.

The commissioners will be ap-

By Michael Becker

‘News Reporter

nted to two-year terms.

Two will be selected by natives,
one will be appointed by the fed-
eral government and one will be
chosen by the B.C. government.

In May, the First Nations
Summit elected Fort Nelson Band
Dene lawyer Carole Corcoran and
Sto:Lo Tribal Council! manager
Doug Kelly as commissioners.

Monday’s signing ceremony
took place before native leaders
and representatives from
throughout B.C. gathered in the
newly-constructed Squamish Na-
tion Recreation Complex on the
southeast corner of Welch Street
and Capilano Road.

A marathon ceremony of
feasting, gift-giving and speech-
making was attended by about
1,500 people, including federal
Indian Affairs Minister Tom Sid-
don, B.C. Aboriginal Affairs
Minister Andrew Petter and Na-
tional Chief of the Assembly of
First Nations Ovide Mercredi.

Guests gathered in a longhouse
nearby watched the event from a
live television feed.

The document signing was
preceded by a sacred Coast Salish

Skway Skway dance.

In addition to Mulroney and
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 were
among those who signed the treaty
document.

Mulroney, wearing a brightly-
colored ceremonial blanket over
his suit, smiled broadly and held
high the paper to a round of ap-
plause following his signature.

Semeone shouted ‘Way to go
Mikzy!’? as Harcourt followed
with pen in hand at the signing
table.

Said Chemainus Tribe chief and
event master of ceremonies Willie
Seymour following the signing of

the document, ‘The premier and
prime minister didn’t read the fine
print — they just turned the coun-
try over ta us.’”’

In his speech following the sign-
ing, Harcourt praised Squamish
Chief Joe Mathias, one of the
principal negotiators of the
‘*made-in-B.C."’ land claims deal.

Harcourt described Mathias as
“ta very wise and gentle human
being.’’

Added Harcourt, ‘‘I was really
humbled listening in the tradition
of Simon Lucas and the other
great orators — aboriginal leaders
— listening a few years ago to
Chief Mathias in the old
longhouse just a few metres from
here, as he described the history

See Squamish page 3

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969