Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Vancouver, Coast Salish Territory - "Once again, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Minister Robert Nault are wilfully ignoring the inherent rights of First Nations. First and foremost, we have the inherent right to self-determination", says Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. Chief Phillip was reacting to the introduction of the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Institutions Initiative today by Minister Robert Nault.

"Instead of recognizing our Aboriginal Title and Aboriginal Rights, with today's announcement, Chretien and Nault are ignoring Canada's fiduciary duty to band councils and asking band councils to tax their members and lease their reserve lands and mortgage the future of their children to meet the desperate socio-economic needs of their communities today. In short, this is nothing less than economic blackmail", stated Chief Phillip.

The First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Institutions Initiative is one piece of the aggressive federal legislative campaign, which includes the *First Nations Governance Act, Specific Claims Resolution Act and First Nations Land Management Act, that Prime Minister Chretien and Minister Nault are forcing upon First Nations in the attempt to off-load the rapidly increasing levels of poverty onto the backs of band councils.

“Rather than recognizing the Nation-to-Nation relationship between Canada and First Nations, Chretien and Nault are forcing band councils to administer our own poverty. Economic self-sufficiency will never arise as a result of the municiplization of our communities. Economic self-sufficiency will only arise when the Government of Canada recognizes and accomondates our Title and Rights through the enactment of legislation that will provide our communities direct access to the natural resources of our territories,” said Chief Phillip.

Chief Phillip concluded, "The continued denial of our Aboriginal Title and the right to benefit from the resources of our territories have directly contributed to the growing poverty within our communities. If Canada recognized our title and our right to benefit from the resources of our territories it would more than provide the financial resources necessary for our communities to meet the growing socio-economic needs of our communities."

*Background information and legal analysis of the First Nations Governance Act are available on the UBCIC web site.

Established in 1969, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs is a political organization protecting the Aboriginal Title and Rights of our member communities. We are based in Kamloops and have an office in Vancouver. For further details visit our website.