A New Direction: Advancing Aboriginal and Treaty Rights

A New direcTioN /////////////////////// AdvANciNg AborigiNAl ANd TreATy righTs /// by douglAs r. eyford execuTive summAry ...................................................................................................... 2 SECTION 1 — iNTroducTioN ............................................................................................ 8 SECTION 2 — TreATy-mAkiNg iN cANAdA ..........................................................................14 A. Canada’s Role in Treaty-Making ��14 B. Historic Treaty-Making �� 15 C. Suspension in Treaty-Making ��16 D. Modern Treaty-Making �� 17 E. Past Reports on Canada’s Approach to Negotiating Aboriginal Rights Claims ................................ 24 SECTION 3 — evoluTioN of The legAl lANdscApe ........................................................... 26 SECTION 4 — A New recoNciliATioN frAmework ............................................................ 34 A. Modern Treaties �� 36 B. Other Reconciliation Arrangements .....................................................................................................40 C. A New Rights-Informed Approach ........................................................................................................ 45 SECTION 5 — reformiNg moderN TreATy-mAkiNg ........................................................... 48 A. Institutional Barriers and Process Inefficiencies ��49 B. BC Treaty Process �� 57 C. Funding Negotiations ��61 D. Shared Territories and Overlapping Claims ......................................................................................... 65 E. Extinguishment, Certainty, and Finality ............................................................................................... 70 F. Implementation �� 76 SECTION 6 — coNcludiNg commeNTs ............................................................................ 80 AppeNdix A — lisT of eNgAgemeNT ParTicipANTs ...........................................................82 AppeNdix b — lisT of compreheNsive clAims NegoTiATioN TAbles Across cANAdA ...........84 AppeNdix c — coNsolidATed lisT of recommeNdATioNs .................................................86 Acknowledgements: I wish to express my gratitude to Amanda Roelofsen and Ben Clermont for their contributions to this project, and to Richard Alvarez, Brad Vaillancourt, and Mathieu Sargent for the assistance they provided. The opinions and views outlined in this independent report are those of Mr. Douglas Eyford, the Ministerial Special Representative on Renewing the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy. They are not necessarily the opinions or views of the Government of Canada. www.aandc.gc.ca / 1-800-567-9604 / TTY only 1-866-553-0554 QS- 6352-000-EE-A1 Catalogue : R3-221/2015E-PDF ISBN: 978-1-100-25469-8 This Publication is also available in French under the title: Une nouvelle orientation : Faire avancer les droits ancestraux et issus de traités des Autochtones. A New DirectioN / 1 Letter to the Hon. Bernard Valcourt 20 February 2015 Dear Minister: RE: Renewing Canada’s Comprehensive Land Claims Policy Enclosed for delivery is my report, A New Direction: Advancing Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. Canada has addressed Aboriginal land claims through a formal comprehensive land claims policy since 1973. There have been far-reaching changes in Canadian Aboriginal law since that policy was last updated in 1993. There is a great deal of interest across Canada in your initiative to renew the comprehensive land claims policy as part of a new framework to address Aboriginal and treaty rights. This report addresses the elements of my mandate. It identifies and discusses the issues raised at engagement meetings by representatives of Aboriginal communities and organizations, provincial and territorial governments, and stakeholders about Canada’s interim comprehensive land claims policy. I have also provided a series of recommendations which I trust will be of value in your deliberations about next steps. My role as Ministerial Special Representative has now come to an end. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important initiative. Yours truly, Douglas R. Eyford A New DirectioN / 2 Executive Summary //////////////////////////////////////////////// Treaty-making has been a dominant feature of Crown-Aboriginal relations since the 18th century. The earliest treaties in present day Canada were simple agreements designed to secure military alliances, promote peace, and facilitate trade. As the country expanded west and north, treaties were completed to clear title to the land for settlement and development. Canada’s efforts to conclude treaties ended in 1921 without treaties being completed in parts of Quebec, Labrador, Ontario, the north, and most of British Columbia. A New DirectioN / 3 //////////////////////////////////////////////// Canada re-established a policy of treaty-making in 1973 in response to persisting claims of unextinguished Aboriginal rights to land. Comprehensive land claims agreements are the modern equivalent of historic treaties. They are designed to provide certainty and predictability over land and resources. Modern treaties, where completed, have improved socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal beneficiaries. It is discouraging, however, that only 26 agreements have been finalized in 42 years given the expenditure of time and resources on negotiations. From the outset, the comprehensive land claims process has been undermined by institutional barriers and process inefficiencies. Today, 75 claims are at various stages of negotiation. More than 80 per cent of those tables have been in the treaty process for longer than ten years, some for more than two decades. It is costly to maintain negotiations that drag on year-after-year. Aboriginal participation is funded through a combination of loans and non-repayable contributions. Since 1973, Canada has advanced in excess of $1 billion to Aboriginal groups through loans and contributions. The debt burden has become an unsustainable barrier to progress. There is a conspicuous lack of urgency in negotiations and in many cases there are sharp dif- ferences between the parties about the core elements of a modern treaty. A plan needs to be developed to bring negotiations to a close. All parties must be ready to confront hard realities. Not all claims appear to be heading to successful conclusions. Efforts to negotiate comprehensive land claims have occurred during a period of sweeping legal changes. In 1982, Aboriginal and treaty rights were recognized and affirmed in the Canadian Constitution. Since then, litigation has dominated Crown-Aboriginal relations and a series of judicial decisions has imposed high standards on the Crown in its dealings with Aboriginal people. It has been challenging for public policy to keep pace with the evolving legal landscape. In July 2014, the Hon. Bernard Valcourt asked me to lead Canada’s engagement with Aboriginal groups and key stakeholders as a first step towards the renewal of Canada’s comprehensive land claims policy. My appointment coincided with the release of an interim policy, Renewing the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy: Towards a Framework for Addressing Section 35 Aboriginal Rights. The interim policy outlines Canada’s approach to developing a new framework to address Aboriginal and treaty rights and was intended as a starting point for my engagement with Aboriginal groups and others. A New DirectioN / 4 //////////////////////////////////////////////// Engagement meetings took place over a period of several months in eight provinces and two territories. The meetings were attended by representatives from over 100 Aboriginal communities, as well as Aboriginal organizations, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, and other stakeholders. The meetings provided a constructive exchange of views about the comprehensive land claims process, as well as more general discussions about Canada’s relationship with Aboriginal Canadians. The renewal of the comprehensive land claims policy is timely. As the interim policy notes, Aboriginal people represent the fastest-growing segment of the Canadian population, with close to 50 per cent of the Aboriginal population under age 25. The interim policy links these demographics to opportunities for economic growth, prosperity, and job creation. It acknow- ledges a series of principles to recognize and reconcile Aboriginal rights and proposes that recognition and reconciliation be pursued through agreements and arrangements

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