Ahousaht Decision (2009)
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Citation: Ahousaht Indian Band and Nation v. Canada (Attorney General), 2009 BCSC 1494 Date: 20091103 Docket: S033335 Registry: Vancouver Between: The Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Hupacasath, Huu-ay-aht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Nuchatlaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, and Tseshaht Indian Bands and Nations et al. 2009 BCSC 1494 (CanLII) Plaintiffs And The Attorney General of Canada and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of British Columbia Defendants Before: The Honourable Madam Justice Garson Corrected Judgment: Pages 1 and 2 of the judgment were corrected on December 15, 2009 Reasons for Judgment Counsel for the Plaintiffs: J.R. Rich F. M. Kirchner K.D. Lee K. Blomfield L.C. Glowacki K.A. Pozniak Counsel for Canada (Attorney General): M.P. Doherty T.D. Timberg J.E. Hoffman J.M. Mackenzie B.C. Marleau M.G. Palmer M.L.I. Lafond M.L. French K.E. Jamieson B.M. Caldwell H.A. Walford Ahousaht Indian Band and Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) Page 2 S. Sheina J.L. Wright J.B. Kohm G.S. Lilles Counsel for British Columbia (Attorney J.J.L. Hunter, Q.C. General): L.J. Mrozinski M. Akey J.L. Owen G. van Ert Date and Place of Trial: Ahousaht, B.C. May 1 – 2, 2006 Vancouver, B.C. 2009 BCSC 1494 (CanLII) April 24 – 28, May 8 – 12; 15 – 18, 2006 February 4 – 8; 11 – 15; 25 – 29, March 3 – 6; 10 – 14; 25 – 28; 31, April 1 – 4; 7 – 11; 21 – 24; 28; 29, May 5 – 9; 15, 16; 26 – 30, June 2 – 5; 16 – 19; 23 – 27, September 2 – 5; 8 – 12; 15 – 19; 29; 30, 2008 March 9-11; 16-20; 23-25, 2009 Date and Place of Judgment: Vancouver, B.C. November 3, 2009 Ahousaht Indian Band and Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................... 1 II. OVERVIEW OF THE PARTIES’ POSITIONS............................. 6 III. ISSUES....................................................................................... 20 IV. LEGAL FRAMEWORK............................................................... 25 A. Aboriginal Rights – Overview of Legal Principles ........................ 26 1. Is there an existing aboriginal right?................................. 30 a. Characterizing the right.......................................... 34 b. Establishing the existence of the ancestral 2009 BCSC 1494 (CanLII) practice, custom or tradition advanced as supporting the claimed right................................... 36 c. Integral to the distinctive culture of the claimant’s pre-contact society................................................. 37 d. Continuity............................................................... 43 2. Has the aboriginal right been extinguished?..................... 46 3. Has there been a prima facie infringement of the right?... 48 4. Can the infringement be justified? .................................... 49 B. Analytical Approach in this Case................................................. 50 V. REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE..................................................... 55 A. Nature of the Evidence/Fact Finding Method .............................. 55 B. Documentary and Expert Evidence............................................. 64 1. Explorer Records.............................................................. 64 2. Common Book of Historical Documents ........................... 67 3. Expert evidence................................................................ 69 4. Primary and secondary evidence ..................................... 73 C. Evidence of Trade and Features of Trade................................... 85 D. Historical Chronology – Pre-contact to Present........................... 89 • Pre-contact period • Early contact period – 1774-1778 • Maritime fur trade period – 1785-1818 • 1820-1850 • Colonial period – 1850-1871 Colony of Vancouver Island Colony of British Columbia Traders Establishment of non-aboriginal commercial fishery – 1850s • 1860-1865 • Early confederation period – 1871-1920 Ahousaht Indian Band and Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) Page 4 VI. ABORIGINAL RIGHTS............................................................... 90 A. Date of Contact ........................................................................... 90 B. Pre-contact Practices and Way of Life ........................................ 97 1. Review of Explorer Records ............................................. 100 a. Juan Pérez and The Santiago ............................... 100 b. Bruno de Hezeta.................................................... 112 c. Captain James Cook ............................................. 113 d. James Strange....................................................... 135 e. James Colnett........................................................ 137 f. John Meares.......................................................... 138 g. Don Estevan Josef Martínez – 1789...................... 139 h. José Mariano Moziño............................................. 151 i. John Jewitt............................................................. 162 2009 BCSC 1494 (CanLII) j. Alexander Walker and the Strange Expedition ...... 175 k. Robert Haswell and The Columbia ........................ 178 l. Espinosa y Tello .................................................... 180 m. Caamano ............................................................... 181 3. Post-contact ethnographic evidence: Sproat and Drucker............................................................................. 182 4. Other evidence about the way of life of the Nuu-chah- nulth at contact ................................................................. 197 a. Dependence on fish............................................... 202 b. Political organization.............................................. 206 c. Kinship................................................................... 209 d. Feasting, potlatches and tribute............................. 225 e. Warfare and raiding ............................................... 229 f. Trade routes .......................................................... 235 g. Gifts as a form of trade .......................................... 238 C. Findings of Fact Concerning Fishing and Indigenous Trade at Contact........................................................................................ 242 D. Integrality of the Ancestral Practices to the Distinctive Culture of the Claimants’ Pre-contact Societies........................................... 284 1. Proper claimant group ...................................................... 287 a. Population decline ................................................. 304 b. History of each plaintiff .......................................... 310 i. Ehattesaht................................................... 310 ii Mowachaht/Muchalaht ................................ 324 iii. Hesquiaht.................................................... 337 iv. Ahousaht..................................................... 345 v. Tla-o-qui-aht................................................ 355 2. Species specificity ............................................................ 366 3. Site specificity................................................................... 385 E. Continuity with Modern Activity ................................................... 415 1. 1850 – 1871 Colonial period............................................. 421 2. 1871 – 1920 Early confederation period........................... 426 Ahousaht Indian Band and Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) Page 5 3. 1920 – 1960 mid-20th century – modern period............... 436 F. Characterization of the Right....................................................... 437 VII. ABORIGINAL TITLE................................................................... 491 A. Introduction ................................................................................. 491 B. Description of Plaintiffs’ Claim..................................................... 493 C. Duplication of Claim to Aboriginal Rights .................................... 498 VIII. INFRINGEMENT......................................................................... 503 A. Introduction ................................................................................. 503 B. Summary of Plaintiffs’ Position on Infringement .......................... 505 C. Summary of Canada’s Position on Infringement ......................... 509 D. Legal Principles........................................................................... 511 E. Background to Regulation of the Fishery .................................... 522 2009 BCSC 1494 (CanLII) F. Historical Overview of the Fishery Regulation............................. 524 G. Statutory and Regulatory Authority to Govern the Fishery .......... 544 1. The Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations ...................................................................... 555 H. Regulation of Specific Fisheries .................................................. 560 1. Regulation of the salmon fishery ...................................... 561 2. Regulation of the groundfish fishery – halibut, sablefish, rockfish, lingcod and dogfish ............................................ 566 3. Regulation of the herring fishery....................................... 578 4. Regulation of intertidal clams and geoducks .................... 584 I. Aboriginal Participation in the WCVI Fishery............................... 588 1. Shawn Dion Atleo............................................................. 590