Roger William
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File No. 34986 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA (ON APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEAL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA) BETWEEN: ROGER WILLIAM, on his own behalf and on behalf of all other members of the XENI GWET’IN FIRST NATIONS GOVERNMENT and on behalf of all other members of the TSILHQOT’IN NATION APPELLANT AND: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE REGIONAL MANAGER OF THE CARIBOO FOREST REGION and THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA RESPONDENTS AND: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF SASKATCHEWAN, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ALBERTA, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC, and THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MANITOBA INTERVENERS APPELLANT’S FACTUM (Rule 42 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada) Counsel for the Appellant, ROGER WILLIAM, on his own behalf and on behalf of all other members of the XENI GWET’IN FIRST NATIONS GOVERNMENT and on behalf of all other members of the TSILHQOT’IN NATION David M. Rosenberg, Q.C. Agent for the Appellant: Jay Nelson Henry S. Brown Rosenberg & Rosenberg Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 671D Market Hill 2600 - 160 Elgin Street Vancouver, BC V5Z 4B5 P.O. Box 466, Stn “D” Phone: 604-879-4505 Fax: 604-897-4934 Ottawa, ON K1P 1C5 Email: [email protected] Phone: 613-233-1781 Fax: 613-563-9869 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Counsel for the Respondents, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA and THE REGIONAL MANAGER OF THE CARIBOO FOREST REGION Patrick G. Foy, Q.C. Agent for the Respondents: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Nadia Effendi 1200 Waterfront Centre, 200 Burrard Street Borden Ladner Gervais LLP P.O. Box 48600, Stn. Bentall Ctr World Exchange Plaza Vancouver, BC V7X 1T2 100 Queen Street, Suite 1100 Phone: 604-687-5744 Fax: 604-687-1415 Ottawa, ON K1P 1J9 Email: [email protected] Phone: 613-237-5160 Fax: 613-230-8842 Counsel for the Respondent, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA Mark R. Kindrachuk Q.C. Agent for the Respondent: Attorney General of Canada Christopher M. Rupar 123-2nd Avenue S., Attorney General of Canada 10th Floor Bank of Canada Building – East Tower Saskatchewan, SK S7K 7E6 234 Wellington Street, Room 1212 Phone: 306-975-4765 Fax: 306-975-5013 Ottawa, ON K1A 0H8 Email: [email protected] Phone: 613-941-2351 Fax: 613-954-1920 Email: [email protected] Counsel for Intervener, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF SASKATCHEWAN Agent for the Intervener Henry S. Brown, Q.C. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 2600 – 160 Elgin Street P.O. Box 466, Stn “D” Ottawa, ON K1P 1C3 Phone: 613-233-1781 Fax: 613-788-3433 Email: [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ALBERTA Sandra Folkins Agent for the Intervener Attorney General of Alberta Henry S. Brown, Q.C. 17th Floor, Standard Life Building Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 639 – 5th Avenue SW 2600 – 160 Elgin Street Calgary, AB T2P 0M9 P.O. Box 466, Stn “D” Phone: 403-297-3781 Fax: 403-662-3824 Ottawa, ON K1P 1C3 Phone: 613-233-1781 Fax: 613-788-3433 Email: [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC Geneviève Verreault Tremblay Agent for the Intervener Sylvain Leboeuf Pierre Landry Procureur général du Québec Noël & Associés 1200, route de l’Église 111, rue Champlain 2e étage Gatineau, QC J8X 3R1 Québec, QC G1V 4M1 Phone: 819-771-7393 Fax: 819-771-5397 Phone: 418-643-1477 Fax: 418-646-1696 Email: [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MANITOBA Agent for the Intervener Henry S. Brown, Q.C. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 2600 – 160 Elgin Street P.O. Box 466, Stn “D” Ottawa, ON K1P 1C3 Phone: 613-233-1781 Fax: 613-788-3433 Email: [email protected] i TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I – STATEMENT OF FACTS ............................................................................................. 1 A. Overview ............................................................................................................................. 1 B. The Facts as Found by the Trial Judge................................................................................ 3 C. The Xeni Gwet’in and the Tsilhqot’in Nation .................................................................... 3 D. The Claim Area ................................................................................................................... 4 E. Continuous Tsilhqot’in Presence Throughout the Claim Area for Centuries ..................... 5 F. Tsilhqot’in Patterns of Occupation: Settlements, Cultivation and Seasonal Rounds ......... 6 G. The Legendary Landscape of the Claim Area..................................................................... 8 H. Historical Narrative ............................................................................................................. 9 I. Tsilhqot’in Defence of Territory ....................................................................................... 13 J. Background to the Litigation ............................................................................................ 16 K. The Trial Decision............................................................................................................. 17 L. Advisory Opinion on Tsilhqot’in Aboriginal Title in the Claim Area ............................. 18 M. Consequences of Aboriginal title ...................................................................................... 21 N. Appeals to the B.C. Court of Appeal ................................................................................ 22 PART II – ISSUES ....................................................................................................................... 23 PART III – ARGUMENT ............................................................................................................. 24 ISSUE #1: PROOF OF ABORIGINAL TITLE ........................................................................... 24 A. The Foundations of Aboriginal Title in Recognition and Respect ................................... 24 B. The Modern Law of Aboriginal Title................................................................................ 28 1. Calder v. British Columbia ......................................................................................... 29 2. Delgamuukw v. British Columbia ............................................................................... 29 3. R. v. Marshall; R. v. Bernard ...................................................................................... 32 C. Errors in the Judgment of the Court of Appeal ................................................................. 37 1. The Court of Appeal disregarded the clear direction of this Court ............................. 38 2. The “context-specific nature of common law title” .................................................... 39 ii 3. “Occupation … of the land as part of the aboriginal society’s traditional way of life” ................................................................................................................. 41 4. “The Aboriginal perspective on land … includ[ing] … their systems of law” .......... 43 5. “[O]ne looks to aboriginal practices rather than imposing a European template” ..... 46 6. International Law ........................................................................................................ 49 7. Historical Foundations of Aboriginal Title ................................................................. 50 8. “Cultural preservation” as a Justification for Diminishing Aboriginal Title .............. 52 D. This case must be decided on its facts as found by the Trial Judge .................................. 55 E. Reconciliation ................................................................................................................... 62 ISSUE #2: LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF ABORIGINAL TITLE .......................................... 66 A. Lack of Statutory Authority .............................................................................................. 67 B. Lack of Constitutional Authority ...................................................................................... 69 1. Aboriginal title is at the core of exclusive federal jurisdiction under s. 91(24) .......... 69 2. Interjurisdictional immunity and s. 91(24) ................................................................. 70 3. Provinces cannot impair the use or possession of “Lands reserved for the Indians” . 71 4. Section 88 of the Indian Act does not apply ............................................................... 72 5. Application to the present appeal ................................................................................ 73 6. The implications of interjurisdictional immunity are manageable ............................. 74 C. Unjustified Infringement of Tsilhqot’in Aboriginal title .................................................. 75 D. Conclusions on the Legal Consequences of Tsilhqot’in Aboriginal Title ........................ 77 PART IV - SUBMISSIONS CONCERNING COSTS ................................................................. 79 PART V - ORDERS SOUGHT .................................................................................................... 80 PART VI – TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ..................................................................................... 81 PART VII – STATUTES & REGULATIONS ............................................................................. 89 APPENDIX “A”: PROVEN TITLE AREA – VISUAL AID APPENDIX “B”: ORDER STATING THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS 1 PART I – STATEMENT OF FACTS A. Overview