A historic treaty negotiation in the works for more than two decades, involving the provincial and federal governments and First Nations communities in central British Columbia, has the potential to lift his people out of poverty and change the status quo, says Chief Mike Archie of the Canim Lake Band, one of four Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) te Qelmucw (NStQ) bands involved in the process.
“The status quo wasn't good enough for us,” says Archie. “I have a mandate to carry that forward and negotiate the best possible treaty.”
The negotiations, which started in 1993, cover a wide range of land, governance and resource issues and involve millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of acres of territory.
A vote to approve what the NStQ Treaty Group has negotiated to date and move into final negotiations (from Stage 4 to Stage 5) is set for Feb. 11, 2016.
The NStQ comprises some 2,500 members in four First Nation bands – Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake), Stswecem’c / Xgat’tem (Canoe Creek/Dog Creek), Xats’ull/Cmetem’ (Soda Creek) and T’exelc (Williams Lake).
“At the end of the day, the membership will decide whether we carry on,” says Archie.
While negotiations continue, parts of the deal, released to NStQ members in a Draft Agreement in Principle, came under heavy criticism recently in an article by an influential member of the Canim Lake Band.
Julian NoiseCat, a young history scholar who in 2014 was nominated to run for Chief of the Canim Lake Band, wrote a scathing piece in The Guardian newspaper in August, urging a “no” vote on the upcoming treaty question.
NoiseCat calls the deal “a cunning land grab” that plays into “an overall strategy of undermining First Nations land rights and sovereignty” in B.C. and throughout Canada.
“This is not 100 years ago when it was the government clearly and undoubtedly cancelling and nullifying and taking our land. This is much more insidious.”
In response to NoiseCat's criticism, Beth Bedard, the NStQ Treaty Team co-ordinator, says the land and fiscal packages are still being negotiated and nothing is final.
“As in all negotiations, there are starting points and end points.”
The vote in February to move from draft treaty to final negotiations was originally slated this October, but the NStQ decided it needed more time to consult with members and delayed the vote by five months.
“There will be meetings held and we encourage community members to contact their treaty department to make sure they're registered,” says Bedard.
NoiseCat says the NStQ needs to do a better job of getting information out now.
“There's a huge lack of transparency here. If there is a higher amount [in the fiscal package], it's not available to NStQ members, and we're supposed to be voting in [five months].