July 28, 2014 - Vancouver, BC - Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Bernard Valcourt, today met with the Honourable John Rustad, BC Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Sophie Pierre, Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit, and Dave Porter of the BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council. At this meeting, Minister Valcourt announced that the Government of Canada is taking further action to help advance treaty negotiations and reconciliation in response to the final report of Special Federal Representative on West Coast Energy Infrastructure Douglas Eyford and other previous engagements with Aboriginal groups and key stakeholders beginning in 2009.
Specifically, in response to key recommendations in the Eyford Report, the Government of Canada is taking action to promote reconciliation in advance of and outside of treaty. These measures include:
- negotiating incremental treaty and non-treaty agreements;
- engaging on the existing guidelines on consultation for federal officials and new guidance for industry, including an overall policy statement clarifying roles and responsibilities;
- entering into more consultation protocols with Aboriginal groups in key priority areas such as resource development; and
- clarifying the Government of Canada’s approach to supporting the resolution of shared territory disputes in the context of resource development.
The Government of Canada is also taking steps to help address some of the key impediments to concluding treaties in BC and elsewhere in Canada by:
- making important changes to Canada’s own source revenue policy;
- resuming treaty fisheries negotiations in BC, which were deferred pending the Cohen Report; and
- employing an additional approach to achieving certainty that was developed in partnership with British Columbia and First Nations through the BC Common Table process.
In addition, the Government of Canada will be developing a new Framework for Addressing Section 35 Aboriginal Rights through dialogue with partners. As a first step in developing this Framework, Minister Valcourt has appointed Douglas Eyford as a Ministerial Special Representative to lead engagement with Aboriginal groups and key stakeholders to renew and reform the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy.
The Government recognizes that reconciliation is an important process and one that must balance the rights of all Canadians. The Government of Canada looks forward to continuing to work with partners on shared solutions that deliver positive results for the benefit of all Canadians.
Erica Meekes
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
819-997-0002
Media Relations
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
819-953-1160
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