Ottawa 'understands' occupation, McGuinty says

But spokesperson for Indian Affairs minister seems puzzled by emphasis

Nov. 14, 2006. 05:24 PM
Toronto Star

Ottawa has a new understanding of the urgent need to end the nine-month aboriginal occupation in Caledonia following recent, low-key meetings with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the federal Indian Affairs minister, Premier Dalton McGuinty said today.

Although Harper didn't agree to pay the $40-million cost of the occupation when the pair met Nov. 4, McGuinty said he expects to see the federal government show new determination to end the long-running dispute.

"We are caught up in a police action here which apparently we're going to have to maintain indefinitely," McGuinty said.

"Fundamentally, this is a dispute between the Six Nations community and the federal government . . . My sense is the federal government is more impressed with the urgency of the situation and I think we'll see more determination to resolve this quickly."

McGuinty's show of optimism today was a marked change from the escalating war of words between Ontario and the federal government over the occupation, which began in February.

McGuinty had been forcefully calling for Ottawa to "step up to the plate" and take responsibility for the Caledonia occupation, including footing the staggering bill that the disputed land claim has produced for provincial taxpayers.

That tough talk prompted federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice to cancel a meeting with his Ontario counterpart David Ramsay last month — but not until Ramsay had flown to Ottawa and was sitting in his office.

But that snub is in the past, said Ramsay, who met Friday with Prentice.

The federal government is now prepared to look at reimbursing some of Ontario's costs and take a new "leadership role" in ending the dispute at the negotiating table, Ramsay said.

"With the renewed vigour from the federal government at the table, that should mean we should be able to speed things up," Ramsay said.

But the two levels of government still appear to be singing from different songbooks. Deirdra McCracken, a spokeswoman for Prentice, said she doesn't know what Ramsay meant in his comment about Ottawa's new "leadership role."

The federal government will continue to sit at the negotiating table, as it has from the beginning, she said.

"If we had something to announce coming out of that meeting, we would have done so," McCracken said. "We've been at the tables now, just as long as Ontario has . . . We have played an active role so far in the negotiations."

McCracken wouldn't comment on whether the federal government will pay for part of the occupation costs, saying the meeting between the two ministers was private and the federal government is "content to keep the contents of it private."

Still, some in Caledonia were encouraged that the meeting took place at all.

Newly re-elected Haldimand Mayor Marie Trainer said residents are hopeful Ottawa will take a stronger role in resolving the land claim.

The federal government could start by resolving some of the 29 outstanding land claims up and down the Grand River to build some trust, she said.

"There are a few that nobody is disputing on either side so they should be able to resolve those quickly," Trainer said. "It sounds like we're going in the right direction."

Six Nations protesters occupying the former housing development site in the town outside Hamilton say the land was taken illegally from them over 200 years ago. They have vowed to continue the occupation through the winter, if necessary, to win back the land.