Susan Gamble
Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 01:00
Brantford Expositor
There's good news and bad news in the negotiations over the Caledonia land squabble, said Confederacy chiefs who spoke out on the one year anniversary of the dispute.
The good news is that it has been a year of unprecedented discussions involving the provincial and federal governments and the Six Nations Confederacy and elected band council at a time when most land issues move at the pace of a sickly snail.
But the bad news is that while negotiations haven't reached an impasse, natives are taking a stand that the time has come for some progress.
"Having people sit at the table and have discussions with us isn't negotiation," said Confederacy Chief Allen MacNaughton on Wednesday. However, he added, there could be a breakthrough at any time if the governments would demonstrate a little political goodwill.
MacNaughton and other Confederacy chiefs - many wearing regal-looking gustowas of feathers and antlers - held a news conference to offer their perspective of the standoff.
With more than 100 reporters and Confederacy supporters crammed into the tiny old Confederacy council house, the chiefs spoke of the frustration that has built up in the community after having their land claims ignored for decades.
They said the yearlong discussions that have taken place have only turned up more evidence that Canada and Ontario have deliberately worked to usurp land granted to the natives.
The chiefs said there is proof in Canadian records that land was being sold by the government well before the date the government said the property was surrendered by the natives, and that the government was actively encouraging squatters to settle on native land in order to help develop the Plank Road, which is now Highway 6.
"As of today, we have not see anything of substance which would support the opinion of the Federal Department of Justice," MacNaughton told the crowd.
To the guttural sounds of agreement in the native crowd, sub-chief Leroy Hill said the people of Six Nations are insulted by the unprecedented prosperity and growth all around the reserve, while the government claims there isn't enough money for their young people to pursue post-secondary education as part of their agreement.
"They're putting their feet on our elders," said Hill.
"I don't think our objective is a big pot of money on the table. We need to get education, health and our water problems dealt with."
MacNaughton declined to blame those at the negotiation tables, saying the problem was with the mandate the negotiators had been given.
He said he has asked many times if Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice could join the discussions occasionally but has been rebuffed.
"The province has been most co-operative," MacNaughton noted, "although it would be beneficial to meet with (Premier Dalton) McGuinty and opposition leaders."
He added that with a provincial election on the horizon, it will be a test of the relationship established at the negotiation tables.
An excellent gesture of goodwill would be to give the natives the Douglas Creek Estates land they are occupying, said the chiefs, and to speed up work on their land claims.
According to Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the Indian Affairs minister said Wednesday that Ottawa is taking the Caledonia negotiations very seriously but it will take time to settle a 200-year-old land claim.
Premier McGuinty said it's Ottawa's responsibility to step up with a proposal to end the occupation.
"Until the federal government comes to the table in earnest with a solid proposal and a determination to resolve this, that situation will continue," McGuinty told CP.
He said he'd be "delighted" to hear from the prime minister on the subject.
Meanwhile, the Confederacy chiefs hinted that too much of a delay could lead to more protests or their followers taking things into their own hands.
"Our people have demonstrated goodwill, and our government has demonstrated goodwill. Now it's time for your government to demonstrate goodwill," Hill told the reporters.
"We're not going away. Not this time."