Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 07:00
Brantford Expositor
Editorial - More than a month ago, the federal government offered $125 million to help settle four Six Nations land claims and end the occupation in Caledonia.
Six Nations leadership promptly rejected the offer, saying they were only looking for land, not money. Since then, silence.
Nothing from the feds. No counter offer from Six Nations nor an explanation of their puzzling position that money is unacceptable when it could be used to buy the land they're seeking.
Monday, Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer held a press conference to press for progress on negotiations, including a demand to meet with the Prime Minister on the issue and that the county be granted observer status at the talks.
What that will accomplish is anyone's guess. Equally curious is Trainer's suggestion that local Tory MP Diane Finley be appointed as the point person on the issue, given that Finley has been consistently criticized for her ineffectiveness in relation to the issue - often by Trainer herself.
Trainer also revealed that Six Nations leadership has asked the federal government to explain how they arrived at the $125-million figure.
While much of the negotiating has taken place behind closed doors, we recommend that the feds explain this to both Six Nations and the taxpaying public. We also suggest Six Nations leadership make public their reasons why the $125-million offer did not address their issues and what a fair settlement would be.
That's only fair since both Canadian taxpayers and the Six Nations people are aware of what the federal government is offering to try to settle the dispute, which has resulted in the occupation of a housing development in Caledonia for nearly a year and a half.
Both Canadian taxpayers and Six Nations people should also know what Six Nations' leaders think is a reasonable settlement and why.
The argument for the silence from the negotiating table is to let the parties work in private and make progress.
But since we have known for well over a month how the federal government defines a reasonable settlement - or at least a starting point - all we know from the Six Nations perspective is what they find unacceptable, namely the cash offer from the feds.
Plus, from the outside, talks appear to be in disarray, with the province replacing Jane Stewart as its representative earlier this year and the federal government announcing a new approach to land claims.
What exactly are we protecting with this silence? Progress is only threatened if it's actually taking place.
Here's what we do know, as Trainer pointed out Monday: that the current occupation and fear of other occupations has ground development to a halt in Haldimand County.
A little more information may not be much, but it's better than nothing for those whose lives and livelihoods hang in the balance.