Land claims need new ideas: Dion

Calls for more fed co-operation

Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator

Oakville (Aug 21, 2008)

Liberal leader Stephane Dion says Ottawa should work more closely with Ontario to resolve the native land claim disputes in Haldimand and Brantford.

"As usual, they don't," he said last night at a town hall meeting hosted by Halton MP Garth Turner.

"They are not doing that as they should. There is a lack of co-operation everywhere between the government and the province and this is very important to solve a complex issue as this one."

Dion did not offer any specifics on where the two governments can co-operate more, but both governments have clashed on the length of time it is taking to conclude negotiations with Six Nations on land claims.

Talks between Ottawa, Queen's Park and Six Nations are now in their third year and they have been suspended since June while Six Nations continues to mull over a $26-million offer from Ottawa to settle a Dunnville-area land claim.

Both governments have also clashed over funding of the dispute, mostly over policing costs.

A group of Brantford-area developers has recommended Ottawa pay some sort of levy to end land claims protests in Brantford. The Haldimand Tract Good Neighbours Coalition, which has attracted the support of the Six Nations elected band council, suggests Ottawa pay 25 per cent of municipal assessment on all new developments along the tract and, in return, Six Nations members would stop blocking development projects while land claim talks are concluded.

Dion told reporters he wouldn't rule it out, but he would have to study the idea more.

"I'm ready to consider it, but I will not make a decision now with you," he said.

"I would need to look at that and look at that with my MPs. We need to consider a different solution, certainly."

About 1,000 people attended the town hall at the St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre on Dundas Street.

Organizers said it was the largest crowd Dion has attracted for a town hall meeting, including people from Hamilton and as far away as Peterborough and Stratford.

The focus of the meeting was the Liberal party's Green Shift plan, which it has proposed to battle global warming due to climate change from pollution.

The party proposes to tax greenhouse gas emissions from fuels such as coal and natural gas, but cut personal and corporate taxes by billions.

On a large screen, Dion and Turner showed the crowd that under The Green Shift, a family with two children, making $60,000, would pay $1,300 less in taxes each year.

Dion, whose plan has been called The Green Shaft by critics, told reporters he didn't believe the plan faced a hard sell in the auto manufacturing sector and communities such as Oakville, with its Ford plant.

On election speculation, Dion said he would not be rushed into pulling the plug on the Tory minority government by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Prime Minister Harper does not run the official Opposition," he joked.

"Not yet, but he will be back to Opposition."