The elected chief of Six Nations says Canada lacks the financial means to settle native land claims.
In a letter issued Tuesday updating his community on land rights resolutions, Chief Coun. Bill Montour outlined problems that natives face in achieving a resolution on the land rights disagreements.
The chief pointed out that the failure to solve the problem has created "division and distrust" against both the Six Nations elected and the Confederacy councils.
"At no other time in our history has there been a more compelling time for us to pull together in unity than now," wrote Montour.
Montour couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday on the letter.
In the letter, he said negotiations will fail because "Canada is basically not ready to get into substantive discussions and negotiations" due to a lack of government research and a lack of money to pay legitimate claims.
Montour noted that, in 1991, a global settlement price was estimated at $82 billion --and that was only for the unlawful spending of Six Nations funds years ago.
When a shocked politician said the figure was preposterous and Canada couldn't possibly pay it, Montour stated: "We countered by saying that we were not looking for settlements ... but the perpetual care and maintenance of our people through a global approach."
He went on to outline a "pattern" that's been established over the last three years of negotiations where the government offers money to settle claims but can't explain how it came to its figures.
In the case of the $26 million offer to settle the flooded Welland Canal lands near Cayuga and Dunnville, the natives had a university economic professor calculate the settlement based on Canada's own methodology and found the claim was worth between $500 million and $1.1 billion.
Last summer, Montour said that the natives made clear in writing that the only acceptable settlement is a perpetual care and maintenance plan, along with the return of land as it becomes available, and repayment of money owed to natives by the British and Canadian governments.
"To accept money ... is not looking out for the seventh generation of our people. If money is accepted for a land claim settlement, Canada will expect that we would sign a certainty document that gives up all rights to ever come back to re-negotiate or correct any oversight of a settlement agreement."
Montour said that a cash payment would be spent in a short time and would thus be "stealing from our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
Montour called for the negotiations with Canada and Ontario to continue with a real mandate to come to an agreement for perpetual care, the return of lands as they become surplus and the return of stolen revenue.
Currently, Six Nations has reactivated the court case against the government with the discovery process beginning in February and expecting to last most of the year.