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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
Tsawwassen – The first urban treaty in the history of British Columbia and the first modern treaty negotiated under the British Columbia Treaty Commission process – the Tsawwassen First Nation treaty – took effect at 12:01 a.m. today, announced Tsawwassen First Nation Chief Kim Baird, Premier Gordon Campbell, and the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister for Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians.
“Today, the Indian Act no longer exists in our community,” said Chief Baird. “Today, we have taken a huge leap forward in our journey of rebuilding our community to overcome the negative consequences of our past. We now are taking back our rightful place as a self-governing First Nation and will soon pass our first laws governing our new lands, resources, and funds.”
“I want to congratulate Chief Baird for her hard work and dedication and all the Tsawwassen people as they take this momentous next step in the long and proud history of their nation,” said Premier Campbell. “I feel a profound sense of respect, hope and anticipation that this is an achievement that will be repeated often in British Columbia. Treaties provide certainty regarding Aboriginal rights and title to First Nations and other citizens of B.C. and Canada.”
“This is a historic day for British Columbia, for Canada and most of all for the Tsawwassen people,” said Minister Strahl. “Today Tsawwassen First Nation begins an era of renewed vitality and opportunity. This is also a celebration of our reconciliation and our shared opportunity to showcase what can be accomplished when we put aside our differences and build on shared interests.”
The treaty provides Tsawwassen
First Nation with payments, settlements and other funds to help build
Tsawwassen’s future. These include a
capital transfer and other one-time cash payments of $33.6 million and self-government
funding of $2.9 million annually over the first five years of the treaty. The
land component includes approximately 724 hectares, of which 434 hectares are
provincial Crown land and 290 hectares are former Indian reserve.
The Tsawwassen treaty
will operate within the framework of the Constitution of Canada. Within
that framework, Tsawwassen First Nation has the constitutional authority to
make laws in many areas of jurisdiction that are traditionally federal, provincial
and municipal in nature. The laws Tsawwassen First Nation is passing
today are a comprehensive suite of legislation that provide an immediate basis
for the substantive exercise of self-government authority.
These powers
include matters related to the preservation of its culture, the management of
land, the exercise of its treaty rights, and the operation of its government.
With the exception of determining Indian status, the Indian Act no longer applies
to Tsawwassen members. In addition, Tsawwassen members who are Canadian
citizens or permanent residents of
The treaty and related agreements present Tsawwassen First Nation with modern governance tools, coupled with funds, to generate increased economic vitality. It makes Tsawwassen First Nation an equal partner in government-to-government relationships with Canada and British Columbia, and provides for strong and workable interactions with these partners. It also confers rights, benefits and obligations regarding self-government, land and other resources throughout its traditional territory, covering approximately 279,600 hectares. Tsawwassen First Nation also becomes a member of Metro Vancouver and TransLink.
For more
http://www.tsawwassenfirstnation.com
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Contact: |
Tanya Corbet 604 928-0879 (cell) |
Maria Wilkie Director of Communications Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation 250 361-7720 (cell) |
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Bridgitte Anderson Press Secretary Office of the Premier 604 307-7177 |
Nina
Chiarelli Press
Secretary Office of
the Honourable
Chuck Strahl 819
997-0002 |
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Media
Relations Indian
and Northern Affairs 819
953-1160 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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