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AIP SIGNALS PROGRESS TOWARD A FINAL TREATY

ANACLA, B.C. (Oct. 3, 2003) - Provincial and federal senior officials participated in a ceremony and witnessed a signing of the Maa-nulth Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) by chiefs A. Spencer Peters, Bert Mack, Francis Gillette, Christina Cox and chief councillors Ed Mack and Charlie Cootes Senior from the five Maa-nulth First Nations today. The AIP, which has been negotiated under the B.C. treaty process, will form the basis for final negotiations of a legally binding treaty. Premier Campbell and Minister Nault were unable to attend due to poor weather, but will sign the AIP on behalf of their governments in the coming days.

"This is an important milestone for us all, and I applaud the leadership and commitment of the Maa-nulth First Nations to work toward a final treaty," said Premier Campbell. "The province committed to fast-tracking treaty negotiations to achieve fair, equitable settlements that provide greater certainty for all British Columbians. We hope this agreement will form the basis for a final treaty with the Maa-nulth First Nations that helps to improve the lives of their people and provide greater economic opportunities for all of Vancouver Island."

"This AIP provides the basis for a fair and lasting treaty with the Maa-nulth people," said Minister Nault, expressing regrets for missing the event. "It brings the Maa-nulth communities to the threshold of a new and promising era. This agreement also clearly demonstrates that we can build with Aboriginal people a new relationship based on trust, respect and co-operation."

Chief Councillor Robert Dennis of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, the spokesperson for Maa-nulth, said "the achievement of self-government under the treaty and the return of some of our traditional territories means the achievement of hope for our peoples. All of our Maa-nulth Nations are committed to rapid completion of the treaty, and we are already proceeding towards this. The AIP is an important point, but the real goal is the treaty."

Maa-nulth First Nations - the Huu-ay-aht, Toquaht, Ucluelet, Uchucklesaht, and the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nations - have a combined population of 1,934 people, many of whom live near Bamfield, Port Alberni, Ucluelet and in Kyuquot Sound. They are members of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which negotiated a draft AIP in March 2001 with the provincial and federal governments. The Maa-nulth First Nations voted in favour of the draft AIP, but it was not approved because the overall Nuu-chah-nulth membership did not support it. The Maa-nulth First Nations subsequently approached the provincial and federal governments to continue negotiations.

The land component of the AIP is largely provided by BC. It includes up to 20,900 hectares of provincial Crown land and 2,105 hectares of existing Indian reserve land. The Government of Canada will contribute most of the capital transfer of $62.5 million, less any outstanding negotiation loans. The Ucluelet First Nation will receive an additional $6.25 million to purchase land from a willing seller. The AIP outlines other major components of a treaty, including rights to resources such as wildlife, fish and timber, culture and related self-government provisions.

An AIP is the fourth step in a six-step treaty negotiations process under the BC Treaty Commission and is not legally binding. The Maa-nulth AIP sets the groundwork for final treaty negotiations with provisions on land, capital transfer, resource management, culture and governance. Today's signing completes the AIP approval process, enabling the parties to act on their commitment to move quickly towards a Final Agreement.

This is the second AIP signed this year. In July, provincial and federal governments signed an AIP with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation in Prince George. Three other AIPs with First Nations in British Columbia are currently going through community approval processes.

This release is also available on the Internet at http://www.gov.bc.ca

Media Contact:

Mike Morton
Press Secretary to the Premier
250 213-8218

Victor C. Pearson
Maa-nulth First Nations
250 228 7196

Ken Kolba
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
604 775-7717

Backgrounder - Maa-Nulth First Nations Agreement-In-Principle

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