SPEAKING NOTES for

the Honourable Jim Prentice, PC, QC, MP Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

at the
Signing Ceremony for the Sturgeon Lake First Nation TLE Settlement Agreement

Sturgeon Lake First Nation
Saskatchewan
June 19, 2007

Check against delivery

 

Elders, Chiefs, Minister Borgerson, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am delighted to be with you today in this lovely setting to sign, on behalf of the Government of Canada, the ceremonial document acknowledging your First Nation’s Treaty Land Entitlement Settlement Agreement.

Under this agreement, we are fulfilling—with the help of the Province of Saskatchewan—Canada’s obligation to make up the shortfall of reserve land to which the Sturgeon Lake First Nation was entitled according to Treaty Six. Canada’s New Government is proud to honour this historic obligation to your community.

You have many things to celebrate today, including the perseverance and dedication of your Elders, negotiators and leadership, for bringing this agreement to a successful conclusion and realizing their dream of sustainable prosperity for your community; and a bright future for your children and their children who will reap the true benefits of the agreement we are signing today.

I would like to extend my congratulations to the representatives of all three parties who contributed to the success of this process and my gratitude to the negotiating teams, led by Federal Negotiator Shelly Pikowicz and Sturgeon Lake Lead Negotiator Earl Ermine, whose hard work, patience and commitment brought these negotiations to such a successful conclusion.

I would also like to acknowledge the role that the Indian Specific Claims Commission played, and to thank the Commission for its part in successfully keeping discussions moving forward.

Negotiation is unquestionably the Government of Canada’s preferred method for settling claims. We believe it is in the best interests of all Canadians, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike, to find mutually acceptable ways to resolve claims. Negotiations lead to “win-win” situations that balance the rights of all Canadians.
As your settlement shows very clearly, decisive success at the negotiation table is possible when all the parties are committed to working together to find shared solutions in an atmosphere of good faith and mutual respect.

This settlement will generate a range of economic benefits for your First Nation and other local communities. You will be able to build upon and diversify your economic activities in the agriculture, silviculture and forestry sectors, and branch out in new directions, by investing directly in the Saskatchewan economy.

This settlement will also help to clarify land and resource ownership and create a positive and stable investment climate for your First Nation and surrounding communities. As well, it—like all successfully negotiated claim settlements—will provide certainty for government, industry and all Canadians.

Above all, this Treaty Land Entitlement settlement will help to enhance the quality of life for your community members of all ages, and for generations to come.

Our Government recognizes the importance of land claim settlements to First Nations communities across the country, not only as the fulfillment of lawful obligations, but also as a means of building a stronger, healthier future for First Nations people.

To ensure that First Nations can realize the benefits of specific claims settlements more quickly, Canada’s New Government has developed a decisive plan to accelerate the resolution of these claims nationwide.

The Specific Claims Action Plan -- which Prime Minister Harper announced on June 12 -- responds to key concerns of First Nations and to the specific claims report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.

For decades there have been calls for the creation of an independent tribunal to adjudicate specific claims. Canada’s government is proud to be doing exactly that as part of a historic move that will fundamentally change the way specific claims are handled in Canada.

One of the measures included in this Plan is the creation of a new tribunal staffed with impartial judges, who can make final decisions on claims when negotiations fail.

Over the summer, we will hold discussions with First Nations and with the provincial and territorial governments with the goal of bringing forward legislation to implement the action plan in the fall.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my congratulations to every one of your members on the happy outcome of this historic day, and my best wishes to your community as you move towards a prosperous future.

Thank you.