Aboriginal And Treaty Rights Exercised On The Ground + Defended Before The World Trade Organization
Vancouver/Kenora – The Indigenous Network on Economies and Trade (INET), released its official amicus curiae submission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the final determination in the Softwood lumber dispute. In an unprecedented move, the WTO accepted the first ever substantive Aboriginal submission filed with the WTO by member nations of INET, who are confident that this second more comprehensive brief will also be considered in the WTO deliberations.
The Aboriginal peoples document how Canada provides subsidies to logging companies by exempting them from remunerating the proprietary interests of Aboriginal peoples through policies such as the Comprehensive Claims Policy aiming at the extinguishment of Aboriginal Title, the non enforcement of treaty rights and of riparian buffer zones along with the natural pattern disturbance emulation policy allowing for huge clearcuts for the sole benefit of companies.
Arthur Manuel, from the Secwepemc Nation of British Columbia, Spokesperson of INET, who travelled to the WTO in Geneva and is working with indigenous peoples across the Americas concerned with the impact international trade has on their inherent rights, stated, "The provinces and the federal government have been stealing our lands and natural resources of Indian peoples for centuries and are using them to subsidize their royalty and industrial tax base at our expense. Through our submissions to the US Department of Commerce and the WTO, we have made the international trade community aware of our proprietary interests. In return the US Commerce Department in its recent Softwood Proposal asked for increased involvement of Aboriginal peoples in forest management. This will have to happen according to our own terms and not by trying to subdue us into provincial forestry regimes that have destroyed the forests and the forest industry."
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation sees the impending hearings as another opportunity to raise awareness of the seriousness of Aboriginal rights and issues in international economic relations. Grand Chief Stan Beardy stated, "Sooner or later, our people will have to be acknowledged, and our unique status cannot be ignored in the economy and trade activities undertaken as a result of the natural resources we agreed to share. Our NAN First Nations deserve to be heard, respected and acknowledged for the wealth they have shared from the land, yet the Canadian governments refuse to enter into discussions about revenue sharing and respecting our rights."
Aboriginal peoples from British Columbia exercising their Aboriginal Title to the forest, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Grand Council Treaty #3 from Ontario have joined forces against federal and provincial policies that violate the Canadian Constitution and international trade law, in filing this additional subsidy information with the WTO. Aboriginal and Treaty Rights are protected under the Canadian constitution, but the federal and provincial governments try to block Aboriginal access to their traditional territories with their policies.
Grand Council of Treaty 3 urges the government of Canada to reform its consultation practices and acknowledge Aboriginal and Treaty rights relating to forestry and forest resources. Grand Chief Leon Jourdain warned,
"There is no foreseeable end in sight to the possible conflicts with Aboriginal people in Canada if the government continues to refuse to respect us. One example are the people of Grassy Narrows, who have been blocking a logging road for more than 50 days. We should be at the table in the Softwood Lumber dispute. We would like to see an end to the dispute between the United States and Canada, but we will not support any resolution that does not take our peoples into consideration."