 reaty negotiations now under way in the Powell River
area between the Sliammon First Nation, the Government of Canada and the Government of
British Columbia will ultimately change the relationship between the Sliammon people and
area residents.
he Sliammon First Nation, the Government of Canada and
the Government of British Columbia began meetings in May 1994 when Sliammon entered the BC
treaty process. The three parties spent time forming their negotiating teams, discussing
and agreeing on procedures for the negotiations, developing an openness protocol and
generally laying the foundations for negotiations.
 ith the preparation completed in January 1996, the BC
Treaty Commission declared the table ready to negotiate a framework agreement. The
framework agreement lists the subjects to be negotiated, 21 in total. It includes such
topics as self- government, lands, resources, environmental issues, taxation and financial
arrangements.
he signing of the framework agreement in May 1996
completed the procedural phase of the negotiations. The three parties then moved into the
agreement-in-principle phase of the treaty talks. In this phase, the negotiators work
through each of the subjects with the objective of achieving a series of sub-agreements
which will form the agreement-in-principle.
he agreement-in-principle then becomes the basis for
negotiating the final agreement which, when ratified by all three parties, will be the
treaty.
 o far, in the agreement-in-principle phase, the
negotiators have focused on six subjects : eligibility and enrolment; ratification;
culture and heritage; governance; lands; and resources. The following is a brief
description of each of these topics.
 ligibility and enrolment and ratification are
procedural issues. The goal of negotiating these topics is to address issues around
individual participation and ratification of the final treaty.
hen negotiating the issue of culture and heritage, the parties have focused
primarily on methods of protecting the Sliammon culture, preserving and enhancing the
Sliammon language, protecting archaeological sites and repatriating Sliammon artifacts.
reaties will give First Nations control over matters
that directly affect their lives, communities and traditional territories. For Sliammon,
the negotiation of self-government arrangements is aimed at determining the type of powers
that will give their First Nation control over their own lives.
he treaty will contain a section on natural resources
which include water, forests, fish, subsurface resources and wildlife. The intent of the
negotiations is to define Sliammon's aboriginal right to various natural resources.
Interests and needs in each of these areas will be explored in great detail and local
stakeholders will be broadly consulted prior to concluding a sub-agreement.
 and is a component in the treaty negotiations because
the Sliammon never gave up their rights or title to their traditional territory. The legal
title of existing "reserve lands" rests with the federal government, which means
the Sliammon face significant obstacles in obtaining conventional financing for community
and economic development, will help promote self-reliance.
hroughout the negotiation process, there are
commitments by the three parties to consult with their communities. Sliammon has ongoing
meetings with their community members-both on and off reserve.
 overnments consult with the North Island Regional
Advisory Committee which consists of representatives from resource industries, business,
labour, local government, community, environmental and recreational groups from Powell
River and major points on northern Vancouver Island. This forum allows governments and
Regional Advisory Committee members the opportunity to exchange information. It ensures
the interests of these groups are passed on to governments for their consideration during
negotiations.
ocal government representatives are also consulted through the Desolation Sound
Treaty Advisory Committee (TAC). Bob Hagman of the Powell River Regional District is the
TAC representative working with the provincial treaty negotiating team.
his article was prepared by one representative each
from Sliammon First Nation, Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.
These representatives manage public information and consultation for their respective
governments and can be reached at the numbers below for further information.
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