June 12, 2008 Thursday
For once, Ontario squarely in Harper's camp
BYLINE: MURRAY CAMPBELL, mcampbell@globeandmail.com
SECTION: COLUMN; ABORIGINAL RECONCILIATION; Pg. A10
LENGTH: 621 words
DATELINE: TORONTO
In Dalton McGuinty's view, it was a bit unseemly - even a bit
un-Canadian - to try to cast a shadow on a bright day of reconciliation
by talking about the nitty-gritty of his government's relations with
aboriginal communities.
"I'm disappointed," the Ontario Premier said yesterday when New
Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton asked him in the legislature to
emulate Prime Minister Stephen Harper
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by apologizing for his government's role in the jailing of native
leaders who were trying to protect their land from a mining company's
incursions.
"I don't think I've ever said that before, but I just can't think of a
better expression. ... The Prime Minister and I are on different sides
on many issues, but on this side I'm squarely in his camp, because I
think it's the Canadian camp."
Mr. McGuinty said he hoped the apology would "lay the foundation" for a
stronger future for aboriginals. "So I just don't know why the Leader
of the NDP would want to ..." he concluded before his microphone was
cut off.
The Premier is right that Mr. Harper's acknowledgment of the harm
caused by the policy of assimilation should be allowed to resonate for
a while before it is relegated to history. But sooner rather than
later, Ontario has to push along its own plan for reconciliation or
risk repeated conflicts on its doorstep.
Mr. McGuinty has already accomplished much to advance Ontario beyond
the bleak days after the 1995 police killing at Ipperwash Provincial
Park of native protester Dudley George. His government promptly
appointed an inquiry into those events after the 2003 election.
Subsequently, it has pledged to implement all the recommendations of
that inquiry's superb report in consultation with natives. As part of
that, the government has set up a separate Ministry of Aboriginal
Affairs, returned Ipperwash to native hands and set up a $25-million
"new relationship fund."
But much remains to be done to crack the central issue - land. Nearly
90 per cent of Ontario is owned by the "provincial" Crown, and much of
it is also the traditional territory of aboriginal communities beyond
the smaller tracts recognized in treaties. The land is carpeted with
trees and rich with subterranean minerals coveted by the world beyond,
and that's where the trouble often starts.
As Ipperwash inquiry commissioner Mr. Justice Sidney Linden noted:
"Conflicts over natural resources often stem from sharply different
understandings about the nature of the lands which aboriginal peoples
agreed to share with newcomers."
The judge's recommendation for an independent treaty commission to
oversee settlement of treaty and land claims has not yet been
implemented. The government is also faced with fundamentally reforming
mining legislation that allows companies "free entry" on traditional
land to reflect court rulings that it has a duty to consult with native
bands. It also has to set up a framework for sharing resources revenue
and policies for police interventions during disputes.
Amnesty International's Canadian secretary-general, Alex Neve, is
"increasingly concerned that the government has not demonstrated
sufficient political will." Sam George, the slain protester's brother,
agrees things could move faster. "But I would rather see it at a slow
pace than not move at all," he said.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant says he is frustrated by the
federal government's reluctance to set a deadline for resolving the
backlog of land claims.
"The level of satisfaction with the state of negotiations surprises me
and whenever the [federal] government gets asked questions in
Parliament about this, the response seems to be everything is moving
along exactly as it should," he said. "Well, it's not."
