Valcourt pushes to settle land claims
OTTAWA — Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said Ottawa is increasing efforts to settle land claims with aboriginal groups to ease opposition to resource projects such as pipelines.
The government wants to reform the way it negotiates land-claim treaties in the first overhaul of its policy in nearly three decades. Valcourt said he hopes the moves will accelerate talks, especially in British Columbia, where unsettled claims have fuelled resistance to projects such as Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline.
“We need a speedier process,” Valcourt, 62, said Thursday in an interview in his office on Parliament Hill. “It’s ridiculous that it would take 20 to 25 years to reach a settlement on such a claim, which is about what it takes right now.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is trying to marshal support among aboriginals for a wave of resource developments that will require $650 billion in capital spending over the next decade. Opposition by some groups is clouding the prospects of projects such as Northern Gateway, which faces several legal challenges even after receiving cabinet approval in June.
Treaty making in Canada dates back to the 1700s, when the British and French started negotiating peace deals with aboriginal groups. While about 70 land-claim agreements have been signed, there are about 100 disputes that remain unresolved, most of them in British Columbia.
Valcourt’s department is gathering feedback from aboriginal leaders on proposed changes to the government’s negotiating policy released this month. Among other things, the amended policy would give officials flexibility to reach short-term deals on resource-revenue sharing and other issues when land-claim settlements appear unlikely.