Aboriginal Relations Critic Doug Donaldson says the B.C. Liberals are to blame for the eviction notice issued by the Gitxsan yesterday.
He says the Liberal approach to aboriginal land title negotiations with First Nations in the province have been a total failure and the Gitxsan are now buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling on land title for the Tsilhquot’in.
“The Liberals spent seven years in the courts battling that and yet they were reprimanded by the Supreme Court judge who said this is not the way to be going about things. They should be going about it through negotiations.”
The Gitxsan have issued an eviction notice to provincial operations on the land, which include forestry, fishing and rail activity, starting August 4th if negotiations and consultation between the nation and the province haven’t started.
Donaldson says this again points to the need for First Nations, Provincial and Federal governments to sit down and finally hash out how laws apply to Aboriginal title lands.