'Huge mistake' to include fishing rights in treaty: MP
Last Updated: Thursday, December 7, 2006 | 10:16 AM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
A Conservative MP is criticizing his own government for making a "huge mistake" in finalizing a First Nations treaty that includes Fraser River fishing rights.
Delta-Richmond East MP John Cummins says an agreement initialled in October with the Lheidli T'enneh in Prince George gives the band too much access to Fraser River salmon.
"I think [Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice] made a huge mistake, and the people of British Columbia and the fish in the Fraser River are going to be the losers," Cummins said.
The final agreement with the Lheidli T'enneh provides access to fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes.
The amount of sockeye the band is permitted to catch is based on the returns for that year — two per cent of the total for Canada.
But Cummins argues the right to barter the fish makes it hard to ensure there won't be commercial activity.
Two more agreements under the B.C. treaty process will be initialled this week, including a deal with the Tsawwassen reserve in Delta, which lies in Cummins' riding.
Cummins is worried that an agreement with the Tsawwassen will include similar provisions.
There are reports that the agreement, the largest urban treaty in B.C.'s history, gives the First Nation a part of the Fraser River fishery.
Cummins said he was elected for his views opposing a separate aboriginal fishery.
"I mean obviously I'd prefer not to be critical of my government, but … when all is said and done in politics, I've got to go home."
The Tsawwassen treaty is expected to be initialled Friday. Another initialling ceremony will take place Saturday on Vancouver Island for the Maa-nulth from the Port Alberni area.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Washington police blame bridge collapse on Alberta trucker
- Washington State police say an Alberta trucker was responsible for hitting a steel beam precipitating a bridge collapse on one of the busiest routes in the American northwest. more »
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for savings alone
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Tent caterpillars invade B.C. fruit trees
- The western tent caterpillar population is peaking this year, engulfing fruit trees in parts of B.C. and down the western U.S. coast. more »
- B.C. Lions sign quarterback Joey Elliott
- The B.C. Lions on Friday announced the signing of free agent quarterback Joey Elliott, who spent the past three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Rob Ford allies want mayor to address crack use allegations
- Members of Rob Ford's inner circle are calling on Toronto's mayor to come forward and directly address allegations that he was caught on tape smoking crack cocaine. more »
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for savings alone
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Google Street View captures Galapagos Islands
- Few have explored the remote volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago, an otherworldly landscape inhabited by the world's largest tortoises and other fantastical creatures that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. more »
- Greg Weston: Senate scandal may be Harper's worst hour
- The widening Senate scandal that the prime minister flippantly tried to dismiss as a 'distraction' just days ago has instead become arguably Stephen Harper's worst hour. more »
- Man 'lucky to be alive' after Washington bridge collapse
- Pickup truck backs up over mother, 2 children in tent
- Vancouver man abandons Porsche on B.C. ferry
- Motorists warned to avoid Washington bridge collapse area
- Top court reinstates $4M award in plagiarizing-judge suit
- Teen's death sparks call for social services information
- Men found dead in B.C. lake wore oversized life-jackets
- B.C. teen saves pet dog in 'terrifying' cougar attack
- Johnsons Landing homes must be abandoned, says report

