As a land claims negotiator with the Dene/Metis claim process, the Gwich’in, the Sahtu, my main obligation was to do the land selection. Municipal land selections in the Sahtu and the Gwich’in and also in the Dene/Metis claim were a very strategic part of those land claim agreements. Lands were selected in the communities in the Sahtu, in the Gwich’in Settlement Region, for specific special purposes. They were used for rural lands, hinterlands, commercial lands, residential. Again, there was a lot of time and effort put into selecting lands in communities for these type of purposes, so that in the future there will be lands in those communities and there will be certain aspects that will apply to these lands which are unique compared to other lands in the community such as exempted lands from taxes where you don’t have to pay taxes on certain lands if you don’t develop the properties.
With this legislation imposing these plans, whether it’s subdivisions or looking at consideration of a new residential area and imposing that on the claimant groups where they may not have an interest in developing those lands for those particular purposes but not being consulted prior to the plans to be concluded, totally undermines the whole reason for getting lands in communities in the first place through land claim agreements.
The same thing applies to lands in a lot of the communities which still exist by way of Indian branch lands. The Housing Corporation should know, and as the Minister of the Housing Corporation, how hard it really is to get land developed in our communities on IAB lands because of the special and unique status that that land has. You have to get a band council resolution from the particular band by way of a motion to do anything with those lands. Those lands still retain the status of Indian branch lands well over the life of the House.
I think it’s that type of situation we are in here. We can’t lose sight that you are imposing a piece of legislation that would have direct implications on those lands, and those communities and those groups are not the municipal councils of these communities. The bands are not the municipal governments in those communities or regions.
I think it’s imperative that you look at this and also take into consideration, in light of the reasons that I give. Thank you.