The Katzie First Nation is about to take a key ratification vote, that will ultimately help the band determine what development should happen on its lands.
“It empowers Katzie to take over land management, and demonstrate good governance,” said Debbie Miller, the band’s chief negotiator and land code coordinator.
She called it an incremental step toward self governance, and said it could ultimately be a benefit to band members who propose particular uses for aboriginal land.
Instead of dealing with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs bureaucracy, proponents could bring their business to the local band office and deal with Katzie officials.
That it significant, said Miller, because she has seen potential investors walk away from opportunities involving First Nations land, because of the uncertainty and delays in the approval process. The vote will take place at polls on April 20, but electronic polls were opened on March 11.
The band has five reserves: Barnston Island, Pitt Lake, Graveyard (north of Hammond) and Katzie Reserves 1 and 2 – one is west of Hammond, and two is on the south bank of the Fraser River.
The reserve lands would be administrated by a land manager and an advisory committee. The Katzie are still years away from full self-governance, but have been steadily working through the treaty process, and are in the end stages.
Miller estimates the band is about a year away from both Canada and the B.C. governments accepting an agreement in principle.
The last stage would be to finalize a treaty. This final negotiation must resolve all technical and legal issues, is therefore complex, and would take about five years, she said.
So, the veteran negotiator projects Katzie will begin self-governance by 2021 or 2022.
“But when you’ve already been at this for 22 years, another five or seven years hardly seems like a ripple in the water.”
Miller is encouraged by the change in government in Ottawa, and sees a considerable difference between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, after dealing with the Stephen Harper Conservatives.
She said the Indian Act is outdated, a “colonial construct” that essentially mandated poverty on Canada’s reserves.
“But the previous government felt that it was a deep-rooted tree,” said Miller.
The Liberals have a different approach.
“There’s certainly more appetite to see successful agreements now,” she said.
“There’s more happening in the walls of Parliament than there ever was under the previous government.”
This month’s vote is another step in the journey to independence, said Miller.
“You demonstrate self-governance in small, incremental steps.”