Tl’emtl’ems leaving Squirrel Cove - Roy L Hales photo
Indigenous Nations, Politics

Unresolved Indigenous Issues

4 Comments

By Roy L Hales

They occupied Cortes Radio’s broadcast area for thousands of years before the European advent. The Homalco, Tla’amin, Klahoose, and K’ómoks nations’ shared language testifies to their common ancestry. Their neighbours, the Laich-kwil-tach were fierce warriors, whose canoes carried raiders into the southern Georgia Strait, Puget Sound and up the Fraser River. (They attacked the Hudsons Bay Company post at Fort Langley in 1837). When the influx of settlers was sufficiently numerous, they took over. The indigenous population was deprived of lands they had occupied for generations. Their customs and governance was superseded. Prior to 1960, the native population could not vote in a Federal election unless they first surrendered their treaty rights and Indian status. This situation is slowly improving. The BC Treaty Commission was set up in 1992, but so far has only signed a single treaty within our area. So I asked the candidates running in the Powell River – North Island what their parties will do about unresolved indigenous issues  

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Unresolved Indigenous Issues
Map of the Klahoose Nation’s Traditional territory – which stretches out from Toba Inlet to the Redondas, Cortes Island, Lund and Eastern Quadra Island – adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

Why Has It Taken So Long?

Q/ Though British Columbia has been part of Canada since 1871, we still have unresolved First Nations land claims throughout most of the province. Why has it taken so long to resolve this problem?

CKTZ Broadcast: Saturday, September 14, 2019 – “The Doctrine of Discovery” – Green Party candidate Mark de Bruijn.

CKTZ Broadcast: Sunday, September 15, 2019 – “Why Is It Taking So long To Resolve First Nations Issues?” – NDP candidate Rachel Blaney

CKTZ Broadcast for Sept 22, 2019 – “Why Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer opposes Canada adopting the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”

CKTZ Broadcast for Sept 28, 2019 – “Why has it taken so long to settle First Nations Land claims” – Liberal candidate Peter Schwarzhoff

Unresolved Indigenous issues
Map of Tla’amin Nation Traditional territory – which includes Texada and Lasqueti Islands, Courtenay, Comox, Powell River and a vast portion of the neighbouring Mainland. They also share some territories with the Klahoose: Southern Cortes Island, Lund and part of the Mainland – adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

How Would Your Party Resolve This?

Q/ What steps is your government prepared to take to bring about a resolution?

CKTZ Broadcast: Monday, September 16, 2019 – “A Seat At The Table” – NDP candidate Rachel Blaney

CKTZ Broadcast: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 – “Green Party First Nations Policies” – Green Party candidate Mark de Bruijn.

Map of Homalco Nation Traditional territory which stretches south to overlap with Klahoose territory at the mouth of Toba Inlet, the Redondas, Cortes Island and Lund. The Homalco were also in Campbell River and Denman & Hornby Islands.- adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

Are We Breaking Treaty #8?

Q/ Do you believe Canada and British Columbia are breaking Treaty #8 by pushing forward with the Site C Dam? The treaty (my paraphrase) granted use of the land that will be submerged to local First Nations.

CKTZ Broadcast: Sunday, Sept 29, 2019 – “Is the Site C Dam Violating Treaty #8?” – Liberal candidate Peter Schwarzhoff.

CKTZ Broadcast: Thursday, September 19, 2019 – “We Are Breaking Treaty #8” – Green Party candidate Mark de Bruijn.

CKTZ Broadcast: Friday, September 20, 2019 – “I Hope This Process Comes To A Solution” – NDP candidate Rachel Blaney

Map of Wei Wai Kai First Nation’s Traditional territory which includes much land also claimed by the Homalco, Klahoose and Tla’amin Nations- adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

First Nations Websites

Northern Coast Salish Nations:

  1. Online ʔayʔaǰuθəm Dictionary (shared by the Homalco, Tla’amin, Klahoose and K’ómoks nations)
  2. Homalco First Nation 
  3. Klahoose First Nation (Discovery Islands, Toba Inlet)
  4. K’omoks First Nation (the Comox Valley, Denman & Hornby Islands, Campbell River)
  5. Tla’amin Nation (Powell River/Malaspina Peninsula, Cortes Island)

Laich-kwil-tach Nations:

  1. Wei Wai Kai Nation (Laich-kwil-tach band on Quadra Island & Campbell River)
  2. The Laich-Kwil-Tach Treaty Society, We Wai Kai First Nation (Cape Mudge Band)
  3. Wei Wai Kum First Nation (Laich-kwil-tach band in Campbell River)

BC Treaty Commission Negotiations

Map of Wei Wai Kum First Nation’s Traditional territory which includes much land also claimed by the We Wai Kai, Homalco, Klahoose and Tla’amin Nations- adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

Cortes Radio’s Deep Roots Initiative

Select Stories on Cortes Currents

Unresolved Indigenous Issues
Map of K’omoks First Nation’s traditional territory, which overlaps with the territories of the Wei Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum, Homalco, Klahoose and Tla’amin Nations- adapted from BC Treaty Commission website by Roy L Hales

Interviews With The Candidates

Links To Party Websites:

4 thoughts on “Unresolved Indigenous Issues”

  1. Hello Roy,
    I am really thrilled to have found Cortes Currents as a result of volunteering for Mark de Bruijn’s campaign. Thank you for your journalism. A request that you kindly update the link to Mark’s Party website in Unresolved Indigenous Issues piece. Correct address is http://www.markdebruijn.ca

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