On Feb. 20, the federal government announced that it had reached a set of “landmark agreements” with the Musqueam Indian Band in BC in “a major step forward towards reconciliation.” But the issue entered public commentary more broadly this week as concern over implications to private property increased.
Two of the agreements relate to “shared decision-making” between Musqueam and Canada over marine management and fisheries. However, the third agreement–the “Rights Recognition Agreement”–is igniting a new wave of uncertainty and confusion.
That agreement recognizes “that Musqueam has Aboriginal rights including title within their traditional territory and establishes a framework for incremental implementation of rights and nation-to-nation relations with Canada.”…