With exactly one year to go until the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the chief negotiator for the In-SHUCK-ch Nation says his First Nation has been “overlooked” in the planning for the Games.

In an e-mail sent today (February 12) to Minister of Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl, Eppa claimed that he raised the issue with the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee two years ago but his concerns weren’t acknowledged.

“In spite of this, we too look forward to celebrating along with other British Columbians and Canadians in this historic event,” Eppa wrote. “We hope to get past our frustration at being mere bystanders and observers.”

Eppa pointed out that some In-SHUCK-ch communities in the lower Lillooet River Valley are closer to Whistler than those of the Lil’wat and Squamish First Nations.

Those two First Nations, along with the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh, have signed legacy agreements with the federal or provincial governments that provide them with benefits from the Games, which will be held on their traditional territories.

Now, Eppa is calling on the federal government to remove barriers standing in the way of the In-SHUCK-ch reaching a treaty.

He wrote that “we need your government’s willingness to fully engage in the last remaining, outstanding issue of Fisheries in treaty negotiations, and also to remove the policy barriers that prevent us from becoming full participants in the Canadian social union, by bringing our people home”.

Eppa’s e-mail follows a February 6 letter, signed by three In-SHUCK-ch chiefs, telling Strahl that there would be no final agreement without a federal commitment to fund housing “catch up”.

“Catch up” refers to the nation’s demand that the federal government fund the development of enough housing and infrastructure to enable it to shelter a proportion of its population on treaty land comparable to other B.C. First Nations.

The In-SHUCK-ch first joined the B.C. treaty process in 1993. The nation, composed of the Skatin, Samahquam, and Douglas bands, signed an agreement-in-principle with the federal and provincial governments in 2007.

Here’s the full text of Eppa’s e-mail, titled “Time for Canada to fully engage at In-SHUCK-ch treaty table”:

Minister Strahl,

As we begin the one-year countdown to the 2010 Winter Olympics, I am providing a map that illustrates the proximity of my peoples’ territory to Whistler, location of the main alpine sporting events. You will see that, as the crow flies, our communities (such as they are), are closer even than the Lil’wat or Squamish peoples’ to these venues, not to mention the other two host First Nations located in the lower mainland. In spite of this, we are overlooked in the planning and preparations for this world event. I raised this issue with VANOC two years ago, without even an acknowledgement. In spite of this, we too look forward to celebrating along with other British Columbians and Canadians in this historic event. We hope to get past our frustration at being mere bystanders and observers. We think that the promise of Canada includes us. We want to become full participants, and not just takers in Canada, forever administered to by your department. We want to get past institutionalized dependency, and move on to realize our real potential, by joining willingly with Canada and British Columbia. We believe that the result will be a more mature and complete Canada. For our country to achieve this, we need your government’s willingness to fully engage in the last remaining, outstanding issue of Fisheries in treaty negotiations, and also to remove the policy barriers that prevent us from becoming full participants in the Canadian social union, by bringing our people home. We need a sustainable economy so that we can provide for ourselves. This will benefit the regional economy, and over time, reduce our drain on the public purse. Economies are built on infrastructure, people, land, resources and jurisdiction. This is the sum total of the “certainty” that Canada and BC need. We need it, too. We have resolved all of the substantive issues that involve BC. In-SHUCK-ch Nation is fully committed. We now need Canada. We joined the BC treaty process on Dec. 15, 1993. It’s our time: Canada’s, British Columbia’s and the In-SHUCK-ch Nation’s. Let’s get on with it.

Eppa (Gerard Peters)
Chief Negotiator
In-SHUCK-ch Nation

Follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.