Oh no! What does it mean for the Olympics? We can't negotiate with our first nations? Sorry - couldn't resist making a sarcastic comment.  

Native and non-native leaders alike should realize that the spectre of civil disobediance\violence - driven by poverty and extreme marginalization - may be next - not years of expensive litigation - just treaty two. Watts? Detroit? I think/hope so. I am tired of the violence of poverty turning only inwards on ourselves.  

Good for them. I hope taking a stand pays off for them.  

Your people will not be sorry, trust me as I am a victim of the Nisga'a Treaty, there is false expectations and no hope for our people, there is lack of accountability, lack of Human Rights protection, the list is long. Trust me, I live here 24/7 and have renounced my Nisga'a Citizenship as I did not consent to give up my Indian Status and to pay taxes, this is a nightmare and they just recently passed the Land Act where non-Nisga'a can buy land, this is genocide..  

This sounds too good be to be true. That so call "Treaty Process", is a sham from the beginnibg right to today. Can any one look at these Indian Act government bands known as "first nations" and actually, and I am seriuos here call them a nation?

In "British Columbia we have 203 first nations", as oppose to 28 Tribal Nations (language groups), why do these indians or I mean first nations not see the flaw in this? Is it not true that federal government pays these leaders, therefore are employees of the federal government?

I hope this is true and all the other" last nations" walk, reconstitute their tribal groups and just go to the courts, case by case, and never cede your grandchildrens right to their rights to this place we call british columbia.

Every indian should be made to honour the great warrior Chief Pontiac, the man who got the British to recognize the need to work in partnership with our ancestors. I know almost all of you think Pontiac is a car.

1763 Royal Proclamation you and me...baby, it's in the Canadian Constitution, problem is only a few of us know of it.  

I remember how the government officials and the so called leadership of the Nisga'a sold out the people up there. Somebody show me how life has gotten better for their people, including their members who live off their territory, and what happened to the non status Nisga'a?

Just remember you so called indians, your votes to accept these devolution agreements will be worn by your great grand children what side of the issue do you want to be remembered for?

No statistics are readily available to show how this has increased the quality of life for the Nisga'a...ask yourself why?  

Find me an Honourable Chief! Joke, white people have mafia, we have chief and council.  

If the leadership of these federal government created Indian Act First Nations need us to cede our title and rights to a hybryd municiple style governments. They are pressured by their Corporate Elites to smooth the path for the North America Union. Our rights and title are the last obstacle for Canada to make it's commitments for the 300 plus iniatives of the Security, Prosperity and Partnership Agreement.

We are preventing them from outright extinguishment of not just our rights but other Canadians as well.The Chiefs should hire some qualified research consultants who have the expertise to look at the macro economics, geography, and political movement towards the creation of the greater freetrade ambitions of the elites of this country and the USA and Mexico.

I am sure if you looked at all the court cases we have won throughout this country and the settlement packages the various first nations have received, and compared that to the "settlements" that the treaty process has reached it would become readily apparent to the benefits of going through the courts.

We have the fastest growing population in this country and more of them (our people) will be in a better position to negoitate in a position of strenght down the road, if you leave them something to negoitate with.

In the mean time unite the first nations by our tribes and begin negoitating with government and corporations for economic iniatives. The Haida seem to know a thing or two about this.

I am sure through this process you would find a way to generate revenue to sustain yourselves and the bazillion of consultants who feed off this system. Are you aware the world through the United Nations have come very close to negoitating their Copenhagen Treaty in less than 4 years, and how long have you been at those tables?...it does not work, it is an industry, with unfortunate consequences at the end!  

And it took you this long to figure out they refuse to negoitiate in good faith! The real question is why is this process still proceeding, how many of you are dependent on the per diems, all those consultants, get out of there and and get yourselves in the courts, even the judges will recognize more than these governments.

Perhaps you where not aware, this prime minister does not believe that Canada has had any colonization in this country for the last 150 years, at the last g20 meeting in Pittsburg, perhaps the lot of you leaders missed that because you too busy with your snouts in the troff...wake up and honour us all, and get into the courts, issue by issue, region by region, over load their courts, stop any development on your traditional territory, who do you honestly believe your serving sitting at the table for the last 15 years?
I bet if all the status indians had a referendum on this it would be overwhelming to walk away and proceed through the courts!  

It is the wave the future. The BC Treaty process is flawed up,down, left, right and in all other angles.Sechelt chief Garry Feschuk and Westbank chief Robert Louie have taken their people to the pathway of freedom.  

There was no reason to trust the representatives of mining interests or run of the river (methane full) projects. Any Native that trust the government and their business allies are selling the seven generations right to their land and freedom.  

It's obvious to see that the TREATY process is paternalistic and dominated by BC and the Feds simply because they control the funds. Also the Feds and the Province know how to go about this logically and yet they are bound by indirect public opinions...  

Why do we have to borrow money from the government to negoitate for our title and rights to our land? Why would our leadership except this? Those governments exist because they are occupying our land exploiting our resources, and undermining our citizenship.

1) they steal everything from us
2) their courts agree
3)they generate $'s off our resources
4)court orders them to begin treaty process
5)we have to borrow $'s off them, generated from our resources
6)gov continues to exploit our resources
7)treaty process over 15 years and cost skyrocket
8)gov acting in bad faith as per courts decision
9)bands have to pay back "loans"
10)land and resources returned,min of traditionl territory

Would you be able to rationalize this if you where an objective observour?  

To the chiefs" negotiating" at the table, are you really making a better life for the people you represent, have you thought through the assimulation process that this is taking us through? Do you really care about the future of your great grand children's children?

Can you look at the so called Treaties that have been done to date and say to your people thats what you want for your people and the future generations. Can you tell us how this process does not assimulate us into mainstream society? Have you even looked at whats happening to mainstream society, and the greater disparity between the rich and poor? Is that the future you want to create for us?

Can you stand up and show us how any existing treaty has helped our people here in Canada, to allieviate the crushing poverty? When and if you think about these questions, can you in good conscious believe what your doing is for the betterment of your people?

As our leaders, combined you hold immense power here in this province, have you spoken about developing a collective strategy to create economic iniatives that benefit us all throughout BC? Pooling the human, legal and fiscal resources to make government and corporations come to you to get your endorsement for projects and pooling the resources for collective distribution, a confederation if you will? These type of principles seem to work for our colonizer, and actually are consistent with our various Indigenous philosophies.

Modern times require us to be innovative in our approach, stop letting these outside forces divide and conquer us. You chiefs have been sitting at that table with the aid of the Summit, perhaps it is time to expand the mandate of the Summit? Perhaps the longer we leave the Treaty process off the table we are able to become stronger in all manners and leave a struggle for our future to take on. Maybe that is the honourable outcome of this exercise you have been engaged in for the past 13 years?