One clause allows the Nisga'a to renegotiate the agreement for more favourable tax treatment if any other aboriginal group in northwestern BC strikes a better deal. That's not certainty, and it sure isn't final. The NDP says Nisga'a will be subject to all federal and provincial taxes. Yet the proposed treaty exempts the Nisga'a Nation from Property Purchase Taxes, Mining and Mineral Taxes, Petroleum Taxes and stumpage fees. Income taxes won't be paid for another twelve years, and Nisga'a citizens won't have to buy fishing or hunting licences like other British Columbians.
False advertising is no way to foster public support and understanding for treaties.
You cannot forge a lasting relationship with aboriginal people by misleading non-aboriginal people. We've asked the BC Supreme Court to rule on whether the proposed treaty is consistent with guarantees of equality and democratic rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and to state if a new order of government is permitted under the Canadian Constitution's existing division of powers. Hopefully, the court will hear this matter soon. We need workable, affordable treaties that provide certainty, equality and finality. I support aboriginal self-government that is truly municipal in style, with delegated powers and equal voting rights for everyone.