Government To Issue Final Offers On Land Claims

Government To Issue Final Offers On Land Claims

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 09:27

The federal government is moving to present what it calls “final offers” in dozens of First Nations land claim negotiations that have been dragging on for years.

Aboriginal Affairs officials say any specific land claim negotiation that has been thoroughly explored and under active consideration for three years or longer will be receiving a final offer.

If the First Nations don’t want to put the final offer to band members for approval, they can take their case for a binding ruling before the Specific Claims Tribunal or take Ottawa to court.

The move is raising concerns among First Nations chiefs because the tribunal has a cap on settlement amounts.

They also say the federal government’s decision is akin to an ultimatum that violates the spirit of the Specific Claims Tribunal Act.

Department officials would not say how many final offers they are preparing but say that if there is still room for progress in some of the ongoing negotiations, they will stay at the table.

(CP)