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______________________________________________<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">
Light travels faster than sound.
That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
______________________________________________
</pre>
<br>
<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">UBCIC Calls on
New Zealand
and Canada to Stop Denying International Legal Reality<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Press Release<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">May 12, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Coast Salish
Territory/Vancouver, Canada - May 12, 2010) Like the Canadian
government, the
New Zealand government recently announced that it will adopt the United
Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the bounds of
its own
legal and constitutional frameworks. The Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples was adopted by 144 States at the United Nations
General
Assembly in September 2007. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Grand Chief
Stewart
Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs stated "By
deliberately interpreting the UN Declaration in accordance with the
constitution and laws of each state, the Canadian and New Zealand
governments
are attempting to legitimize the 'status quo' by further entrenching
the
existing injustices and discrimination of their domestic policies
within what
is considered by the vast majority of Indigenous groups as one of the
most
important international human rights instruments of the United Nations."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Grand Chief
Phillip
continued "The UBCIC supports all Indigenous Peoples in their fight for
recognition. As an example, the UN Human Rights Committee supported the
Te
Kāhui Ngahuru call for New Zealand to negotiate on their stalled Treaty
of
Waitangi issues. What was New Zealand's response? Proposed legislation
that
will extinguish Te Kāhui Ngahuru's legal right to ask the courts to
determine
its claim. Sadly, Canada has already enacted similar legislation, the
Specific
Claims Tribunal Act."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In October 2008,
the
Specific Claims Tribunal Act (SCTA) came into force to eliminate the
backlog of
specific claims through a fair, timely, joint and independent process.
A key
element of the SCTA was to implement an independent Alternate Dispute
Resolution (ADR) centre for First Nations and the Government of Canada.
Indigenous organizations suggested a range of options such as an
independent
centre to provide mediation services through legislation or linking to
or
creating a non-governmental organization to service ADR. In February
2010, the
Federal Minister of Indian Affairs, Chuck Strahl unilaterally and
arrogantly
dismissed the options as too costly or outside the scope of the
legislation.
Canada responded by stating the new ADR centre will be housed in
government
offices, administrated by government staff and will only provide
mediation
services in the area of negotiations and no other part of the process. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"The UBCIC does
not
recognize, embrace or endorse the fairness, independence, impartiality,
openness and transparency of a mediation process that is housed and
administrated by the Government of Canada and is limited to only one
stage in
the process for resolving the many specific claims of First Nations"
stated
Grand Chief Phillip. "As Indigenous Peoples, our fight is the same the
world over. Our Title and Rights are ignored, trivialized and
dismissed.
Ongoing injustices such as woefully inadequate land reserves or Crown
mismanagement of the Te Kāhui Ngahuru or the many outstanding specific
claims
in Canada, add to the severe economic, cultural and social suffering of
our
Indigenous communities."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Grand Chief
Phillip
concluded "New Zealand and Canada continue to deny the international
legal
reality of our Indigenous rights. The Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous
Peoples is truly a historically significant instrument, a milestone and
clarion
call of the ongoing fight that unifies the 370 million Indigenous
Peoples
globally."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">- 30 - <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Media inquiries:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Grand Chief
Stewart
Phillip, Union of BC Indian Chiefs <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phone: (250)
490-5314 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">PDF COPY: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/UBCICPress_NZWAI56_UNDRIP_051210.pdf">http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/files/PDF/UBCICPress_NZWAI56_UNDRIP_051210.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The UBCIC is a
NGO in
Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the
United
Nations<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">This page and all other News Releases can be
found at:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/">http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">================================<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">UBCIC email alerts or text alerts, go to:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/subscribe/">http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/subscribe/</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Follow UBCIC on Twitter at <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://twitter.com/UBCIC">http://twitter.com/UBCIC</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
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