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21/03/2002

Annual Report Recommends Five Ways To Improve Claims Process

Ottawa (March 21, 2002) - The Indian Claims Commission's Annual Report for the year 2000-2001, tabled in the House of Commons today, makes five recommendations for improving the specific land claims process.

The recommendations urge both Canada and First Nations to set up formal negotiations training for their respective negotiators; call upon Canada to make greater use of the Commission's mediation services; advocate the establishment of a database that would contain common information applicable to similar claims, eliminating the need for land appraisals and loss-of-use studies for each and every claim; suggest that Canada review pilot projects chaired by the Commission and incorporate their positive aspects into the current claims process; and finally, urge Canada to do more to become a committed and active party in the land claims settlement process.

The report renews the call for establishment of an independent claims body which would "remove the bottleneck created by the current policy and go a long way towards settling the hundreds of existing and future land claims in a just and equitable manner." It notes that the settlement of specific claims remains "a painfully slow process". The Commission is aware that the federal government is drafting legislation to create an independent claims body, legislation expected to be brought before the House of Commons in the near future. The Commission calls upon the government to proceed without further delay.

The Commission completed three inquiries and issued five reports in 2000-2001. The report states that since 1991, the Commission has completed 55 inquiries and reported on 52 of these. Of the 55 inquiries completed, 23 were settled or accepted for negotiation.

A key message is the need for more public awareness on the land claims issue. "Clearly, the Commission and the federal government need to do more to educate and inform the public about the history of specific claims, the law governing these and their impact on Canadian society." It points out that the Commission itself is trying to improve the situation by taking every opportunity to talk to the public about its work.

The ICC was established in 1991. Its mandate is: to inquire, at the request of a First Nation, into specific claims that have been rejected by the federal government or where the First Nation disputes the compensation criteria being considered in negotiations; and to provide mediation services on consent of the parties at any stage of the claims process.

To download the report PDF