July 17, 2007

                      -    Grievances in Brief – Re: The Nisga’a Treaty –

-         Nisga’a Lisims Government –

  -  From Git Gingolx Members-

-         17   July, 2007 –

Preamble:

Years before the Nisga’a Treaty was approved, we the people of Gingolx supported the notion that we needed a Treaty to improve our lives. We, with the other three Nisga’a Reserves made great sacrifice to raise money to pay our Lawyers Fees and their travel, which were to represent our best interest.

Prior to the Treaty, we practiced our Ayuuklth Nisga’a without fear; it is an ancient Nisga’a Law that governed the way we lived, it ensured fair cultural and political correctness, to be fair to one another, not to take other peoples traditional names, not to trespass on some one else’s lands, their private properties, Ango’askws, other than our own; this was respect.

The Treaty has put a few people to work and only those who work for the Lisims Government, and this treaty only employs the Village Government representatives and not the people within, we are without.

The Nisga’a Negotiators deceived us, the people of Gingolx in order to achieve their Treaty. We do not consider this Treaty part of our Treaty, because it only serves one Village, the Capital of the Nisga’a Lisims Government. It has taken all of the Chiefs and Matriarchs lands under the Gingolx stewardship, and we received nothing in return.

To this day, the people of Gingolx are still suffering from unemployment, no housing issued to Gingolx since the Treaty, our roads in our community are deplorable, and Elders are left without, People are with out hydro, while our Leaders are wallowing in riches, and living in hotels while we are without. The money’s that is supposed to be used for the people are mismanaged and spent by Officials travel, hotel, meals while our people live on $185.00 a Month. This is deplorable. We have become a “Third World Country,” in a rich environment, called Canada, and nothing is done to help us. Canada and the Province don’t listen to our plight.

Therefore; We the Git Gingolx presents you with this brief in order that you will see first hand that the Nisga’a Treaty does not work for all Nisga’a. The following are the grievances of the Git Gingolx taken from the public meeting minutes.

-Gingolx Grievances –

1.     The Chiefs and Matriarchs lands were taken in trade for the  Nisga’a Treaty, without consultation, without consent, without compensation.

2.      Due to our lands being taken, we have no lands for economic development, No economic development for permanent jobs or for housing, without our lands we have nothing.

3.      Our lands are illegally put on the Stock Market in Toronto and Berlin Germany. Other Nations are going to own our lands, this is genocide.

4.      The Lisims Government has logged off Ango’askws that are inherited through generation and generation to Chiefs and Matriarchs to be protected for generation yet to come. This is genocide.

5.      We want our lands returned to the Chiefs and Matriarchs and Families who own them before the Treaty; these lands were inherited from our great grandfathers and our great grandmothers to be passed down to the next generation to come. Without the land, we are nothing.

6.      Our birthrights are in question, as we have to apply for Nisga’a Citizenship. Why do we have to apply to be Nisga’a Citizen when we are Nisga’a? Only those who are from the outside tribes and are married to the Nisga’a should make application to become a citizen.

7.      There are no Human Rights with the Nisga’a Treaty, there is no place to take our grievances, if we speak up about our concerns; we are ostracized, and so are our families.

8.      There is no ombudsman to listen to our grievances, no intermediate to settle disputes, our only alternative are the Provincial and Federal Courts and we do not have the financial resources to keep going to Court. Therefore we are in dire straits and there is no change. There should be an Ombudsman available to hear our grievances and to remedy our concerns before it get s to the court.

9.      Where we used to fish for our winter supplies and our livelihood, we are allowed 4 spring salmon a year, 500 sockeye, which we must sell at half price to the Lisims Government agent, pay them rent for the boats we use, If we do not sell to the Lisims Government, our boats are taken away, and we live in poverty for the rest of the year.

10.     To many are living below the poverty line, and living on $185.00 a month welfare. We are worse off now than we were before the treaty.

 11.    There has been no housing for the Git Gingolx since the Treaty was approved. We are the same as those who live in third world countries,

12.    There are no housing repairs for those who need it, whatever is available goes to those in power and their families.

13.     Elders in Gingolx are having a hard time to get groceries, they have to pay $60.00 from their meager allowances to get to Terrace, which leaves them little to live on, their monies are spent before they get the food.

14.    There are no recreation dollars to keep our youths occupied all year long; therefore there is depression, oppressin alcohol, and drugs to fill their spare time. Spare time they have a lot of because they have no jobs.

15.    There is no law and order in Gingolx, bootlegging, drugs is being sold and we have no one to take our concerns to. The RCMP come after the fact and caters to the Capital of the Nass River only. There are no workshops from the RCMP to our youths and adults to make them aware of the law.

16.    There are no rehabilitation Centers on the Nass to heal our people from depression, oppression, alcohol and drugs, family problems, and to get off habitual drugs.

17.    The treaty monies are misused and mismanaged from all levels of the Nisga’a Government. They are not accountable to anyone but to themselves. This is unacceptable.

18.    The Lisims Government is not listening to the concerns of the average Nisga’a Member. They have forgotten the main reason why we all wanted the treaty; it was to make our lives better, not worse.

19.    Our Nisga’a Culture is water down and only used as a big show when other people come to visit our Territory. We want our Culture back under Ayuule’lth Nisga’a rather then under the political Modern day Nisga’a Lisims Government Treaty.

20.    Our Nisga’a language does not sound like the Old Nisga’a Language. A foreign dialect was incorporated to our Nisga’a Language words and now our language is in jeopardy, without the proper Nisga’a Language our Culture and our Traditions will disappear; this is Cultural genocide to which was once a great race of aboriginal people.

 21.    We have Elders abuse in our villages, and this is not our Nisga’a Culture, we used to have respect for our Elders. What has happened our culture, where has our tradition gone? This has happened after the treaty, we no longer have control over our identity

22.    Nisga’a Lisims Government and the Village Government are having meetings behind closed doors, like they did when they negotiated the Treaty. We are the people; we are supposed to be the government .We need the protection of the Canadian Constitution.   

23.    By 2012, everybody will be paying taxes, and this will come as a shock to the people. We did not give consent to give up our tax exemption. This was a right given to us by the Crown, in the Common Wealth.

24.    The Lisims Government is accountable only to themselves .It is imperative that the financiers ensure proper fiscal management to ensure transparency to the Nisga’a People and the taxpayers.

25.    That a forensic auditor be provided by the Federal and Provincial Government for all accounts of the Nisga’a Lisims Governments, The Village Governments and all the Urban Locals. To ensure that monies are spent where the money is supposed to be spent.

26.    That the health issues be a priority to the Nisga’a people by the Lisims Government. Gingolx is the furthest away from Terrace and our Clinic is important to us, it is not our fault that health monies are mismanaged by the Lisims Government and our health benefits should not be jeopardized as a result, If they cannot managed the monies, than we should be returned to the DIAND.

27.    Due to the high cost of travel to Terrace and Prince Rupert by the Git Gingolx to see their Doctors and Dentist, a mobile Doctor and Dentist should be hired to attend the sick, and to maintain good health for all Nisga’a people. The Doctor and Dentist should reside in Gingolx, as we are the furthest to travel to Terrace and Prince Rupert, B.C, travel for the Doctor and Dentist should be on a weekly basis to the other Villages, and to ensure that medication is available for the Nisga’a people at all times.

28.    That each Nisga’a Village and The Lisims Government hire Nisga’a people first before hiring outside help, and that the hiring practices is equal with all villages. That the jobs be posted to ensure all Nisga’a are notified of all job openings.

29.    That there be no selective discrimination as to who is and who is not a Nisga’a. Those of us who were conceived as Nisga’a, born Nisga’a and will always be Nisga’a till the day we die, and even in our graves we are Nisga’a. We should not need to apply to become a Citizen of the Nisga’a Lisims Government, as we are Nisga’a. Only those who were not born Nisga’a and who are married to a Nisga’a should make application to be a part of the Nisga’a Government. This is selective discrimination, and should be stopped.

We are the victims of this Modern Day Nisga’a Treaty. The Gingolx people did not want the treaty. The Gingolx people made a “Resolution “to withdraw from negotiations, and this Treaty was forced upon us. We want our Wilps, Chiefs, Matriarch, our Ayuuk’lth Nisga’a and our Culture recognized and protected under the Canadian Constitution and The Crown.

We want the Federal and Provincial Government to intervene on our behalf. We want fairness and justice for our people and our plights. We believe and have faith in the Canadian Institutions and the Canadian Government to do the right thing for the Git Gingolx. We have become destitute in our own Country and this is shameful for a bountiful Country like Canada.

This is our presentation to the Provincial Government, and a copy will be forwarded to the Federal Government, for action.

These are a few grievances of the people of Gingolx taken from the minutes of all our public meetings in Gingolx.

Thank you for reading and listening to our concerns.