What historic agreement signed in Haida Gwaii will mean for other First Nations

And the signing is proceeding. It has taken decades to get to this point. The BC government formally recognizing aboriginal title on Haida Gwaii. The agreement, the first of its kind in Canada, reached outside the treaty process and outside of the courts Haida guise Haida land. Always has been and always will be. It will be the first time in Canada the title is recognized in this way. It is an entirely different way of recognizing title, something that the courts have been telling us to do for a long time. The agreement has been signed and ratified by the Haida Nation, but it must still be passed by the BC Legislature. Once in place, the two sides will negotiate the terms over the course of the next two years. But according to the agreement, aboriginal title will not affect public services like ferry terminals. Health care or schools. It also includes A commitment from the Haida to leave privately owned lands unchanged and under provincial authority. People who have private property, who own property on hideaway, are not going to be affected by this agreement. And we found the kind of a way of balancing things that I think should create certainty and clarity, not confusion. Critics, though, are concerned the agreement makes it more confusing. For fee simple ownership, government needs to be held to a very high standard of have they done an adequate job? Of balancing competing societal interests with those of the hydra. And the answer is clearly they have not. This has created even more uncertainty than litigation. The Hydra Nation has several legal challenges underway against the federal and provincial governments. Issues include jurisdiction over marine ecosystems and airspace rights, but the Haida are also seeking damages for the loss of traditional territory to private land owners. According to lawyers, as issues are negotiated over the next few years, they can be dropped off the court challenge. The heart and soul of this agreement is title recognition, but the muscle is the negotiation of jurisdictional arrangements and the reconciliation of laws. And that’s going to take place over the next two years. We’ve all witnessed history here today. Hold them up high. Murray Rankin, BC’s minister of Indigenous relations, says the law will be introduced as soon as possible. And should be in force later this spring. Aaron McCarthy, Global News.