Specific claim settlement agreement reached between Gitanmaax Band and Government of Canada

GITANMAAX BAND, BC, July 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Tracey Woods, Chief of the Gitanmaax Band, and the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown?Indigenous Relations, announced the settlement agreement regarding the Gitanmaax Band's Surrender of 36 acres of Indian Reserve No. 1 Specific Claim.

The specific claim concerns Gitanmaax's 1948 surrender of 36 acres of reserve land adjacent to the Village of Hazelton townsite. Canada failed to return the unsold surrendered parcels to reserve status upon the Gitanmaax Band's request in 1966. Canada also breached its fiduciary duties by failing to compensate the Gitanmaax Band for the use of their reserve land by non-band members, from the early 1900s to 1947. Through dialogue and negotiation, Canada and the Gitanmaax Band reached a settlement of $6.1 million in compensation.

The significant socio-economic gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada are the direct result of decades of colonial policies, which often led to the denial and dispossession of land. Ownership of land in Canada is closely linked to ownership of resources and economic benefit; for hundreds of years, settlers in Canada have benefited from the land to the detriment of Indigenous Peoples, who have suffered both culturally and economically.

Honouring Canada's moral and legal obligations and properly compensating Indigenous Peoples for what was unlawfully taken and withheld from them is fundamental to advancing reconciliation in Canada and rebuilding trust with Indigenous communities.

"This settlement represents part of the Gitanmaax Band's ongoing process of correcting and mending some of what happened to us in the past so that we can continue to move forward into a bright future for the community as a whole, our children, and coming generations."

Tracey Woods
Chief of Gitanmaax Band

"The resolution of this claim signifies an important step in Canada's relationship with the people of Gitanmaax. For far too long, Canada has indebted Indigenous communities, including the Gitanmaax Band, by taking lands or not properly compensating communities for the use of those lands. Because of this, communities have been significantly set back economically ? as a country, it's our duty to acknowledge and address these historic wrongs and move forward together. I'd like to thank the Gitanmaax Band's leadership for their dedication to this settlement agreement, which will contribute to your community's wellbeing for generations to come.

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown?Indigenous Relations

• The Gitanmaax Band is a band government of the Gitxsan people, based near the meeting of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers, adjacent to the village of Hazelton and 5 km west of New Hazelton, in northwestern British Columbia. Gitanmaax has over 2500 members, with approximately 700 living on one of Gitanmaax's reserves.
  
  
• This specific claim was submitted in 2001 and accepted by Canada for negotiations in 2009. In 2012, the Gitanmaax Band and Canada reached agreement on a compensation amount subject to negotiation of the terms of a settlement agreement acceptable to both parties.
  
  
• An updated settlement offer was accepted by the Gitanmaax Band in November 2019. Extensive negotiations to finalize settlement agreement language were not completed until 2022.
  
  
• A successful vote by Gitanmaax Band members was held in December 2022. The Gitanmaax Band signed the agreement in January 2023, and Canada signed in March 2023.
  
  
• From January 1st, 2016 to May 31, 2023, 259 claims have been resolved for close to $8.8 billion in compensation. Of these, 254 were settled through negotiation for $8.6 billion in compensation, and five were resolved at the Tribunal for over $169 million in compensation. Working in partnership with First Nations, Canada has resolved over 665 specific claims since 1973.

Gitanmaax Band
Specific Claims

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada