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May 19, 1999
(Executive Council)


The following statement was issued today by Premier Brian Tobin. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise today to inform the house of government's efforts to make information regarding Aboriginal land claims available to the people of this province.

As my honourable colleagues are aware, last week chief negotiators representing the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Canada and the Labrador Inuit Association initialed the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement in Principle. This is a significant achievement. I believe this agreement in principle represents what could be the best, most comprehensive land claims settlement in Canada. As members are aware, this agreement will now be presented to the three parties to begin the review and ratification process. In fact, the LIA has begun its 75-day internal ratification process with community meetings now taking place in Labrador.

The province is also involved in negotiating a land claims agreement with the Innu Nation of Labrador. This process is moving forward at a good pace. It is clear that we are beginning to make real progress in the area of land claims. With agreements on land claims and self government, the Inuit and Innu of Labrador will be in a position to control their own future. The settlement of land claims brings clarity to the ownership of land and the management of resources in Labrador. The settlement of land claims will bring economic and social stability, new capital, more jobs and increased tax revenues to the province. The settlement of land claims benefits all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We have reached a watershed in our negotiations with the Aboriginal peoples of Labrador. The agreements contemplated represent a significant new relationship between the Aboriginal peoples and other residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. To manage our shared resources for the benefit of all, we must face the need for change. We must all understand what this new relationship will mean.

There is no doubt that land claims agreements will result in significant change. The concepts of self-government and shared resources are new and the agreements complex. It is now time to provide all the people of the province with the information they will need to understand our shared future. It is for this reason that government is launching a public information campaign to create an awareness of the value of land claims settlements and provide the people of the province with the information they need to understand the significant shift that is taking place.

The public information program - titled Our Land, Our People, Our Home - will be comprehensive and wide-reaching. It has been designed to provide individuals and groups with the level of information they feel they need to be informed on this important issue. A householder will be mailed to each family in the province. Information kits will be available on request. A web site will be launched and a toll-free number will be maintained within government's Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat. In addition, government is prepared to make presentations to individuals and groups who require more detailed information.

I am very pleased to be announcing this initiative in the House today. It means that we, in this province, are moving to a new stage in the land claims process. It means that the time has come for all the people of the province to engage in this very significant public issue. It means that we are all moving together toward a brighter, more certain future.

1999 05 19                          2:30 p.m.


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