December 18, 1998
(Executive Council)
Tentative Agreement in
Principle reached
Premier Brian Tobin said today
that he is pleased negotiators for the province, the Labrador Inuit
Association and the Government of Canada were able to shake hands on a
tentative Agreement in Principle around midnight last night in St. John's.
The negotiators will now take the text back to their principals for
approval.
"This marks another
milestone in the progress toward a final comprehensive land claims agreement
with the Inuit, and I am truly pleased," said the Premier. "We
have made great progress since November of last year when we agreed upon the
Ottawa negotiators' text, and now I look forward to a complete review of the
Agreement In Principle. Once all three parties have had a chance to do so,
more details will be forthcoming in the new year."
The premier said that the text
will be examined carefully and full legal consideration will be given to the
Agreement in Principle.
"This AIP comes as a result
of the hard work and the dedicated efforts of negotiators for all three
parties," said Premier Tobin. "I want to thank each of them for
their time and patience and attention to detail. Without them, we would not
be at this historic point in the land claims negotiating process."
Contact: Heidi Bonnell, Director
of Communications, (709) 729-3564
NOTE: Information on the Ottawa
Negotiators' text as announced on November 5, 1997, is available at
www.gov.nl.ca under News Releases, Executive Council, Nov. 5, 1997
Details of LIA's land claim agreement
released
Land
Claims Backgrounders
_____________________________
Land Claims - BACKGROUNDER
A comprehensive land claim
agreement is a modern treaty which provides Aboriginal groups with a
wide range of land and resource rights and benefits. Negotiated
agreements provide a defined package of treaty rights and benefits which
receive constitutional protection.
Comprehensive land claims
negotiations proceed through a series of stages: Framework Agreement;
Agreement-in-Principle; Final Agreement and Implementation. In November,
1990 the federal and provincial governments and the Labrador Inuit
Association (LIA) satisfied the first stage with the signing of a
Framework Agreement which set out the process and subjects for
negotiation.
The provincial government's
objective in negotiating comprehensive land claim agreements is to
achieve certain and final settlement of Aboriginal claims to territory
within the Province. Certainty as to the ownership of lands and how such
lands are to be managed will provide a more stable environment for
development and investment. It is government's position that final
settlement will be achieved by defining Labrador Inuit rights and
benefits in a land claim agreement, in exchange for the release of all
Labrador Inuit claims to provincial lands and resources. Settlement of
the land claim is necessary to provide for the long term economic and
social development of the province, and contribute to the economic,
social and cultural development of Labrador Inuit claimants.
Negotiations are intended to accommodate the interests of Labrador
Inuit, governments and third parties.
Negotiations to reach an
Agreement-in-Principle commenced in December 1990 with a plan to
complete this stage by the end of 1994. Progress was very slow. In an
attempt to accelerate the process, the Province and the LIA agreed to
exchange comprehensive proposals in 1993. Although this exchange of
proposals did provide the parties with a better understanding of their
respective positions on all subjects, it did not result in the desired
acceleration of the negotiation process.
The prospect of a major mine
development at Voisey's Bay prompted the Parties to again focus on the
importance of achieving an Agreement-in-Principle as quickly as
possible.
In July, 1996 Premier Brian
Tobin, the President of the LIA and the Minister of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development agreed to fast-track negotiations. Parties agreed
to centralize negotiations in St. John's and work towards a March 31,
1997 target date.
Meetings of senior officials
from all three parties were held in Ottawa from Oct. 20-29, 1997. These
meetings resulted in a basis for an Agreement-in-Principle, which was
ratified by all three parties. From there, the lawyers, financial
experts and land claims specialists worked toward a finalized
Agreement-in-Principle.
On December 18, 1998,
negotiators were able to reach a tentative Agreement-in-Principle. The
next step will be for all three parties to review the tentative AIP and
give approval for initialling. That is expected early in 1999.
From there, negotiators will
embark upon work to reach a Final Agreement. This final stage of land
claims negotiations is anticipated to last from 12 to 18 months.
1998 12 18
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