"The Future of Canada Must Be Tied to the Future of Canada's First Nations. Anything Else Would Merely Perpetuate Existing Wrongs."

My wife, Doreen, and I were blessed with our first grandchild last October. For the past six months I have had the opportunity to watch this child develop and change from day to day, especially during the past two to three months. What a blessing. I have a number of times stopped to think of what I could do to give my grandchild a positive future.

Are we, as Canadians, really planning long-term - thinking in terms of what or how we are planning for 50 years from today? What is Canada going to look like? Are some of the crisis situations going to be repeated? When we talk about the Canadian Constitution, how do we do it? Who do we involve? How do we keep Canada together? Is our justice system working? Is it God's justice?

I think we focus too often on the economic side of issues when we make decisions - for example, on environmental concerns. Are our decisions long-term? If so, based on what? Are we treating all Canadians fairly? What really caused the Oka crisis? Why are the Native people wanting to deal with land claims? What are reserves? Why do we say that Native people do not play taxes? How do Native peoples fit into the Constitution? The general attitude toward Native people reflects a lack of understanding. I don't want my grandchild to grow up under these conditions.

I would suggest that people read the recent judgement by B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Allan McEachern on the Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en land claims case (Nation, May). This 304-page document reflects a negative attitude toward Native people that must be changed.

Our society needs to be educated about Native people. Most people do not know that reserves do not belong to Native people. It is federal government land that we live on. We do not own it. How can we pay land taxes on land that we do not own? Homes we invest into on the reserve cannot be used as collateral or equity. We are people on our land, in our country without ownership of land. We are criticized as people who receive, as non-taxpayers, yet we pay almost every other tax that Canadians pay.

Who put us in this position? What must we do to change this? Before people criticize they must find out the facts. It hurt when I heart Prime Minister Brian Mulroney during the Oka crisis saying on national television, "What more do Native people want? They are already getting free housing." He fails to complete the comment with the facts.

What is the history behind reserves? This kind of comment certainly does not help the third class Canadian Natives; it only adds to the negative attitude held generally. We are the first citizens of this country; we do not deserve the criticism we receive by our fellow citizens. The facts must be known.

Project North B.C. has an informational package that gives a good insight of the struggles and a history of how reserves came about. A pamphlet, An Historical Overview, gives an outline of different dates in history of the struggle for aboriginal title and rights in B.C.: Native protests, McKenna-McBride, White Paper, Calder Case, comprehensive and specific claims, the Coolican Report, The Sparrow Case and the recent Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en court case. It was not until 1949 that Native people were given the right to vote in provincial elections and in 1960 the right to vote in federal elections. Change has been slow.

The Native people of this country want recognition. The land question needs to be dealt with immediately. Most reservations have a very high unemployment rate. What we want as part of Canadian society is to sit across the table with the governments to discuss the aboriginal rights and the land question. In order for this to happen the federal and provincial governments need to change their land claim policies and get serious about discussing land claims and negotiate in good faith.

This whole subject is not going to go away. It is sad that we must go to the courts to try to force the political leaders of this country to listen to the Native people. We as Christians of this country need to push and lobby the federal and provincial governments to change their attitudes or paternalism. We cannot continue to live in our country and not own land.

We look forward to a peaceful co-existence with our fellow Canadians which enables us to learn from one another. We have much to offer the world in view of our connection to Mother Earth. "When the earth hurts, we cry." We long to live in harmony as Canadians.

The churches have given us much support and we are grateful for this demonstration of God's justice. Fifty years from now, may my grandson tell stories of the just resolution to the struggles of his people.

Peace be with you.

Angus is a chief of the Gitksan-Wet'suwet'en people of British Columbia and past-president of British Columbia Conference.