Re: Aboriginal Treaties
I think that The Crown of Canada absolutely must honour its contractual obligations to our Aboriginal peoples. Whether or not it was Her Majesty’s Government for Canada that signed on to these agreements, or some previous manifestation of the Canadian Crown, we as a nation (as a sovereign institution and as a people) are responsible for ensuring that we honour and uphold those treaties unless, and until, we are able to change them pursuant to the rule of law.
However, that is not to say that those contractual obligations cannot be changed—with the consent of both parties, of course. Given that modern Canada has the resources to support both our Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, it seems to make sense to me that we should create an instrument whereby Aboriginal citizens can volunteer to revoke any special status that they hold (perhaps, as suggested above, for one-time monetary compensation).
We could also lobby The Honourable Chuck Strahl P.C., M.P. (Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon), the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, to launch an immediate renegotiation of existing treaties to promote one-time compensation in lieu of treaty rights. It would most probably take us decades to conclude such renegotiations, but the end-result would be a single tier of citizenship and rights, and ultimately the re-absorption of reserves. Let us be quite clear, though, that any changes or revocations of these treaties must be done with the support and agreement of the Aboriginal peoples whom they cover—The Crown absolutely must honour its commitments.