Ottawa may buy land to satisfy Six Nations deal

June 15, 2007

Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator
CALEDONIA (Jun 15, 2007)

Ottawa is considering buying land claimed by Six Nations and returning it to the band to resolve native demands a settlement in the Caledonia standoff must include land.

The federal government has offered Six Nations $125 million to resolve four claims, but the offer is only contingent on natives ending their 16-month occupation of an one-time housing project and not staging more occupations.

Six Nations negotiators have been cool to the offer, but have not rejected it and have asked for an explanation of the figure and for it to include the return of land.

"Canada doesn't have any land to give them, so what we're mostly talking about then is some mechanisms whereby monies that may be owned by Canada could be used to acquire lands," federal negotiator Ron Doering said yesterday after a meeting of the main negotiation table. "We're happy to talk about that."

Ottawa has said expropriation of land owned by third parties is not negotiable but one way around that is for Ottawa to buy properties in Haldimand and Brant (where land claims dominate) and return it to Six Nations.

The band received huge chunks of land along the Grand River in 1784 from the British Crown, but all that remains is the Six Nations Reserve beside Caledonia. They claim the housing site was illegally taken to help build Highway 6, but Ottawa says Six Nations surrendered it in 1844.

Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said natives have for a while pushed the idea that Ottawa buy land and return it to the band, but such a process would have to be ratified by his community.