Anti-Native Rights Group Linked
to Neo-Nazies
The Nisga’a treaty has sparked an anti-Native backlash in British Columbia. The organized non-native movement opposed to the ratification of the treaty is trying to provoke a strong emotional response by playing on people’s fears. One of the more vocal groups is B.C. FIRE. 
BC FIRE is warning of the dire consequences of settling treaties and recognizing Aboriginal fishing and hunting rights. BC FIRE bases its call for a referendum on the Nisga’a treaty on the premise that the treaty will create a new "racially based" government, which is not envisioned in the Canadian Constitution, and will lead to a "form of apartheid" in the province. These views have been adopted by political parties opposed to the ratification of the treaty, such as the B.C. Liberal Party and the Reform Party of Canada, and is echoed in the commercial press by Gordon Gibson, with the Globe and Mail, and the radio talk show luminaries. Criticism of the treaty by people concerned over the Nisga’a extinguishing their Aboriginal and land rights, however, is virtually absent from these same media outlets.
For over two years, the BC FIRE web site ( www.vip.net/~bcfire/ ) provided a link to The Speaker, introducing the site as "definately not a publication for the ‘politically correct’ crowd." The Speaker is a site hosted by Bernard Klatt, who provides service links to several neo-nazi groups such as the Heritage Front, Ernst Zundel and the National Socialist Movement. The link was broken only after the Georgia Straight of Vancouver ran a story on the BC FIRE site.
According to Rubin Friedman of B’Nai Brith Canada, Native peoples’ struggle for their rights brings about anger and fear among Canadians. He said racist groups choose to join anti-Native rights campaigns precisely because people feel threatened. At the moment the extremist groups are not really reaching ordinary people, he said, but the success of neo-nazi groups in exploiting emotional reactions among the population acts to reinforce members of the groups. While there is no direct immediate influence, "dowstream influence of the way of thinking of the issue" could happen.
Perhaps the greatest threat that racist fringe groups pose to Canadians and Native peoples is their ability to banalize their racist assumptions and objectives within the larger Canadian society. The BC FIRE virtual link to Mr. Klatt is an attempt by neo-nazi groups to spread their views among segments of the greater population.
B’Nai Brith Canada has attempted to shut down Bernard Klatt’s web site. Mr. Friedman said the attempt to shut down Ernst Zundel’s web site is a test case which involves the Canadian Human Rights Code prohibition of using the telephone lines to intentionally promote hatred. No decision has yet been reached. 
AECB Rules That It Is Above the Law
The Atomic Energy Control Board, a federal Crown Agency that regulates, licences and establishes directives for the nuclear industry in Canada, held public meetings in Ottawa on Wednesday May 27, 1998 on the renewal of the operating licence for the Bruce Nuclear Power Development Site 2 Radioactive Waste Management Facility. The Nuclear Power facility is located on unceded Saugeen Nation lands in the Bruce Peninsula, north of Toronto. 
At the meeting, then Saugeen Chief Darlene Ritchie presented a brief opposing the relicensing application on spiritual, technical, health and safety grounds and on the potential for irreparable harm to the First Nation’s lands, resources and livelihoods. 
ARC’s brief presented by Dan Berman and Ed Bianchi opposed the renewal of the licence, noting that the AECB renewal procedure violates Saugeen law as well as Canadian law. ARC cited the Delgamuukw Supreme Court ruling that the federal government has a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of Aboriginal peoples and to undertake meaningful consultation before making decisions affecting Aboriginal peoples’ lives, lands and communities.
The Supreme Court also ruled that Aboriginal people retain title to their unceded traditional territories, a collective right to the land itself. Aboriginal title is not limited to traditional practices but "aboriginal title encompasses the right to choose to what uses the land can be put, subject to the ultimate limit that those uses cannot destroy the ability of the land to sustain future generations of aboriginal peoples." (para 166) Since aboriginal title is subject to the qualification that the land cannot be used in a way that destroys the people’s relationship to the land, it is also a limitation on the activities on non-Native people and activities.
The AECB process considering the renewal of the licence for the nuclear waste facility violates the rulings of the Supreme Court of Canada since there was no consultation process with the Saugeen Nation before building the facility in the first place or with regards to relicensing. Second, as nuclear reactors and waste pose an obvious threat to the relationship aboriginal peoples have with the land and to future genrations, these operations can be prohibited by the Saugeen Nation.
In reaction to ARC’s presentation, Ms. A. Nowack, the Acting Senior Counsel for the AECB, stated that Aboriginal rights are protected under the Canadian Constitution, however, "a regulatory body may not be able to make determinations" about the nature and scope of those rights. According to Ms. Nowack, an unnamed court decision in 1994 "determined" that regulatory agencies such as AECB do not have to take into account Aboriginal rights in the decision making process, and thus the AECB is not bound by the Delgamuukw Supreme Court of Canada ruling.
AECB approved the relicensing of the Bruce Nuclear disposal site. There are plans by Ontario Hydro to turn the Bruce Nuclear Generation Station into a giant nuclear waste storage facility and to bring in waste from other facilities. This follows the rejection of the concept of geologic waste disposal by the federal Environmental Review Panel in February of this year.