Jaalen Edenshaw was the main string of the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole, created in 2013 to celebrate one of the first agreements between the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada. “It was a good working relationship to reach a more formal reconciliation agreement,” he said. “I think it`s a Haida term that I can`t pronounce correctly, but it`s a respect.” 8 The Minister may, on behalf of the government, enter into agreements to amend the reconciliation protocol. The reconciliation protocol was an important aspect of the nation, which increased its decision-making power. It has offered protection for Haida`s main cultural properties, such as trees, medicinal plant harvesting sites and archaeological sites. The cultural and traditional administration of the country is defined as a priority in the protocol. In 2010, HaiCo entered into negotiations with Western Forest Products to purchase Tree Farm License 60 (TFL 60) and its infrastructure in Haida Gwaii. TFL 60 is the largest forest property in Haida Gwaii and covers more than 130,000 hectares on Graham, Moresby and Louise Islands. HaiCo placed a bond on the transaction and entered into a business agreement that allowed it to harvest wood. Over the next three years, the BC government has reduced annual reductions authorized in Haida Gwaii, temporarily suspended logging in some areas, and worked with the Haida Nation Council to develop a Strategic Land Use Agreement (SLUA). In April 2007, a final SLUA was signed, ensuring that nearly half of the Haida Gwaii land base is in protected areas that were to be jointly managed by Haida and the province.
In addition, the province is committed to achieving economic opportunities for at least 800,000 cubic metres per year, as well as detailed forest planning, integrating Vonhaida`s cultural and environmental priorities. “The signing of the reconciliation protocol with BC was a great accomplishment,” says Lantin. “It took a lot of work to keep it going, but everything that happened after that – developing a solid plan and implementation framework was also an important task and is not yet complete. It`s a living document. “This historic agreement is the result of several years of cooperation to strengthen relations between the Government of Canada and members of the Coastal Nations. The agreement is a decisive step forward and underlines the government`s commitment to ensuring the growth and sustainability of the Community fishery. In partnership with coastal First Nations, we encourage community-based fisheries management on our province`s north and central coasts to best support the prosperity of these coastal communities. The Haida argue that it is easy to underestimate the resources needed to implement the agreements and that a process of developing a governance structure, management framework and funding should be developed in a timely manner for similar agreements. Guujaaw, President of the CHN, said: “After 50 years of intensive forestry without comprehensive planning, this land use agreement is beginning to balance cultural, environmental and economic interests. It provides a solid foundation for the next steps in reconciling our competing but co-existing titles. The approach of building a supportive relationship is also beneficial when there are conflicting views that are treated with respect at the solutions table.
“An important approach we have taken is cooperation in an integrated space that has taught us how to work together through differences of opinion. It was great for me to understand what the province is trying to do and for her to have a Haida around to understand how we make our decisions. It was important for us to always have a working relationship, so that we could always progress, even through disagreements. Arta`guu-art`aayah means `at the beginning`. This minutes are a step in the voting process, but the first one among many.
