B.C. Indigenous leaders praise Ottawa’s loan forgiveness plan GlobeBC
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett visited B.C.'s Musqueam First Nation on Wednesday to mark the decision.The federal government’s decision to forgive more than a billion dollars in loans to First Nations to pursue land claims is a breakthrough that will lift a financial burden from communities and make millions of dollars available for education, economic development and other priorities, say B.C. First Nations leaders.
Mr. John is one of three members of the political executive of B.C.'s First Nations Summit, an umbrella group for First Nations involved in B.C.'s treaty process. He said he has been fighting for treaty-loan forgiveness since the B.C. Treaty Commission was founded in 1992. As of the end of March, there was $551.9-million in loans outstanding in B.C., accounting for 61.4 per cent of all outstanding loan debt, Ms. Deeks said. A breakdown of loans was not immediately available.Mary-Ann Enevoldsen, a commissioner with the B.C. Treaty Commission and the former chief of the Homalco First Nation, welcomed the shift in policy, saying the loans were divisive and controversial.
Ms. Bennett said she expected any hit to the federal budget from the loan forgiveness to be offset by gains in other areas, including health and economic benefits to First Nations.
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