DOCU
FIRST MINISTERS’ CONFERENCE
ON
ABORIGINAL CONSTITUTIONAL MATTE
MENT: 800-17/023
RS
NOTES FOR A STATEMENT ON ABORIGINAL RIGHTS
BY THE HONOURAELE JAMES M. LEE, P.
C.
PREMIER OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Ottawa
March l5»16, 1983

TODAY IS NOT ONLY AN HISTORIC DAY FOR THE FOUNDING
PEOPLES OF OUR COUNTRY BUT FOR CANADA AS A WHOLE. WE SEE
HERE THE LEADERS OF ALL THE JURISDICTIONS IN THIS GREAT
COUNTRY PREPARED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO DEAL SERIOUSLY IN
THIS FORUM WITH ANY INEQUITIES OF THE PAST AND TO
SET A FRAMEWORK WHEREBY ALL OUR PEOPLES NO MATTER WHAT
RACE OR RELIGION CAN LIVE IN HARMONY IN THE FUTURE.
OUR PRESENT CONSTITUTION AND SHORT HISTORICAL PAST
As A COUNTRY HAS SHOWN us THAT NE HAVE THE BACKBONE TO
ACCOMMODATE PROVINCES As SMALL As PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AND
AS LARGE AS ONTARIO, As WELL As THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADJUST
TO CHANGING TIMES. IT IS WITH THIS PAST THAT THE ABORIGINAL
PEOPLES OF THIS COUNTRY CAN HOPE FOR SOME SATISFACTION IN
THE FUTURE.

OUR COUNTRY, LIKE OTHERS, IN TODAY s WORLD WILL BE
JUDGED ON How IT TREATS ALL ITS PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY
THOSE WITH AN UNIQUE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TRADITION.
IT 1s MY HOPE THAT THE ISSUES THAT EXIST TODAY WITH
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES CAN BE ACCOMMODATED THROUGH A POLITICAL
SOLUTION WHICH WILL ENTRENCH THESE RIGHTS IN OUR
CONSTITUTION. TH1s WILL ENSURE THAT ALL CITIZENS OF OUR
COUNTRY ARE TREATED FAIRLY AND WITH THE DIGNITY EVERY
CANADIAN DESERVES.

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WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT RIGHTS ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON
NUMBERS. THE NUMBERS OF OUR ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IS SMALL. NEVER”
THELEss, NE MUST BE AS coNcERNED NITH RIGHTS AS THosE
JURISDICTIONS WHERE NUMBERS ARE LARGE. THEsE cITIzENs OF
OUR PROVINCE HAD ANcEsToRs HUNTING AND FISHING ON A
SEASONAL BASIS 10,000 YEARS AGO AND ARCHEOLOGICAL REsEARcH
HAs ALSO FOUND EVIDENCE THAT YEAR-ROUND SETTLEMENTS WERE
ESTABLISHED 2,000 YEARS Aeo. S0, As YOU CAN SEE, THEsE
SMALL BANDS ARE OUR HERITAGE AND OUR MUTUAL RELATIONS
IN RELATIVE TERMS HAS BEEN SHORT.
WHILE IT Is REcoGNIzED THAT AEDRIGINAL PEOPLES IN THIs
COUNTRY HAVE EXISTING RIGHTS UNDER EXTISTING TREATIEs NE ARE
ALso PREPARED To CONSIDER THEIR REQUEST FOR A CHARTER OF
RIGHTs. HoNEvER, IT Is IMPERATIVE THAT NE AGREE AT THE
OUTSET oN THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES THAT NouLD BE INCLUDED IN
SUCH A CHARTER. ONGE AGREEMENT IS REAGHED, I EXPECT THE
RIGHTS To BE FORMULATED FROM THE PRINCIPLES AND SUBSEQUENTLY
ENTRENcHED IN THE CoNsTITuTIoN. FDRTHERNDRE, IT Is EssENTIAL
THAT EVERY JURISDICTION KNOW THE EXTENT OF THEsE RIGHTS AND
THAT EDDITAELE TREATMENT Is RECEIVED BY ALL CANADIANs,
IN ADDITIDN, WE THINK THAT NHATEvER PROGRESS NE MAKE
DURING THE NEXT TWO DAYS NITH RESPECT To PRINCIPLES DR RIGHTs
THAT THE FEDERAL G0vERNNENT’s suGGEsTION BROUGHT FORWARD AT
OUR MINISTERS’ MEETING BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED. THAT RECOMMENT
DATION INCLUDED ENTRENCHING THE PRINCIPLES IN THE PREAMBLE
To sEcTI0N 37 OF THE CDNsTITuTI0N. NE BELIEVE THAT THIS NDDLD

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BE A SOLID INDICATION OF OUR INTENTION.
I UNDERSTAND THAT DURING THE MINIsTERs’ MEETING THE
ABDRIGINAL GROUPS SHOWED UNANIMITY ON EQUALITY FOR MEN AND
WOMEN. WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT THE PRESENT CoNsTITuTIoN
ADEQUATELY covERs THIS TOPIC. HoNEvER, IT MAY BE ADVISABLE
TO sTRENGTHEN THIs SECTION BY AMENDING sEcTIoN 25.
WHILE WE HAVE SAID ALL THIS ABOUT RIGHTS AND PRINCIPLES,
ANY FINAL RESOLUTION WILL REQUIRE A CLEAR DEFINITION OF
CONCEPTS. THE COMPLEXITIES OF THIS TASK ARE ENORMOUS AND
THIS MEETING SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR STEPPING STONE
TO THE FINAL RESULT. IT WOULD BE FOLLY IN OUR THINKING IF
WE THOUGHT THAT ALL EXPECTATIONS COULD BE FULFILLED AT THIS
MEETING. CONSEQUENTLY, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND IS COMMITTED
TO AN ONGOING PROCESS EITHER BY WAY OF CONSTITUTIONAL ENTRENCHT
MENT OR A POLITICAL ACCORD THAT ENSURES ALL TOPICS DISCUSSED
ARE RESOLVED IN THE NEAR FUTURE BY WHATEVER PROCESS WILL BE
DETERMINED.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FOUNDING PEOPLES IN CANADA HAVE
NOT BEEN WITHOUT PROBLEMS, BUT THEY ARE NOT WITHOUT HOPE. THE
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY ADD AN ASPECT T0 THE
CANADIAN CULTURE THAT BENEFITS ALL CANADIANS. THIS RICH
CULTURAL CONTRIBUTION SHOULD BE REMEMBERED AS WE PROCEED
WITH THESE DISCUSSIONS TODAY.

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