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Stream Canadian with the NFB this June: Celebrate National Indigenous History Month.Special programming also highlights Pride Month.
Stream Canadian with the NFB this June: Celebrate National Indigenous History Month.Special programming also highlights Pride Month.

Canada Standard

time4 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Canada Standard

Stream Canadian with the NFB this June: Celebrate National Indigenous History Month.Special programming also highlights Pride Month.

June 2, 2025 - Montreal - National Film Board of Canada (NFB) In June, keep streaming Canadian on the NFB's platforms! We're celebrating National Indigenous History Month with three new releases showcasing the strength and resilience of Indigenous people: Ossie Michelin's Feather Fall , about an iconic moment of Indigenous resistance filmed in Mi'kmaq territory; , about an iconic moment of Indigenous resistance filmed in Mi'kmaq territory; Alanis Obomsawin's My Friend the Green Horse , where an animal from the filmmaker's dreams embodies the spirit of kindness and a celebration of life; , where an animal from the filmmaker's dreams embodies the spirit of kindness and a celebration of life; and Christopher Auchter's The Stand , which recreates the moment when the Haida Nation took a stand for the future. June is also Pride Month in Canada: Special themed channels and blog posts will mark these important historic and cultural commemorations. In addition, more new releases will be available online: Serville Poblete's King's Court , an intimate look into the lives of two young men in Toronto's Bleecker Street neighbourhood; , an intimate look into the lives of two young men in Toronto's Bleecker Street neighbourhood; and the seven short films produced by the NFB in tribute to the 2025 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) laureates. Remember, is home to more than 7,000 streaming films and a collection of over 100 interactive works. MARKING NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH Starting June 2 Feather Fall by Ossie Michelin (2024, NFB) Documentary (22 min 57 s) / Press kit The film revisits Mi'kmaq territory, where an iconic moment was captured in 2013-igniting into a symbol of Indigenous resistance and halting fracking exploration on unceded lands. Starting June 9 My Friend the Green Horse by Alanis Obomsawin (2024, NFB) Animation (11 min 20 s) / Press kit Often feeling alone in her waking life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found friendship with the Green Horse, a benevolent being she visited regularly in her dreams. Together with other animal spirits, the Green Horse guided Alanis to realize the immensity of the gift of life and the power of kindness. Starting June 19 The Stand by Christopher Auchter (2024, NFB) Documentary (94 min 33 s) / Press kit Drawn from more than a hundred hours of archival footage and audio, Christopher Auchter's riveting new feature doc recreates the moment when the Haida Nation took a stand for the future. This award-winning film has been an official selection at several festivals in Canada, the United States and the UK. To date, the NFB has produced or co-produced more than 460 works by First Nations, Inuit and Metis filmmakers , one of the largest online collections of Indigenous-made films , exploring stories beyond those of the historically dominant culture. English Collection Curator Camilo Martin-Florez has written a two-part blog post entitled "The Forgotten Reels of Nunavut's Animation Workshop." It explores one of the most captivating and intricate chapters of Indigenous filmmaking at the NFB: the 58 films made by 13 Inuit filmmakers at a 1972 workshop in Kinngait (then known as Cape Dorset), Nunavut. The films have been retrieved, restored, digitized and made available for free on to celebrate this National Indigenous Heritage Month. Learn more: Part 1 and Part 2. NEW ONLINE RELEASE Starting June 17 King's Court by Serville Poblete (2025, NFB) Documentary (19 min 59 s) / Press kit An intimate look into the lives of two young men navigating life, love, friendship and family in Toronto's Bleecker Street neighbourhood. The film had its world premiere at the Hot Docs film fest. MARKING PRIDE MONTH Starting June 27 Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance by Noam Gonick (2025, NFB) Documentary (96 min) / Press kit The film captures pivotal moments of the activism that sparked Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ movement. The film launched in April at Hot Docs, where it was voted a top ten audience favourite. The original English version of the documentary will be launched on TVO's digital channels at 9 a.m. (EDT) on June 22, and broadcast on TVO at 9 p.m. (EDT). Themed channel This selection of close to 50 short and feature-length doc and animated films continues to grow, with recent additions like A Mother Apart by Laurie Townshend, as well as important films dating back to the 1990s, including Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives by Aerlyn Weissman and Lynne Fernie. CELEBRATING THE 2025 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS (GGPAA) LAUREATES Starting June 14 at 9 p.m. (ET) For the 17th year, the NFB is bringing together acclaimed filmmakers to create seven short cinematic tributes to Canadian performing arts legends, as the GGPAA gets set to honour laureates at their Awards Gala, taking place June 14 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The short films will also be available on the NFB's streaming platforms, CBC Gem and ICI starting on that date at 9 p.m. Tara Johns directed five shorts and Monique LeBlanc, two. Find more details here. A detailed press release will be issued on June 14. The GGPAA short films from previous years are available here. - 30 - Stay Connected Online Screening Room: NFB Facebook | NFB Twitter | NFB Instagram | NFB Blog | NFB YouTube | NFB Vimeo Curator's perspective | Director's notes About the NFB

Some voters say B.C. oil tanker ban must be lifted for national unity. Others warn it will reopen an old fight
Some voters say B.C. oil tanker ban must be lifted for national unity. Others warn it will reopen an old fight

CBC

time10-04-2025

  • Politics
  • CBC

Some voters say B.C. oil tanker ban must be lifted for national unity. Others warn it will reopen an old fight

If a ban on oil tankers off British Columbia's North Coast is lifted, Arnie Nagy is ready to fight. A member of the Haida Nation living in Prince Rupert, more than 700 kilometres up the coast from Vancouver, he spent his career working in fish canneries that once employed thousands, and still takes to the ocean for salmon. He didn't hesitate when asked what is at stake for him in the upcoming federal election. "Our way of life," he replied. "My family's way of life since time immemorial: The protection of the marine environment, the protection of our rights to go food fishing, the protection of the salmon resources and the marine resources that we used to build the economics in coastal communities." Nagy, now 61, said he's been fighting proposals to put oil tankers in B.C.'s oceans since the 1970s. Today, the issue has been brought back to the agenda by the federal Conservatives, who are running on a promise to repeal Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. And the question of which message resonates more — getting oil to market or protecting coastal waters — could help decide the outcome of a federal election, in which this riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley is shaping up to be a key battleground if the Conservatives want to form government. Passed in 2019 under then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, the moratorium act prevents tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of oil from travelling along B.C.'s coastline between the north tip of Vancouver Island and Alaska, and was celebrated by Nagy when it became law. But Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre argues the legislation is choking Canada's resource industry and has promised to lift it should he become prime minister. He's attacked Mark Carney for saying a new Liberal government would keep the ban in place. Poilievre has also framed the issue as a matter of national security in the face of tariffs and economic threats from the United States, arguing there is a renewed importance on opening up overseas markets for oil produced in B.C. and Alberta. WATCH | Nagy says he'd fight tanker ban reversal: Haida fisherman ready to fight any repeal of tanker ban 1 day ago Duration 2:09 Arnie Nagy says he's been fighting oil transport proposals through B.C.'s coastal waters since the 1970s, and at 61 years of age, he's ready to do it again should a new federal government seek to repeal the ban put in place in 2019. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, meanwhile, has put out a list of demands for whoever becomes prime minister. It includes lifting the tanker ban alongside several other measures aimed at getting Albertan oil to market in order to "avoid an unprecedented national unity crisis." "Albertans will no longer tolerate the way we've been treated by the federal Liberals over the past 10 years," she wrote on X. Nagy, however, believes that's simply a smokescreen, dressing resource projects up in a message of patriotism when in reality they would reopen old conflicts. "We've got to be united as Canadians, not divided on silly proposals that don't really benefit the Canadian people," he said, arguing the money from projects goes to companies rather than communities, while putting marine environments at risk. Divisive Northern Gateway pipeline still looms large Down a gravel road through farmers' fields north of Red Deer, Alberta, are the historic Leduc Oil Fields. Leduc kicked off Alberta's post-war oil boom in 1947 and today crews are still working to power the local economy — and, as they see it, that of the country as a whole. WATCH | Trump's threats puts controversial pipeline back on the agenda: Trump tariff threats put scrapped Northern Gateway pipeline project back in the political spotlight 3 months ago Duration 2:13 With U.S. President Donald Trump threatening tariffs on Canadian products as early as Feb. 1, some Canadian business leaders and politicians are opening up discussions on the Northern Gateway pipeline project to secure alternative markets for Canadian oil. As CBC's Katie DeRosa reports, even some First Nations leaders who once opposed the pipeline are now open to it. But, they say, they often feel ignored or worse, maligned by other parts of the country — a feeling Bryan Gould, CEO of Aspenleaf Energy, believes is about to boil over depending on the outcome of this year's election. "I see a sort of crossroads, frankly, where we either leverage the great strengths and the bounty that we have as a country, or we put barriers in place, don't realize our potential, and that can have, you know, really dramatic unity impacts in a negative sense," he said in an interview with CBC Radio's The Current. Chris Simeniuk, a former oil worker, expressed enthusiasm for Poilievre's plans to streamline the regulatory approval process for new energy projects. "Let's get something happening," he said. WATCH | Oil and gas workers on their election priorities: 3 Alberta voters want economic prosperity — and a voice 3 days ago Duration 0:46 He also lamented the death of Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, a project whose name is often brought up in discussions around efforts to get Canadian oil overseas. That development would have seen about 525,000 barrels of petroleum a day shipped from just northeast of Edmonton through more than 1,700 kilometres of pipeline to Kitimat, B.C., just east of Prince Rupert, for export overseas. The pipeline was approved by Stephen Harper's Conservatives, and protested by hundreds of people in both Kitimat and further afield. Its approval was reversed when the Federal Court found Ottawa had not adequately consulted Indigenous people along the project's route, and effectively killed once Trudeau came to power and announced the tanker moratorium in 2016. But the Conservatives already have a strong foothold in Alberta, where the tanker ban is maligned. Where they are attempting to win new voters is on B.C.'s North Coast, in the vast Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding which has returned NDP candidates since its creation in 2004 and where opposition to Northern Gateway and oil shipments remains strong. In January, when Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs president Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said he was prepared to rethink his opposition to the pipeline in the face of tariff threats, he was quickly faced with backlash and retracted his comments the next day. Indigenous leaders, including the elected Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations and Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, reiterated their opposition to the project, warning they would do everything they could to stop if from moving forward. 'Not a risk people are willing to take': NDP Also opposed to reopening the debate is Taylor Bachrach, who as mayor of Smithers joined in a council vote opposing the project. Today, he is running for re-election as the NDP MP in Skeena-Bulkley Valley, a riding so large and remote that he visits some of his constituents by canoe. "For 10 years, people in this part of the world — communities, First Nations, ranchers, fishermen — stood together and said, 'We don't want crude oil coming through our watersheds or going up and down our coast.' It was one of the greatest acts of unity, I think that I've ever seen," he said. The impact of the ban being repealed, he said, would be "really devastating" for the region, with the potential it would last long after a Trump presidency is over. "The implications of an oil spill in a wild salmon river or on the North Coast would last for over a century," he said. "It's not a risk people are willing to take." Also prominent in his opposition to the pipeline, at the time, was Ellis Ross. As the chief councillor of the Haisla First Nation, he went so far as to join a lawsuit against Enbridge for failing to consult with Indigenous communities on the project. In a 2012 interview with CBC, he echoed many of the same points made by Nagy, saying a single oil spill would devastate the marine life that his people have long relied on. At the same time he was fighting Enbridge, Ross supported the development of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, saying that while it, too, had risks, they were not nearly as great as those posed by oil tankers, adding the economic benefits to First Nations and local communities could not be ignored. He rode that message in the 2017 provincial election campaign, where he ran under the banner of the centre-right B.C. Liberals, flipping the riding away from the provincial NDP. And now, he's hoping to do it again, this time as the hand-picked candidate for the federal Conservatives. He joined Poilievre at a campaign stop in Terrace this week, where the party leader vowed to unleash the natural resource industry by creating a "one stop shop" to speed up approvals for natural resource projects, specifically citing the Canada LNG plant currently coming online in Kitimat that Ross had championed. WATCH | Poilievre campaigns in Terrace, B.C.: Conservatives promise 'one-and-done' project approvals to cut wait times 2 days ago Duration 2:10 Pierre Poilievre campaigned in Terrace on Monday alongside Skeena-Bulkley Valley candidate Ellis Ross. The former MLA helped bring LNG Canada to the region. But as Jon Hernandez explains, not everyone is on board with the party's pledge to support more megaprojects. But shipping LNG isn't nearly as divisive as oil tankers, and the industry has received the backing of both the federal Liberal and provincial NDP governments. Meanwhile, Poilievre's speech in Terrace made no mention of his promise to allow tankers into the nearby Douglas Channel, in contrast to an appearance a week earlier in Newfoundland, where he checked "repeal the tanker ban" off of a giant to-do list and criticized Carney for opposing Northern Gateway. Neither Poilievre nor Ross took questions from the media on the tanker ban while speaking in Terrace, and Ross' team has also declined multiple interview requests put forward by CBC News to clarify his position on the topic. Ross did, however, tell a special senate committee meeting in 2019 that he feared opposition to resource development, including the tanker ban, is based more on ideology than fact. He has also been vocal on social media saying there needs to be more pipelines in order to diversify the economy. That message isn't particularly at odds with that coming from Carney, who has said he wants to work with Canada's energy industries and First Nations to move more resource projects forward. But Nagy said no matter who wins the election, coastal First Nations are clear: no tankers in B.C.'s waters. "We've been through this battle … and we've come to the conclusion that it is not a safe proposal," he said. "It may be another fight."

Trudeau's final weeks strike balance between cementing his legacy and managing a crisis
Trudeau's final weeks strike balance between cementing his legacy and managing a crisis

CBC

time08-03-2025

  • Politics
  • CBC

Trudeau's final weeks strike balance between cementing his legacy and managing a crisis

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau works through what is likely to be his last week in office, he and his government appear to be moving to cement his political legacy. Trudeau and his ministers have been making significant announcements on infrastructure, social programs and reconciliation. Trudeau has also made recent international trips to the United Kingdom and Ukraine to discuss and demonstrate Canada's ongoing support for Ukraine and future role in global security. All this has come against a backdrop of leading the country through an economic, security and existential crisis instigated by the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump. Randy Besco, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, says that making announcements on your way out the door is common for outgoing prime ministers, as is tying up loose ends. "One way to look at it is: they are trying to cement a legacy. Another way to look at it is: they might lose so they are trying to get a lot of stuff done. And that's also a pretty standard thing," he told CBC News. Here are some of the major steps the Trudeau government has taken in recent weeks to shore up signature policy moves made over the last decade. Indigenous reconciliation Trudeau has repeatedly said that there's no relationship "more important to Canada than the relationship with Indigenous Peoples." Over the last decade he's made significant, although not perfect, progress toward his promise to renew that relationship, and further reconciliation. Those efforts saw Trudeau deliver apologies for the federal government's past child welfare and residential schools policies, as well as lift 147 long-term drinking advisories in Indigenous communities. In his final weeks in office, Trudeau and the Haida Nation reminded the country of that mission by signing an agreement recognizing Aboriginal title over the archipelago of Haida Gwaii off British Columbia's northern coast. A week later, Trudeau announced that he'd struck a $270-million agreement to support jobs and conservation projects in the Qikiqtani region of Nunavut. "When we invest to protect [and] safeguard biodiversity, we protect those who protect us, our environment and our livelihoods," Trudeau told reporters. On Thursday, the government announced a settlement agreement for survivors of federally run Indian hospitals where claimants are eligible for up to $200,000. Ukraine While the issue of how to continue support for Ukraine will fall into the lap of Canada's next prime minister, Trudeau reminded the world in recent weeks that he is still front and centre to voice Canada's support for the country. Since Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the federal government says it has provided almost $20 billion in military and humanitarian support to the European nation. Canada has also provided strong political and diplomatic support, sanctioning more than 3,000 people and entities, and another 109 naval vessels that it says are in some way participating in the invasion of Ukraine. Trudeau has reinforced this financial and political support by visiting the country four times since the invasion began, including his latest trip on the three-year anniversary of the invasion. Trudeau attended a summit in Kyiv last month, in which he publicly praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "remarkable personal bravery, resilience and resolve." Earlier this month, Trudeau went to the United Kingdom where he and other European leaders met in London to discuss their ongoing support for the country. Child care In 2021, the federal government announced a $30-billion, five-year child-care plan to create 250,000 new affordable spaces across the country. About 150,000 spaces have been created or funded so far. In the 2021 budget, the government said that of the $30 billion promised, $27.2 billion will be used to "bring the federal government to a 50/50 share of child-care costs with provincial and territorial governments." In time, all of the provinces and territories signed on to the deal, which was funded until 2026. This week, Trudeau announced another five-year agreement to extend the program until March 2031. Trudeau said the $37-billion deal with 11 provinces and territories (Alberta and Saskatchewan have yet to sign on) will help the provinces create another 100,000 spaces by this time next year. The base funding is also being increased by three per cent, per year, for four years starting in 2027-28 in order to make sure the program can keep pace with rising costs. Trudeau said the deals "will allow this to lock in, to become something that no government, a year from now, five years from now, 20 years from now, could ever go back on." Pharmacare A year ago, Health Minister Mark Holland released the details of the Liberal government's pharmacare plan that he said would start out by covering the costs of some diabetes treatments. Delivering the program was a condition of the Liberal and NDP supply-and-confidence agreement. The Liberal government said the plan also gives the nine million Canadians of reproductive age better access to contraception to ensure "reproductive autonomy, reducing the risk of unintended pregnancies and improving their ability to plan for the future." The Pharmacare Act passed through Parliament and received royal assent in October. Although it started providing only limited coverage, the plan is to eventually expand it into a comprehensive national pharmacare program. While the enabling legislation is in force, the program needs provinces to sign on. Late last month, Holland announced that Manitoba was the first province to make a deal. The federal government will provide the province with $219 million in funding over four years. On Thursday, B.C. became the second province to sign on, inking a deal with the Liberal government worth $670 million over four years. That was swiftly followed by Prince Edward Island, which signed a $30-million deal on Friday. School food program Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a national school food program, according to the Breakfast Club of Canada. Last April, the Liberal government announced it would spend $1 billion over five years to launch such a program that it said would deliver 400,000 meals for children annually. Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island signed deals with the federal government to participate in the program. New Brunswick, Nunavut and Nova Scotia signed their deals last month, and just this week Quebec, B.C. and the Northwest Territories signed on as well. High-speed rail Trudeau launched a six-year, $3.9-billion design and development plan last month that he said would eventually connect Quebec City and Toronto via a high-speed rail line. Trudeau said the new rail network will run all-electric trains along 1,000 kilometres of track, reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hour, with stops in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. Transport Canada initially estimated that the cost of such a project could be as high as $80 billion. Multiple provincial and federal governments have mused about building high-speed rail, but Canada is still the only G7 country without some form of high speed rail either in operation or under development. Asked why he was launching a multi-year infrastructure project on the eve of his departure from office, Trudeau said a project that large would always have to "cover multiple governments … from municipal to provincial to federal." "Obviously, future governments will make their determinations about how they invest. But this investment in Canadians, which starts right now, is going to be very difficult to turn back on," Trudeau said.

Documentary about Haida Gwaii blockade sheds new light on agreement
Documentary about Haida Gwaii blockade sheds new light on agreement

CBC

time01-03-2025

  • Politics
  • CBC

Documentary about Haida Gwaii blockade sheds new light on agreement

Haida Nation member Christopher Auchter went through hundreds of hours of footage to make The Stand, a film about the 1985 anti-logging blockade on Haida Gwaii that led to over 70 arrests. Four decades later, Haida leader Miles Richardson — who is prominently featured in the film — spoke alongside Auchter about the blockade's significance after the federal government signed a historic agreement recognizing the Haida Nation's title over the archipelago.

Haida celebrate title agreement, Trudeau emotional at ceremony
Haida celebrate title agreement, Trudeau emotional at ceremony

Yahoo

time18-02-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Haida celebrate title agreement, Trudeau emotional at ceremony

SKIDEGATE, B.C. — With tears streaming down his face, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a gathering of Haida Nation leaders and community members that he couldn't think of a better place to make one of his final trips as Canada's leader. Federal and Haida leaders signed a historic agreement Monday recognizing Aboriginal title over the archipelago of Haida Gwaii off British Columbia's northern coast. "Haida Gwaii belongs to you, the Haida people," Trudeau said, as the crowd cheered, clapped and rose to its feet. "This is only the beginning of a new chapter," he said, between the Haida Nation and the Canadian government. Gaagwiis Jason Alsop, president of the Council of the Haida Nation, told the official ceremony that the agreement was the culmination of "well over 100 years of political mobilization by the Haida Nation." He said it represents a move from an era of denial, occupation and resistance to one of peaceful coexistence and recognition that "this is Haida land." The Big Tide Haida Title Lands Agreement affirms that the Haida have Aboriginal title over all of the islands' lands, beds of freshwater bodies, and foreshores to the low-tide mark. It will transition the Crown-title land to the Haida people, granting them an inherent legal right to the land. The transfer of the underlying title would affect how courts interpret issues involving disputes. The community hall in Skidegate was packed full of Haida community members on Monday, including many children, youth and elders. Haida chiefs sitting with Trudeau at a head table wore elaborate regalia, while others at the ceremony wore woven cedar hats or vests emblazoned with bright red Haida designs. Trudeau told the ceremony that Haida Gwaii is a special place for him, having first visited with his father and brothers in 1976. "For me, everything has come full circle," he said. "Haida Gwaii was one of my first trips as Liberal leader. I can't think of any place more appropriate for one of my very last," Trudeau said, with emotion in his voice and tears in his eyes. He said the agreement was a "monumental step" in the fulfilment of his promise upon becoming prime minister to "stay true to the principles of truth and reconciliation" and restore Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples. The agreement enshrines the right of the Haida to control their own destiny and opens a new chapter in which the nation and the Canadian government are in partnership as true equals, Trudeau said. "A new chapter (that) confirms an incontrovertible and long-known truth: Haida Gwaii belongs to you," he said to thunderous applause. The landmark agreement "recognizes that the Haida people have lived here since time immemorial," Trudeau said. "That the Haida people have an inalienable right to use, manage and enjoy the lands of Haida Gwaii as they see fit. That self-determination is the only path toward true reconciliation." After the signing ceremony and a community dinner, Alsop presented Trudeau with a copper pendant, a copper shield and a small carving in the shape of Haida Gwaii. He said two Haida leaders had previously broken a piece of copper on the steps of Parliament in Ottawa, symbolizing what they felt was disrespect and a break in the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples. "I thought this would be important to recognize how far we've come from that time, 2014, 2015, to where we are today," Alsop said. Trudeau thanked Alsop and said wearing the copper pendant would help him "be a little more me than I've been able to be as prime minister." The prime minister said his government was only able to move forward on reconciliation "because Canadians decided it was time." Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree told Monday's ceremony that it was a moment where history was being made. In an earlier interview, he said the agreement kicks off a five-year transition period and will require legislation to iron out all the details about its application in practice. It is the first time the federal government has recognized Aboriginal title through negotiations, Anandasangaree said. About 15 per cent of Haida Gwaii is owned, managed or used by the federal government, including a national park and Haida heritage site. A further two per cent are owned by other parties. The agreement follows similar recognition by the B.C. government last year, and it resolves a four-decade-long fight that began with a logging blockade and became an intensely fought legal battle. It comes more than two decades after the Council of the Haida Nation launched a legal challenge against Canada and the province, seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title. The federal ministry said the three parties have been negotiating since 2021 to "incrementally negotiate" matters that would otherwise have to be litigated. It said Canada provided $59 million in funding to the Haida in an "advance capital transfer" to boost the nation's "governance capacity building." Alsop has called the new law in B.C. a "step toward peaceful coexistence" with the province. In April he said that the nation planned on taking control of Haida Gwaii's economy according to its values and traditions, taking a sustainable rather than exploitive approach to the land and the sea. The provincial Opposition B.C. Conservative Party has criticized the agreement, saying it puts private landowners "at the mercy of Haida (and) future Haida Indigenous law." But the First Nations Leadership Council in B.C. has said the agreement does not affect private property rights. Anandasangaree dismissed the concerns about impacts on landowners as a "lot of noise." "One of the key elements of this agreement is that private title will not be impacted in any way," he said. "Your ability to get a mortgage, or ability to get the property encumbered for construction for putting on a lien — all of those will continue." The federal Haida Nation Recognition Act was passed last year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2025. — With files from Kyle Duggan in Ottawa Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

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