Wave of Treaties Coming through the BC Treaty Process?

When questioned about the lack of progress in the B.C. treaty process, Mr. Patrick Borby, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, says

"Yes, everybody had envisaged that we would be further along in the B.C. treaty process than where we are right now...There are good prospects for further treaties to move forward. The vast majority of the other negotiations are at the agreement-in-principle stage, and some of them are at the very advanced agreement-in-principle stage. So we think there's kind of a wave making its way through the system, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to have a lot of progress over the next two years."

One has to admire the optimism of this statement made before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. However, as reported here the Cohen Commission may well make a ripple out the wave Mr. Borby foresees.

What's the Problem with Treaties: The Top 5 Problems from the Federal Government Perspective

The Top 5 Problems slowing down treaty negotiations, from the Federal Government Perspective:

1. Land and cash negotiations: The amount of the land and capital transfer must be in proportion to other settlements; and, the process of selecting lands to be transferred must protect the interests of other First Nations. 
2. Relative size of BC First Nations: for small First Nations the work of treaty negotiations can be a very large amount of work (e.g. Tsawwassen First Nation has 400 Citizens).
3. Financial self-sufficiency: taxation agreements and own-source revenue contributions to self-government are contentious for some First Nations.
4. Certainty model: may be viewed as 'extinguishement' by another name by First Nations and viewed as taking on too much risk by BC.
5. Elections: new governments take time to get up to speed or may not agree with past directions taken.

Source: Testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development by Mr. Patrick Borbey (Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development).