Pre-election survey shows N.B. parties divided on Indigenous title, tax-sharing

Results of a pre-election survey by the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick show stark differences in how three of the political parties would tackle issues like title and tax-sharing if they form the next government.

This week, responses from the incumbent Progressive Conservatives, as well as the Liberal Party and Green Party were all published in full by the organization, which represents six Indigenous nations in the province.

The People's Alliance and NDP did not respond to the survey, the group said in a statement.

The organization distributed questions on Aug. 18 about Aboriginal title, treaty rights, systemic racism, policing and consultation on resource development and land use. 

"It's a report card really, for the current government, is the way I look at it," said Chief Allan Polchies of Sitansisk First Nation, also known as St. Mary's, in an interview.

Progressive Conservative responses to the survey largely match policy decisions already taken by Blaine Higgs's majority government.

If re-elected, the Tories would continue to "respectfully disagree" that First Nation lands were never ceded, as the organization has said, citing the Peace and Friendship Treaties.

That dispute is central to several ongoing title claims launched by Wolastoqey and Mi'kmaw communities. 

Polchies says the Progressive Conservative government has engaged in fear-mongering about what that title claim would entail for private landowners and he believes the party continues to do so in its survey responses. 

"For any landowner out there that owns their own land, and has a beautiful home on it, we are not after you," Polchies said. "We are after the government for, of course, Crown land that they feel belongs to them."

The Wolastoqey claim was launched in 2020 and names the federal government, N.B. Power, six companies predominantly in the forestry industry and 19 of their subsidiaries.

Both the Liberal and Green parties take the opposite stance, agreeing with the organization that First Nations' land was not surrendered.

A re-elected Progressive Conservative government would continue negotiating "development agreements" to replace tax-sharing agreements it cancelled in 2021. Its response says those contracts had "created an unsustainable drain on the tax base."

The Liberals and Greens are both in favour of re-establishing tax-sharing agreements, but the Liberals would negotiate new contracts while the Greens say they would reinstate the cancelled ones.