Higgs accused of lying about Wolastoqey title claim
CBC
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is being accused of lying and stoking fear through misleading comments he made about the contents of a major Aboriginal title claim by Wolastoqey chiefs.
Opposition leaders reacted fiercely on Thursday morning to the premier's comments that the lawsuit might lead to Indigenous people winning control of 60 per cent of the province's land, including private homes and businesses.
Higgs made the assertion during a Wednesday news conference, but his comments are flatly contradicted by the 657-page statement of claim filed by the chiefs earlier this week.
The premier said the title claim "impacts every single land owner" in the province by claiming title to "private lands of any kind" with "no limits."
He said "at this point in time" the lawsuit names only a few landowners "but it does not exclude the many."
In fact, the statement of claim explicitly says that other than the province, the federal government and the six companies named in the filing, no one else's property will be affected.
The chiefs "seek no relief" against homeowners and other property holders not named in the lawsuit, and their properties "are not placed in issue" in the case, the filing says on the second page.
The chiefs "do not seek a declaration of Aboriginal title" that would bind anyone not specifically named as defendants, it continues.
Chief Patricia Bernard of the Wolastoqey Nation of Matawaskiye (Madawaska) made the same point to reporters this week.
"If you're not one of these companies, you have nothing to worry about," she said.
Higgs claimed Wednesday that the documents didn't include that reassurance.
"You can have assertions outside of the court challenge, but the reality is what it says on the actual claim itself," he said.
On Thursday, Attorney-General Ted Flemming joined Higgs in arguing the lawsuit could affect all private property.
During question period, he urged the chiefs to add a disclaimer if that is not the case.
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