Since time immemorial, the Pacheedaht First Nation has used and stewarded the lands and waters of their Territory, including ?A:?b?e:?s (Middle Beach), which today forms part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The Government of Canada is committed to a process of relationship-building with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership. In line with this commitment, Parks Canada and Pacheedaht First Nation signed a ground-breaking agreement today that returns the use of ?A:?b?e:?s (phonetic: Aah/bee/ay/s) to the Nation in advance of Treaty settlement. The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, joined Pacheedaht leadership and community members on the land during a ceremony at ?A:?b?e:?s to celebrate this step forward.
In 1988, the Government of Canada added ?A:?b?e:?s, an important shoreline area of Pacheedaht's Territory, to Pacific Rim National Park without formal consultation, or recognition of Pacheedaht or their systems of traditional governance. The accompanying regulations continued to prohibit Pacheedaht management of these areas as well as the harvesting of resources. Through a co-developed process, Pacheedaht First Nation and Parks Canada have created an adaptive approach to return land use and stewardship to the Pacheedaht people in advance of treaty implementation.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Parks Canada have been in active treaty negotiations with Pacheedaht First Nation since 1996. As part of the Pacheedaht First Nation 2019 Agreement in Principle, the Government of Canada acknowledged the ?A:?b?e:?s lands as Pacheedaht First Nation treaty settlement lands and agreed to transfer them from Parks Canada to the Nation upon completion of ongoing treaty negotiations.
Parks Canada administers over 90 percent of federal lands, nearly all of which have been traditionally used and cared for by Indigenous Peoples. Many heritage places administered by Parks Canada have seen a transition over time from a past where Indigenous Peoples were separated from their ancestral lands and waters to our current context, where Parks Canada strives to work collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples.
