Conspiracy of Legislation: The Suppression of Indian Rights in Canada

Abstract

JOE MATHIAS, whose Indian name is St'sukwanem, is a hereditary Chief of the Squamish people. He has also held the position of elected Chief since 1967 when he won it by acclamation. In 1969 he was appointed by his people as the political spokesperson for the Squamish nation. For seventeen years he worked as the band's housing administrator, and in 1985 he became the Land Claims Coordinator. In the same year he was selected by other British Columbia bands as British Columbia's regional vice-president to the Assembly of First Nations. He was re-elected by acclamation in 1988 and resigned the post in 1990. At the British Columbia regional level he has been active with the Aboriginal Council, the First Nations Congress and various organizations dealing with fisheries issues. Nationally, Joe has worked on the constitution and the Cooligan report on the federal land claims policy. Gary Yabsley is an associate in the law firm of Ratcliff & Co. in North Vancouver. He has represented Indian & Inuit nations on a broad range of matters for over fifteen years, during which time he and Chief Mathias co-authored this article. Gary is currently completing his doctorate in political science at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.