Preferential rights lead to chaos

The Vancouver Sun
Wednesday, October 6, 1999

What is amazing about the dispute at Burnt Church, N.B., is that anybody, much less our government, should be surprised at the turn of events (Minister threatens to close lobster fishery, Oct. 5).

From the Marshall decision to the Delgamuukw decision to the explicit disenfranchisement of non- natives living in the Nisga'a homeland we have ample evidence that the courts are prepared to implement, with an apparent vengeance, the standard we have negligently provided: Article 25 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This infamous section allows aboriginal rights to supersede the rights of all of us to equal treatment from the law. Did we think that such carte blanche to negate the charter would have no consequences?

It should be increasingly clear that preferential rights based on race are not going to work.

Jim Wiggins,

Surrey { au: Jim Wiggins dt: 10/06/99 sc: vs}