TORONTO - The province is replacing its veteran aboriginal affairs negotiator Jane Stewart in the talks to end the 15-month-long Six Nations occupation in a southern Ontario town as frustration grows among aboriginals and residents alike.
The former Liberal Indian affairs minister is being replaced by Murray Coolican, a former deputy minister of Ontario's aboriginal affairs department, after a year at the negotiating table and with no deal to end the occupation of a former housing development site in Caledonia, Ont.
David Ramsay, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, said Stewart did not request to leave, but some say privately she was ready to move on and return to her consulting business.
Her departure suits the change in negotiations since Coolican is more experienced at dealing with the technical details involved in aboriginal land claims, he said.
"He's got all the skills and knowledge to be a very successful negotiator," Ramsay said in an interview.
"(His appointment) reflects the true position of the province's role at the table - that of a secondary role and technical adviser ... We (don't) need as high a profile person as Jane Stewart now as we did in the beginning."
Although Stewart was being paid $1,300 a day to negotiate an end to the occupation, Coolican's salary is still being negotiated, Ramsay added.
While some critics said Stewart's departure is a huge step backward, Stewart said she leaves the negotiating table with no regrets and with great optimism that a deal will ultimately be reached.
"It was a logical step," Stewart said in an interview. "I am very, very optimistic that we will find positive solutions here. Things aren't going to be the same. Six Nations will be recognized and these claims will get settled."
But those living with the uncertainty of the occupation don't share that confidence.
Janie Jamieson, spokesperson for the aboriginal protesters, said the Six Nations community is extremely frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations and the lack of progress being made.
"Having Jane Stewart at the table for as long as she was, all the time and money spent on her - how much is there to show for that?" she said. "Not much at all."
That frustration is fuelling talk of further occupations and demonstrations, she said. But much of that anger is directed at the federal government since they have the power to settle the outstanding land claims, she said.
"We have been waiting well over a year to take this on," she said. "We're not going to wait much longer."
Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer said Stewart's departure came as a complete surprise. Anyone short of federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice himself is going to face a steep learning curve which is going to delay the negotiations even further, she said.
"It's going to take a while before (Coolican) can catch up with the others," she said.
But Coolican said he doesn't have that much catching up to do before he begins formally on May 14. The former deputy minister has worked in aboriginal issues for over a decade and said he visited Six Nations when he was deputy minister between 1992 and 1994.
Stewart has laid a very strong foundation and the Canadian government is now committed to negotiating a settlement, he said.
"I hope that we can make some progress quickly," he said.
Still, critics say Stewart's departure is a sign that things are not going well at the negotiation table. Conservative Elizabeth Witmer said the switch is a "step backward" while the community continues to live in "chaos."
The Liberals don't seem to have a plan to move forward and resolve this dispute, she added.
"They just don't know what to do next," Witmer said.
Six Nations protesters have occupied the former housing development site in Caledonia since February 2006. Their occupation has been divisive, marred by violent clashes between protesters and residents with barricades that cut the town in half.
Six Nations representatives are now meeting with federal and provincial negotiators every two weeks to resolve their outstanding land claims.
