Contingent and inherent popular terms

Page 5

Two buzzwords used throughout the coverage of the First Ministers Conference (FMC) were the terms 'inherent' and 'contingent', which were used in the FMC discussions and positions.

Inherent, as in "entrenching the inherent right to self-government," which Aboriginal groups wanted, means those Aboriginal rights which were given to Aboriginal people by the Creator, and not by the federal or provincial government.

Inherent comes from 'inherit' as in to receive, especially from one's ancestor.

The Aboriginal FMC position reaffirms that Aboriginal rights to self-government were handed down from the ancestors, who in turn received those rights from the Creator.

Contingent rights, is in "entrenchment of the right to self-government, contingent on negotiations," is the federal and some provincial government's FMC position, which means conditional on government approval.

AS Georges Erasmus said, "contingent means we have no rights until the FMC negotiations with provincial involvement is complete."

Right now, Aboriginal rights are contingent or "conditional" on government approval and that includes provincial government approval.

The approval hinges on whether the government accepts the terms, conditions and parameters of Aboriginal governments, during negotiations on self-government definition.