OTTAWA--"The proposed Nisga'a Government may not be bound by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond).

Cummins asked the Government the basis of the Charter's application to the proposed Nisga'a Government again today in Question Period:

"Yesterday the Minister of Indian Affairs told this House that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to all Canadians."

"But the question is, does it apply to all governments?"

"The Constitution says the Charter applies to the federal and provincial governments but is silent on its application to the proposed Nisga'a government".

"The Charter is an instrument for checking the powers of government over individuals.

"On what authority does the Charter apply to the Nisga'a government?"

The Minister of Indian Affairs was gain unable to show how the Constitution guarantees the application of the Charter to the proposed Nisga'a Government. She claimed that it was the intent of the federal government that the Charter apply to the Nisga'a Government.

The Constitution Act, 1982 provides that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifically applies to the federal and provincial governments but is silent in regard to other governments.