B-C Treaty Commission says more than a dozen negotiations involving 32 First Nations are in advanced stages and it’s hoped the treaties can be signed in the next two years. The commission was established in 1992 as an independent body to facilitate treaty negotiations between B-C First Nations and the provincial and federal governments. It’s annual report says the political climate at both the provincial and federal levels is ripe for pushing ahead stalled treaty talks. Chief commissioner Celeste Haldane says the process has momentum and communities are finally able to break what she calls “the shackles of the Indian Act.”