Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORET SIMPSON (Aug 21/98) - Over the next six weeks, Peter Russell, ministerial envoy for DIAND Minister Jane Stewart, will write a prelude to what is hoped to be the beginning of self-government for the First Nations people of the Deh Cho region.

His report will be based on the 21 "common ground" principles which the Deh Cho people are seeking and will be the starting point for formal negotiations. The report will be presented to the Deh Cho Working Group for their approval before it is submitted to Stewart for her response.

There are still a number of differences to be worked out, said Russell.

"The Deh Cho people and the government have not seen eye-to-eye on the meaning of the treaty but they're coming closer," he said.

Russell, who has been involved in a Deh Cho community consultation process for the past four months, presented principle 20 as an example of the disparity. It states "fiscal arrangements will ensure" public services for the Deh Cho equivalent to those enjoyed by other Canadians.

Russell said he and other members of the government are "uneasy" about the word "ensure." Those public services, he suggested, cannot be guaranteed to be achieved soon.

"...given the very high cost of delivering services such as housing, medicine, post-secondary education and modern transportation in the North, a commitment by Canada... to ensure that in the immediate future all of these services will be available at the same standard they are enjoyed in the South is just not realistic."

He also recommended the territorial government be held responsible for services and functions that can be carried out effectively only on a territory-wide basis. He argued that such issues as transportation, high-cost medical and educational services and the environment of the entire Mackenzie Valley water system are of common interest between a Deh Cho regional government and the GNWT. As well, he urged that the people of this region remain active in the affairs of the GNWT.

In response, Deh Cho Grand Chief Michael Nadli said that the 21 common ground principles weren't altered at Russell's urging because to have done so would be to publicly negotiate in front of the assembly's delegates.

"We didn't think that would be fair," Nadli said, adding that Russell's recommendation may be considered during formal negotiations.

Overall, Russell said he believes the first of the 21 principle to be the most important. It states, "The Deh Cho and Canada intend their relationship to be based on mutual recognition and sharing and to achieve this mutual recognition and sharing by agreeing on rights, rather than by extinguishing rights."

This is almost a word-by-word repeat of the first principle of the Nisga'a Treaty, Russell noted. He said he feels there could be many similarities between the two deals.

However, Russell acknowledges that the aforementioned principle is quite vague and the details have yet to be negotiated.

"The negotiations are bound to take a long time and to involve a lot of hard work and patience on the part of all of you," he said, noting that the Deh Cho consists of 10 communities over an area of 100,000 square kilometres.

"It is the very essence of negotiations that they involve compromise. No party to a negotiation should expect to get everything it wants," said Russell.

The negotiations process could take four to five years, he estimated, before a final agreement is signed.