Maria Canton
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 23/99) - The first combined land claim and self-government Agreement in Principle has been initialled between the Dogrib First Nation, the government of Canada and the GNWT.

"The Agreement in Principle is a milestone, it represents the fulfilment of a resolution made by the Dogrib General Assembly back in 1992," said John B. Zoe, chief negotiator for the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council.

"Now it is up to the Dogrib people to send us forward toward a final agreement."

Under the AIP, the Dogrib First Nation will own a single block of land about 39,000 square kilometres in size, including subsurface resources.

They will receive $90 million, paid over a period of 15 years, and a share of resource royalties collected annually by the government from activities in the Mackenzie Valley.

"The $90 million will be used for continued work towards self-government," said Zoe.

"And we will use it to pay back our loans from the federal government over the course of the next six or seven years."

How much the Dogribs owe is still being calculated and reviewed by the government. Some of the loans granted to the First Nation government date back to 1969.

"To avoid a conflict with payments we must come to a quick agreement," he said.

The AIP also grants the Dogrib government a wide range of law-making powers to be exercised on their lands and over the citizens who live on the lands within the four Dogrib communities.

"We all take pride in the fact that this First Nation has taken a major step towards implementing their inherent right to self-government," said Premier Jim Antoine.

"The territorial government looks forward to developing a productive relationship with this new aboriginal government."

The Dogrib and the GNWT will co-operate to deliver key services such as health care, education and other social programs and services.

About 3,000 Dogrib live in the communities of Behcho Ko (Rae-Edzo), Wha Ti (Lac La Martre), Gameti (Rae Lakes) and Wekweti (Snare Lake). The territory is commonly known as the North Slave region.

Formal negotiations of a Dogrib comprehensive land claim agreement began in January 1994. This is the first joint land claim and self-government mandate north of the 60th parallel.