Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, May 18, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - The Dehcho First Nations won't consider joining the resource revenue sharing agreement in principal signed by the government of the Northwest Territories and four aboriginal groups.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Gwich'in Tribal Council, the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation have reached agreements-in-principle on both resource revenue sharing and devolution with the territorial government.

The percentage of revenues being offered isn't large enough for the Dehcho territory to sustain itself, said Grand Chief Herb Norwegian.

"This is really pathetic. It's crumbs," he said.

Under the agreement, aboriginal governments would collectively receive 25 per cent of the net fiscal benefits of whatever portion or resource royalties the federal government decides to share with the territory. This percentage is an "insult to the people of the North," said Norwegian.

"It's a territorial wide peanut scramble that everyone is trying to get involved in," he said.

In addition to disagreeing with the percentage of revenues offered, Norwegian said the Dehcho First Nations also have a problem with the principle of the agreement.

Revenue sharing is a bilateral issue between Canada and First Nations, said Norwegian. The Dehcho First Nations (DFN) will discuss resource revenue sharing directly with the federal government as part of our negotiations, he said.

"We think that by keeping all these arrangements at the table we'd be able to get good deals and be able to negotiate it properly and have it unilaterally transferred to the Dehcho," he said.

By making this agreement, the territorial government and Premier Joe Handley are trying to undermine DFN's negotiation position, said Norwegian.

"These guys can't be trusted as far as you can throw them," he said.

Premier Joe Handley said he couldn't see how the agreement would undermine DFN. Nothing has been taken away or changed at all for them, said Handley.

Handley said the Dehcho, Akaitcho and Tlicho are welcome to join anytime, but if they don't sign on, it won't effect the agreement.

Although some people might say 25 per cent isn't much, Handley said it's a good deal.

"Twenty-five per cent of what we get is a lot more than anyone is getting now which is zero," he said.

The 25 per cent of net fiscal benefits will be used as core capacity money. Signatories of the agreement will be eligible for more on top of that depending on the self-government responsibilities they take on.

The exact distribution of the revenues will be left up to the aboriginal groups, said Handley.

The signed agreement has been sent to Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Jim Prentice.