Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - Fort Liard is putting its best foot forward as it plays host to a First Nations negotiating session this week.

The third negotiating session between Acho Dene Koe First Nation (ADK), Canada and the government of the Northwest Territories is taking place in the community from Nov. 25 to 27.

The first nation signed a framework agreement in July with the federal and territorial governments allowing them to negotiate their own land claims.

This is the first negotiation session to take place in Fort Liard and residents are excited about the event, said Chief Steve Kotchea.

"Everyone is looking forward to meeting the new dawn we've started," Kotchea said.

The band is using the occasion to show the negotiators what Fort Liard is all about.

"We want Canada to understand and look at how we work and how we live," said Kotchea.

To further this goal a feast and drum dance was scheduled to take place on Wednesday evening.

Traditional foods were to be the highlight of the feast.

The dance was expected to include both drummers and jiggers to showcase the traditions of both Acho Dene Koe and the Fort Liard Metis.

"We feel it's important for them to see not just the food but also the culture as well," said Kotchea.

The negotiation session is also being viewed by ADK as a chance to get band members involved in the process, said Anne Marie McGuire, the first nation's executive director.

On Monday night, a public meeting was held so the ADK legal council could update the community on the negotiation progress to date.

Presentations were also scheduled to be held in Echo Dene school to give students a chance to ask questions.

"This is their future," said McGuire.

All of the negotiation sessions are also open to band members.

"We're encouraging as many people from the community as possible to come," McGuire said.

Members of the Sambaa K'e First Nation in Trout Lake and the Nahanni Butte Dene Band were also invited to learn about overlapping traditional lands and how they might be effected.

ADK is trying to be open with that aspect of the process, said Kotchea.

Dehcho First Nations, which ADK broke away from, was not invited to the negotiations.

Kotchea said he expected the negotiation session this week to follow the example set by the last two meetings.

"It's been productive in the past couple meetings," he said.

Kotchea said he couldn't go into details about the negotiations and what would be discussed because that information has to be released through the federal government.

Negotiations are ongoing with ADK, said Margot Geduld, a spokesperson for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

"They are another concrete step our government is taking to make First Nations like Acho Dene Koe self-sufficient," Geduld said.

Geduld was unable to speak specifically about the subject of this week's negotiations or the timeline for the talks.

"Negotiations like this are complex and take time to complete," she said.