INUVIK - Gwich'in beneficiaries in NWT and the Yukon will have a chance to provide input on upcoming self-government negotiations between the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the federal government this month as negotiators travel across the North seeking feedback on the future of Gwich'in governance.

Senior negotiator Joe Jack leads the discussion during a self-government consultation session with Gwich'in beneficiaries in Inuvik Feb. 23. Negotiators will be meeting in all Gwich'in communities, including Yellowknife and Whitehorse, over the next month to find out what Gwich'in people want in their forthcoming self-government agreement. - Katie May/NNSL photo

Senior negotiator Joe Jack and representatives of the Tribal Council met with about 20 participants during public consultations in Inuvik Feb. 22 to 24, with plans to travel to the other Gwich'in communities this month.

Although self-government negotiations have been ongoing for several years, the Gwich'in negotiation team - comprised of the vice-president of the Tribal Council, chiefs, elders and officials from designated Gwich'in organizations - reported both the federal and territorial governments have changed their lead negotiators and there is currently "considerable distance" between the positions of all parties. Jack's presentation noted that "there will be a great deal of work required to bring the parties closer together."

They wanted to get public opinion on issues ranging from education to income support to public housing to the values a Gwich'in government should represent in order to help set priorities for the negotiation team as it prepares to bring forth a self-government agreement to the federal and territorial governments.

Participants were asked to provide comments on a variety of issues, including the definition of a Gwich'in beneficiary and the structure of the proposed government for the purposes of the agreement, which has a tentative signing date of Dec. 31, 2012.

Tom Wright, a former board member who saw the land claim signed in 1992, attended the meetings to find out the progress of the negotiations. He said he has confidence in the negotiators, but that people shouldn't expect self-government to come quickly.

"They just keep trying, and eventually - if you could live for 500 years - I think it might work. It's going to take a little while," he said. "They're slowly saying, 'here's what we would like to see.' But there's a big difference between wanting something and getting it."

As these consultations continue, members have been trying to increase youth involvement in the negotiations process.

Jordan Peterson, 23, is the youth representative for the Tribal Council and the self-government community co-ordinator for the Inuvik Native Band. He said it's important young people have a say in the self-government agreement.

"It's my future they're talking about," he said. "There's still a long way to go and we still need to get a lot more youth to come out."

Only a handful of youth showed up for the three days of consultations in Inuvik.

Priorities for the agreement include granting Gwich'in organizations law-making powers over land claims, health care, education and language, to name a few. The proposed self-government agreement would pick up from the current Gwich'in lands claim and the initial Treaty 11, signed with the Crown in 1921.

Representatives of the tribal council will hold public consultations in Fort McPherson March 1 to 2, Tsiigehtchic March 3 to 4, Aklavik March 8 to 9, Yellowknife March 22 to 23, and Whitehorse March 24 to 25.