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Push for block of land through Dehcho Process Dehcho First Nations want eight-million hectares joined together through land selection
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, July 4, 2013
DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Dehcho First Nations has clarified the amount of land it will be seeking to own through the Dehcho Process and how that land will be joined.
Jean Marie River First Nation's Chief Stan Sanguez raises questions about the Dehcho Process and the territorial government's response to it during the second day of the Dehcho First Nations' annual assembly in Fort Providence. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo
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On June 27, the final day of the Dehcho First Nations' annual assembly in Fort Providence, the gathered leaders and delegates unanimously passed a resolution stating they will be seeking no less that 80,000 square kilometres of land, roughly the size of New Brunswick, with both surface and subsurface title that will be selected as a single, contiguous block.
The land, which will be titled Dehcho Ndehe, will be held by the Dehcho government and owned jointly by all the people and communities of the Deh Cho.
This is the first time Dehcho First Nations has stated on paper that it wants all of the land chosen through the Dehcho Process to be joined, said DFN Grand Chief Herb Norwegian.
Previous discussions included having Dehcho Ndehe consist of islands of land, each belonging to a community. The one-house concept, that all of the land should be together and managed together, has now prevailed, said Norwegian.
Deciding to demand 80,000 square kilometres, or eight-million hectares, was a decision toiled over for some time, Norwegian said.
Canada has offered approximately 39,000 square kilometres in land ownership, which is similar to the Tlicho agreement.
DFN had previously argued for 70,000 square kilometres based on the fact that it has approximately 50-per-cent more members than the Tlicho and the eight communities in the region are spread over a wide area. DFN's asserted lands include approximately 214,000 square kilometres.
Ka'a'Gee Tu First Nation of Kakisa is one of DFN's members that supports having all of Dehcho Ndehe grouped together. If the land was separated and given to communities based on their population, Kakisa wouldn't be large enough to warrant very much land, said Chief Lloyd Chicot.
Chicot said he thought the assembly went well.
The Dehcho Process and topics related to it including the Dehcho Land Use Plan was the main topic during the three-day assembly. Delegates spent part of June 26 behind closed doors in an in-camera session where a discussion led to the resolution.
Prior to going in-camera, the delegates listened to a presentation by Chris Reid, DFN's legal counsel, which provided an update on the Dehcho Process.
Progress has been made in the past year on a number of matters including harvesting, governance, education, income assistance and a number of other topics, said Reid. There are still some major stalling points including land and resource management, the Dehcho Resource Management Act and land ownership.
A large wrench in the process has been the territorial government's demand that 45 per cent of the Dehcho's territory remain open for development as Crown land, said Reid. This is problematic because roughly half of the Deh Cho is protected.
If the GNWT had 45 per cent of the Dehcho territory, almost 90 per cent of the open land in the region would be under the territorial government's control, leaving the Dehcho government with primarily parks and protected land, said Reid. The territorial government has stated it has no interested in owning protected land.
DFN has already rejected the territorial government's request for open land, said Reid.
Reid also said although the Dehcho Process is proceeding toward an agreement-in-principle based on the land-selection model, DFN reserves the right at the end of the agreement-in-principle process not to accept land selection.
Speaking after the assembly concluded on June 27, Norwegian said he felt good about the assembly and the momentum on some of the more important issues.
"The (Dehcho) Process was the big ticket item," he said.
Although DFN is only asking for 80,000 square kilometres for Dehcho Ndehe, Norwegian said the plan has always been for the Dehcho government to have a say over all of the land in the region.
A strong Dehcho Land Use Plan has be to put in place so that can happen, he said.
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