Wrigley weighs in on negotiations
Pehdzeh Ki First Nation urges workshop for band members on Dehcho Process
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 7, 2016
TTHEK'EHDELI/JEAN MARIE RIVER
Although councillors and community members from Pehdzeh Ki First Nation sat at the Dehcho Assembly table as observers on June 27 and 28, they are still part of the Dehcho Process.
Tim Lennie, a councillor and former chief for Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, spoke during the assembly about Wrigley's place at the assembly table. - April Hudson/NNSL photo
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A delegation headed by newly elected Chief David Moses and Councillor Tim Lennie, who is a former chief of the band, spent time at the assembly to hear how negotiations have progressed find out the status of the Dehcho Process.
"My members from PKFN said to just come to the meeting and observe, and later on we can come back to the table and (have a) discussion as well," said Moses.
"We recently had a meeting in PKFN and they really talked about the land, an-those are the two main topics (band members) discussed."
Lennie, who attended the assembly with his grandson Tyrone, said one of the questions he needs answered is what the long-term plan is for the aboriginal people of the Deh Cho.
"My wish for my children and grandchildren is that next year, or the next coming years, they'll be able to come sit down seriously with the assembly and work along with the rest of the leadership," he said.
"That is the reason we took the time and resources out of our own pocket to accommodate extra members to attend this assembly."
During the meeting, Lennie said one of the issues he sees with the Dehcho
Process is that leaders have not been able to express how they feel at the assembly. He added Wrigley's observer status should not call into question their commitment to the process.
"We need the whole region so we can meet our goals as aboriginal people," he said.
"There are a lot of things we need to do . We never said we were going to walk away from the Deh Cho."
Later in the afternoon, Pehdzeh Ki First Nation elder and former councillor Gabe Hardisty spoke to the assembly to give some historical background on the band's participation. In 2005, Hardisty said, the band took a step back from Dehcho First Nations to look at where the negotiations were going.
"We've been involved with the Deh Cho so many years, leaders and myself in the past (have done) so much work . We're not walking away from the Deh Cho," he said.
Hardisty also urged Grand Chief Herb Norwegian to hold a workshop in Wrigley on the Dehcho Process so the band's members could understand what has been happening with negotiations.
"They want to understand what's happening with land claim and negotiation, treaty rights and tax," he said.
In 2012, Lennie - at that time the chief of Pehdzeh Ki First Nation - announced his community's intention to leave the process altogether and negotiate a community comprehensive claims policy directly with Canada. At the time, Lennie said the decision was made during two community meetings, where members voted unanimously for comprehensive claims.
However, by 2014, delegates from the First Nation were back at the assembly table.
When asked for comment on their involvement at the assembly, Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian said Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is still involved.
"As far as I'm concerned, they're still very much part of the Dehcho family," Norwegian said.
"They're still involved and there hasn't been a community decision for them to leave, nor has there been an assembly resolution to remove them from the process. I go by what the assembly tells me."
