by Ralph Plath
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (DEC 06/96) - Delegates from all Deh Cho communities will gather at the Hay River Reserve next week to discuss the future course of its residents.

Two options will be considered during the five-day meeting beginning Dec. 9 by delegates who are being chosen to represent the Dene and Metis members of the Deh Cho First Nations.

The options include either forming a separate Deh Cho territory or creating a regional government.

"It's not just a pipe dream," said Richard Lafferty, communications co-ordinator with the Deh Cho First Nations. "Constitutional protection for self-government is included in the treaty."

A decision was supposed to be made at the First Nations annual assembly in Kakisa this past summer. Instead, the assembly decided the public needed to be better informed about the work that has been done so far on self-government initiatives and the direction the Deh Cho First Nations should be going.

Some members in communities across the Deh Cho region said they haven't been given enough information on the issue and need more time to study the options.

Lafferty said the Deh Cho First Nations have limited financial and human resources to reach all members, but, he added, "a lot of people just aren't interested."

"We can't go on talking forever," he said. "We have been doing our best to inform people."

Lafferty said delegates will have the option of holding back on the decision until more public information workshops are held.

Meanwhile, delegates will be attending two days of workshops at the assembly to bring them up to date on the issue. They will also have the opportunity to discuss the options with other delegates, Lafferty added.

The federal government has given the Deh Cho First Nations until Dec. 15 to decide on the course they want to take.

"After that, any doors to negotiate will close for one-and-a-half years," Lafferty said.

The federal government said it is willing to begin negotiating for a Deh Cho regional government immediately, Lafferty said.

A Deh Cho First Nations exploratory team recommended that the Deh Cho assembly pursue that option.

Ron Irwin, minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, has stated the government isn't interested in the Deh Cho becoming a separate territory.

Either way, some members, fearing encroachment by southern companies, want to see some type of negotiations begin as soon as possible, leading to some interim protection of Deh Cho lands.

If delegates choose an option at this assembly, ratification will be done by the Deh Cho First Nations Assembly. A plebiscite would then be held -- the assembly would approve the phrasing of a question put to the Deh Cho First Nations membership.

"The Deh Cho people will have final say," Lafferty said. "The people have to remain together and work towards what is decided."