Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (July 19/99) - The federal government has entered into an agreement to negotiate an overlap agreement with Northern Manitoba Dene claiming lands within Nunavut.

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Jane Stewart signed the agreement with representatives of the Sayisi Dene First Nation and Northlands Dene First Nation Monday at Tadoule Lake, Man.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding stalled a long-standing lawsuit the Northern Manitoba Dene launched against the federal government.

Started in 1992, the lawsuit claims the government violated the Dene bands' treaty rights in signing the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement.

Nigel Wilford, the chief federal negotiator for the claims, said the Nunavut government and NTI have been kept informed of the move toward signing of the MOU. He said negotiation of the overlap issue will begin in August.

"We were informed they were working on an MOU that would work toward a settlement out of court," said an GN intergovernmental affairs official Terry Audla. "That's as far as it went until they announced the MOU on Monday."

Wilford said Nunavut will be part of that process.

"Anything that affects the Inuit, they will be involved and consulted," said Wilford.

The overlap was provided for in Sec. 40 of the Nunavut Agreement, which specifies the Northern Manitoba bands have harvesting rights on their traditional hunting grounds north of 60.

The agreement also provides Inuit with the right to hunt on lands they traditionally used south of 60.

The lawsuit was put in abeyance, which means both the Manitoba bands and the federal government agreed to attempt to negotiate a settlement. If a settlement can not be reached through negotiation, the Manitoba Dene could continue with their legal action.

Between them, the Sayisi and Northlands Dene First Nations have a total population of 1,447.