He said the Acho Dene Koe (ADK) would like its own royalties arrangement directly with the federal government. Yet he didn't rule out the possibility of partaking in the Deh Cho First Nations' Interim Resource Development Agreement, which is expected to be signed in March.

"(Oil and gas are) non-renewable so let's get something that we can put away for the future, which would be funds from royalties," Bertrand said in an interview last week.

Existing exploration licences expire in April. Companies with significant discovery licences (SDLs) will be permitted to produce their gas, however.

Federal negotiator Robin Aitken said if the ADK wants royalties from Canada, the band will have to settle for the terms of the Interim Resource Development Agreement.

"That has to be (done) through the Deh Cho Process," Aitken said. "Any long-term resource revenue sharing agreement would be negotiated through a final agreement, and that's where we've got a lot of work to do."

ADK councillor Joanne Deneron pointed out that the band could also secure oil and gas profits by dealing directly with industry.

"At this time there isn't an option on the table that we're not looking at," Deneron said. "We're looking at the larger picture."

A turning point

The ADK, under the leadership of Chief Harry Deneron, initially invited the oil and gas industry onto its traditional lands in 1993. Bertrand said, to his understanding, royalties weren't a priority at that time, so he doesn't consider the present absence of such a mistake.

"I think it was just more (focused on) creating employment and training in various fields with gas and oil," he said of decisions made in 1993. "If we decide to open (lands) again, at least we know what we've experienced, where we went wrong and what to look out for in the next round. It's a learning process."

Although the ADK hasn't collected a share of royalties to date, and nothing has been set aside on the band's behalf, Aitken noted that the issue hasn't been forgotten in DCFN self-government negotiations.

"The Deh Cho have told us that compensation for past use of lands and resources revenues, they'll be bringing that forward as part of the final agreement," Aitken said.

"Where the large benefits will come is through a final agreement."