DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
Deline has voted overwhelmingly to ratify an historic self-government agreement specifically for the community.

Brent Taniton casts a ballot in Yellowknife on March 12 during the ratification vote for the Deline Final Self-Government Agreement. - Daniel Campbell/NNSL photo

In a vote held March 11 and 12, along with an advance poll in late February, 449 of the 696 eligible voters cast ballots in favour of the agreement.

That represents a 64.5 per cent approval overall, which is well above the 50 per cent plus one required for ratification. Under the process, a non-vote was counted as a no vote.

In all, 527 eligible voters cast ballots in person or by mail – a 75.5 per cent participation rate – and 85.2 per cent of them voted 'yes'. Voting took place in Deline and Yellowknife.

Danny Gaudet, the chief negotiator for Deline, said the results were announced at about 11 p.m. on March 12 at a community feast attended by close to 300 people – out of a community population of 550.

"People were kind of anxious, and you could tell," he said of the feeling in the hall.

They fell silent as community leaders and the ratification committee arrived, and following brief speeches, the results were announced, Gaudet said. "And the hall just erupted."

Ratification by members of Deline First Nation and beneficiaries of the Deline Land Corporation is the first step in approving the agreement. Now, the federal government and the GNWT – the other parties to the agreement – will seek to pass legislation to give it the force of law.

Chief Leonard Kenny of Deline First Nation is elated by the positive outcome of the vote.

"We have worked toward this day for 18 years and I want to thank our voters for their clear support for the agreement," he said in a news release. "We are now one big step closer to finally having one government in our community where we can all work together for the good of our people. This new aboriginal public government will also represent and serve all residents of Deline."

Kenny called ratification an historic moment for the community and its people.

Gina Dolphus, president of the Deline Land Corporation, thanked the people for their strong support for self-government.

"This agreement was guided by the wisdom and vision of our elders over many years and is a legacy for our children and grandchildren," she said in a news release.

Premier Bob McLeod, who is also the minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, congratulated Deline in comments in the legislative assembly on March 13, calling the ratification an historic moment.

"In the coming weeks and months, I will look forward to bringing the final agreement through the Government of the Northwest Territories' ratification process," said McLeod. "The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to bringing the ratification process to completion in a timely manner."

The premier also noted that a strong territory is founded on strong Northern governments working together.

"This week, the people of Deline have chosen a new, stronger role for themselves in our territory," he said.

The self-government agreement will give Deline residents more control over the decisions that affect their daily lives, including how programs and services will be delivered in their community.

It was negotiated between 1997 and 2013, and builds upon the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement of 1993.

The agreement is the only one in Canada negotiated on a community basis, rather than for a region.

A new political entity – the Deline Got'ine Government – will be created to combine the Deline First Nation, the Charter Community of Deline and the Deline Land Corporation, which was created under the Sahtu land claim agreement.

Over the coming months, the community will continue with its implementation planning process. All parties to the negotiations have committed to a smooth transition to self-government so that all programs and services in the community will continue to run effectively and without interruption during the period leading up to the effective date.

A target date of April 1, 2016, has been set for the new government to be established.

Gaudet, who represents the Deline First Nation and the Deline Land Corporation, said he is quite excited by ratification.

"I look at it from the fact that the work is just starting," he said. "It's going to be endless work because the reality is that you're self-governing and you've got to be on top of this all the time."

Gaudet noted self-government will allow the people to start reorganizing programs, services and governance to meet their needs in a more efficient and effective way.

The new community government could assume power in numerous areas, such as municipal services, justice, economic development, land management, language and culture, wellness and social programs, education, preschool, capital planning, community land use, marriages, and gambling and gaming.