Dene Nation snubbed by GNWT, Ottawa
Premier says government couldn't attend meeting due to scheduling conflict
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, March 7, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Each Dene nation was represented in Dettah this week, but two voices were noticeably absent from the emergency meeting that aimed to help First Nations prepare for devolution - Ottawa and the territorial government.
Dettah Chief Ed Sangris, left, Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus and Ndilo Chief Ernest Betsina chaired an emergency meeting of the Dene Nation at the Chief Drygeese Centre in Dettah from Tuesday to Thursday this week. The meeting was called to discuss how to move forward on devolution. - Laura Busch/NNSL photo |
Organizers had hoped the two levels of governments would send representatives to help explain the implications of Bill C-15, the legislation that will enact the devolution of lands and resources and overhaul the regulatory regime in the territory. But no one from either came.
The federal department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) "refused to be here because this piece of legislation is before Parliament," National Chief Bill Erasmus told attendees on Tuesday afternoon. "I've never heard anything like that before."
Not only was it hoped the GNWT would provide an expert to discuss the intentions behind Bill C-15, leaders hoped to hear from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to address concerns that the aboriginal right to harvest is being violated by recent charges of illegal caribou hunting under the NWT Wildlife Act and charges against another Dene Nation member for illegal firewood.
The Dene Nation also asked Ottawa and the GNWT for an unspecified amount of money to help pay for the meeting but the request was rejected as it came at the end of the governments' fiscal period.
In a letter to the Dene Nation, Premier Bob McLeod stated the GNWT would not participate in the meetings because the Dene Nation failed to ask.
"The proposed agenda attached to your letter includes the GNWT as a participant in your meeting, the GNWT was not consulted on this matter and will not be attending," he stated.
The letter also suggests that, "in the future, you contact the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations prior to including the GNWT on your agenda in order to discuss GNWT participation."
Erasmus did not take kindly to the response.
"It's not our legislation, it's theirs ... the onus is not on us to consult with them," he said at the leadership meeting on Tuesday.
"They have no intention to work with us as the Dene Nation. To the 30 governments here, he has no intention to work with you."
In a written statement to Yellowknifer, McLeod said there was not enough time between Feb. 21, when he received the request from the Dene Nation, and the March 4 to 6 meetings.
"With the requirement for ministers to be present for legislative assembly debates on the 2014-15 budget and devolution legislation, attendance at the meeting was not possible," he wrote.
As roughly 30 leaders, including 17 chiefs, sat around tables set up in a square at the Chief Drygeese Government Building from Tuesday to Thursday, it became clear that there remains plenty of confusion on what the omnibus Bill C-15 contains, and what changes devolution and the overhaul of resource management boards will bring.
Several members of the leadership, including Gwich'in elder Charlie Snowshoe, said this was the first time they've seen the legislation.
"I'm a Gwich'in representative and that's the first I've seen of it," he said while holding the hundreds of pages contained in C-15.
It is not just the federal and territorial governments that are to blame for the lack of general understanding, he said - leaders are not letting their people know what's going on.
In the absence of other experts, most technical questions on devolution were directed toward Bertha Rabesca Zoe, legal council for the Tlicho Government who signed on to devolution, but intend to take changes to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA) - the legislation governing resource management boards - to court.
"We have always maintained that MVRMA is separate from devolution," she said during her presentation Wednesday morning.
Ndilo Chief Ernest Betsina proposed a Dene devolution committee be created and put forward the names of several elders present to sit on such a board, including Roy Fabien, Charlie Snowshoe, Frank Andrew and Francois Paulette.
After unsuccessful motions by the NDP in Ottawa to split Bill C-15 into two parts -- one that deals with devolution and another that deals with the changes to the MVRMA - and take out the clause that eliminates the territory's three regional
land and water boards on April 1, 2015, the bill was passed by the House of Commons and remained before a senate committee as of press time.
Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington said he expects the bill to receive royal assent "very quickly" as Parliament prepares for a two-week break leading up to the April 1 devolution deadline.
Now, Governor General David Johnston is the last chance to block Bill C-15, and a resolution was proposed by Erasmus Tuesday for the Dene Nation to request Johnston refuse to give the bill royal assent.
While devolution and regulatory changes dominated the first two days of discussions, the assembly of Dene leadership was expected to spend Thursday discussing caribou management, the Peel watershed, federal funding cuts to First Nations, the First Nations Education Act and Indian Residential Schools Personal Education Credits.
However, they decide to move forward on Bill C-15, many members of the leadership spoke of the importance of a united front.
The portion of devolution money going to aboriginal governments has created conflict, said K'atl'odeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabien.
"We start fighting like dogs, fighting over scraps," he said. "We need to put that aside and work together."
