Gwich'in approve agreement in principle
Nihtat object to process so far
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, May 5, 2016
INUVIK
The Gwich'in Tribal Council board of directors approved a self-government agreement in principle last week, but there are still dissenting voices.
Nihtat Gwich'in Council president Jozef Carnogursky said his group did not vote in favour of the approval and that he is disappointed the tribal council's board approved it anyway.
"The Nihtat Gwich'in wanted to follow an open and transparent process to review and approve this document and that was not able to occur in our opinion," Carnogursky stated in a news release. "It is unfortunate that (Gwich'in Tribal Council) leadership chose to ignore the wishes and desires of elected community representatives who represent almost one-third of all enrolled Gwich'in and chose to ignore established processes at the community level."
Gwich'in Tribal Council (GTC) vice-president Norman Snowshoe, however, maintains that the board - from which Carnogursky resigned last month in protest - followed the mandate it was given by the annual general assembly last year.
"The board of directors approved the (agreement), and fulfilled the mandate given to us at the (annual general assembly)," he said, admitting the decision was not unanimous.
The next step, he said, is to prepare for more negotiations and develop a strategy similar to the one they had for the AIP. The time line, he noted, is four years.
"We think that's pretty realistic," he said. "That time frame allows us to do in-depth negotiations ... We'll definitely be taking it to the communities throughout the summer."
Snowshoe said the next annual general assembly would also be a prime opportunity to seek direction from members and to keep them updated on the process.
Still, Carnogursky raised other issues. He said the Nihtat is taking issue with Snowshoe's position as a GNWT employee on secondment, meaning that while he is currently employed by the tribal council, he will return to territorial government work in the event that he is not re-elected. Carnogursky said he and his council believe Snowshoe is rushing the process while in the run-up to an election.
"The Nihtat Gwich'in Council will however, continue to follow the process of taking the necessary time to review the document and present it to our community assembly for direction in July," he said. "It is our duty to follow this process even if GTC leadership chooses to ignore it."
