New land-claim offers promised
Commitment comes after feds release reports on negotiation challenges
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Monday, April 10, 2017
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
New offers for settling three of the Northwest Territories' outstanding land claims are expected to reach the negotiating table soon.
On April 6, the GNWT and federal government promised to make new offers with respect to the Akaitcho First Nations, Deh Cho First Nations and NWT Metis Nation land claims by mid-May.
The announcement comes on the heels of two reports by special ministerial representatives assigned to look at challenges in the years-long negotiations between the parties and figure out a way forward.
"We're very pleased with the reports," said Premier Bob McLeod from Ottawa on April 6, where he and federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett were meeting with leaders of the three indigenous groups.
"We think it gives us a real opportunity to settle land claims or make very significant advancement within the last two years of our mandate."
According to one of the reports, produced by ministerial representative Thomas Isaac, aboriginal groups have expressed concern about slow progress toward a resolution and overlapping claims in the southeast NWT.
Isaac's report focused on negotiations with the Akaitcho First Nations and the NWT Metis Nation.
"The status quo is not working in the Southeast NWT," it states. "The current negotiations ... appear stagnant and are not resulting in sustainable, lasting solutions."
McLeod agreed things have been slow-moving, with negotiations having started decades ago.
"The reports clearly outline that we need to take and develop more flexible approaches to move forward," he said.
The second report, on the Dehcho Process, highlights concerns by aboriginal parties around land preservation, the need to build on existing treaties and issue with the slow pace of negotiation, which it blamed mostly on government.
"Up to this point, land has been an issue," McLeod said, adding the Dehcho First Nations have indicated they need more time to get back to the government. "The financial package is an issue as well."
The Isaac report recommended governments support aboriginal groups to come up with a way to resolve overlapping claims amongst each other, and that governments work with indigenous groups to come up with a work plan that would "see meaningful movement toward an agreement-in-principle within 18 (to) 24 months," the report states.
It's something McLeod believes is doable, given the territorial government has about two and a half years left in its mandate.
"The most significant thing for us, I believe, is that we all have to work together," the premier said.
"We acknowledge that the old ways of doing things isn't working and that our government is committed to developing new approaches that will bring these negotiations to a successful close."
