Negotiators want next N.W.T. MP to advance land claims

Avery Zingel · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 1:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian says the N.W.T.'s aboriginal MP volition request to "roll up their sleeves" with national negotiators to bring unresolved onshore claims implicit the decorativeness line.

Their biggest challenge?

Sparse and "slow" negotiations wherever clip is spent reviewing minutes alternatively of advancing issues needing "immediate attention" similar governance and resources, said Norwegian.

Dehcho's assertion process has been ongoing for implicit 20 years and helium says successful 1 twelvemonth they lone negotiated for conscionable 21 days.

"We're conscionable being dragged down the damn road," helium said, describing prolonged negotiations arsenic an "ongoing trauma."

"After all, it's our land," helium said.

The N.W.T. has 3 unresolved land claims affecting the Dehcho First Nations, Akaitcho Dene and the North Slave Métis. 

Akaitcho Dene First Nations includes Yellowknives Dene, Łutsel K'e Dene and Deninu Kųę́ First Nations, who reached a draught statement successful 2023.

Abiding by UNDRIP

Twenty-two years into negotiations, Yellowknives Dene Ndilǫ Chief Fred Sangris said Akaitcho communities are "wordsmithing" with Ottawa lawyers nether the Liberal authorities to clarify their rights.

"Under [UNDRIP] determination is nary request for immoderate Indigenous radical successful the satellite to extinguish each their rights," helium said.

"We don't privation to person an statement similar different First Nations crossed Northwest Territories that person extinguished. Once you extinguish, you can't spell backmost to the array and inquire for thing else." 

Federally, the Liberal, Green Party, and the New Democratic Party platforms enactment implementing UNDRIP. 

On Tuesday Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sidestepped questions connected whether they would afloat instrumentality the instrumentality but the party's level is to "get projects built again by repealing the Liberal anti-development laws."

Clarifying powerfulness of claims

 Projects similar the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which would walk done Dehcho communities, could alteration the look of the portion and summation entree to their lands.

Liberal Candidate Rebecca Alty said that she would enactment bringing successful method experts to beforehand efforts to found the Mackenzie Valley Highway, Slave Geological all-season roadworthy to the Nunavut border, and the Gray's Bay larboard and roadworthy project. 

She said she would propulsion for much days spent negotiating, and allocate much unit to negotiating colony and physique capableness to devolve responsibilities nether Indigenous self-government, arsenic with the Inuvialuit connected kid and household services.

The Liberal authorities was moving connected passing authorities to usage a commissioner of modern pact implementation to construe agreements done the committee alternatively than going to court. 

The NDP's Kelvin Kotchilea said unsettled claims mean First Nations deficiency "meaningful" equity shares successful large diamond, mineral and lipid and state improvement and that Indigenous governments told him the adjacent MP should beryllium a "partner successful lobbying" to beforehand claims. 

Unresolved claims successful the Dehcho and Akaitcho regions and the North Slave Metis Alliance, airs a "big question mark" implicit assets exploration, onshore protection, assets royalties, taste activities and , said Kotchilea.

He called immoderate Impact Benefit Agreements a "joke" due to the fact that millions of dollars could person "fixed the lodging shortage successful [the Tlicho] portion if these mines were superior astir concern alternatively than tokenism and taking vantage of us." 

Kotchilea said the NDP volition beforehand the Mackenzie Valley Highway by gathering with impacted communities Wrigley, Tulita, Deline, Fort Good Hope and Norman Wells.

Green Party Candidate Rainbow Eyes said "Canada has a past of going astir it successful a assemblage way, not getting the perspectives and views of the people" and that "open dialog volition determination claims ahead."

The Green Party supports Indigenous rubric affirmation according to the Supreme Court ruling with Tsilhqot'in Nation, and the Haida Title agreement. It promises onshore restitution and identifying national and Crown lands suitable for transportation to Indigenous ownership.

The Greens would replace First Ministers' gathering with Indigenous, federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments forming a Council of Canadian Governments.

Conservative Candidate Kimberly Fairman said her enactment volition absorption connected "shovel ready" projects successful the territory and prosecute the Gray's Bay Port and roadworthy project. 

In CBC's predetermination forum with the N.W.T.'s 4 candidates, Fairman said settling claims would springiness certainty connected improvement and that the assets assemblage is 1 of the "key supportive sectors for our full economy."

Fairman said the North is "10 years behind" connected exploration, which she says has been "very dilatory oregon stagnant" due to the fact that companies are reluctant to put if they bash not expect fiscal returns.

The party's level does not notation onshore claims oregon negotiations but says it would found a nation-to-nation consultation process for authorities and projects affecting First Nations. 

Fairman projected a First Nations assets complaint argumentation to entree wealth straight from backstage companies alternatively than question funds from territorial and national governments. 

Benefiting from development

Norwegian expects a "big propulsion to get lands and resources backmost connected the table" successful upcoming negotiations.

Land claim resolution goes hand-in-hand with self-governance, and would alteration Akaitcho communities to beforehand connected issues similar lodging and economical development, said Sangris. 

Sangris said lodging and homelessness proceed to impact communities and most onshore claims bash not person lodging nether their agreements.

"If you don't person a home, you can't get a job, due to the fact that you don't person an code and that's a problem."

Sangris said N.W.T. residents request a person who tin code some U.S. attacks connected Canada's economy and "outstanding grievances connected the onshore assertion process."

Unresolved claims

North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA) President Marc Whitford said they sent the national authorities a revised asserted assertion past summertime and are inactive waiting to initiate a process, helium said.

"We person occupation with immoderate of the economical initiatives that we're moving on, due to the fact that we're viewed otherwise than the [First Nations] that really bash person a claim."

In the Dehcho, Norwegian said negotiators are moving connected issues of governance and residency requirements — they sought 10 twelvemonth residency for electoral information alternatively than the national government's suggested two. 

This is to support against "transient governments" successful the lawsuit of ample assets improvement projects, helium said.