Nahanni Butte Chief Steve Vital believes the newly signed NWT: Our Land for the Future agreement could have major benefits for his community and Indigenous people across the NWT.
The Nahanni Butte Dene Band was one of 22 Indigenous governments to sign the new agreement on Nov. 14 SA国际影视传媒� along with the Government of Canada, the GNWT, and private donors. The initiative unlocked $375 million to fund Indigenous-led conservation, stewardship, and economic development across the territory.
"The agreement is based on the collective vision of Indigenous Leadership on sustainability, protecting and preserving our land, water, wildlife and natural resources," Vital told SA国际影视传媒, adding that it will help establish "a perfect equilibrium of economic development with conservation," as "directed by the vision of our Elders."
Some of the funding will be used to drive Indigenous-led ecotourism initiatives across the NWT, which Vital believes could be an economic boon for his and other groups.
"The agreement will help us to develop a balanced model of tourism development that focuses on respecting local cultures, conserving the environment and supporting the well-being of local communities," he said. "It is a sustainable tourism approach that seeks to minimize the negative impacts of tourism on ecosystems while maximizing its positive effects on conservation efforts and local economies."
The agreement was signed in the Tlicho community of Behchoko. Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong, who represents the Tlicho communities of Behchoko, Gameti, Wekweeti and Whati in the legislative assembly, shared Vital's perspective.
"There's a lot of potential for economic development and for job creation" through ecotourism she said.
While many expect the agreement to have a positive economic impact, one of its main functions will be to protect the territory's land, water and natural resources. It was that aspect that that most excited Weyallon Armstrong.
"Our Elders have said we have to leave something for the kids," she said. "Our lands sustain us. We have to leave something for them SA国际影视传媒� for future generations. A lot of Elders, a lot of great leaders have said it before: our land connects us to our identity, to our language, to our culture. All the things that have been happening, from colonization to residential schools, that's why they were saying this.
"I'm very hopeful that we'll be leaving something for our future generations," she added. "It makes it easier when we work together. There's lots of different groups in the NWT. We have our own languages and our own cultures and our own ways of life, but it all comes back to preservation and conversation, and it makes it easier when we work with Indigenous and mainstream governments."
In a Nov. 14 news release announcing the newly-signed deal, many other Indigenous leaders expressed similar sentiments, including Tlicho Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty, who lauded the way it "balances economic benefits with cultural and environmental values."
Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian stated the agreement "will enable Indigenous governments to create and protect sacred paradises our forefathers have long cherished since the beginning of time," while Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation Chief James Marlowe referred to the associated funding as a "critical investment in the care of our lands and the promotion of our ways of life."
North Slave Metis Alliance President Marc Whitford called the agreement an "unprecedented opportunity" to "partner together to advance our shared environmental and economic goals." Northwest Territories Metis Nation President Garry Bailey added that it will allow natural resources to "continue to be protected and managed for present and future generations of Indigenous people and all Canadians."
