This is the second installment in a two-part review of a monumental discussion during the Dene National Assembly.
The next day, others spoke on the resolution after it had been presented to leadership in draft form.
Jim Antoine, of the Liidlii Kue First Nation and former NWT premier, said to leadership and listeners: SA国际影视传媒淢y position is that weSA国际影视传媒檝e been negotiating with Deh Cho First Nations and the Government of Canada for 22 years and weSA国际影视传媒檙e slowly moving ahead, and weSA国际影视传媒檙e trying different ways of negotiating. But speaking to the motion, I came here because I thought it was a very powerful position our Elders took 50 years ago and the decision was made and it was appealed on a technicality, and we just left it.
SA国际影视传媒淚 think the decision back then was that SA国际影视传媒榃eSA国际影视传媒檙e going to go move ahead,SA国际影视传媒� and it didnSA国际影视传媒檛 work, so everybody more or less went on their own, and made their own arrangements SA国际影视传媒� for the best way for yourselves,SA国际影视传媒� Antoine added. SA国际影视传媒淲e recognize, acknowledge and respect that. But I know youSA国际影视传媒檙e not happy with some of those arrangements and the federal government is not acknowledging your arrangements.
SA国际影视传媒淏ut this kind of a motion could help, I thought. We havenSA国际影视传媒檛 really fully explored the extent of what our treaties really mean, and the political climate has changed greatly from 50 years ago SA国际影视传媒� Francois (Paulette) and them here, SmithSA国际影视传媒檚 Landing making their own arrangement, I know Salt River is doing the hard work the GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n have made arrangements, the Sahtu, the Tlicho. Akaitcho, they say is pretty close to AIP (agreement in principle), and the Deh Cho, weSA国际影视传媒檙e more or less moving ahead. So everyone more or less split and is doing their own thing, but at the same time weSA国际影视传媒檙e still together.
SA国际影视传媒淪o I was wandering around these grounds and thinking about how many great things have happened. I thought this motion would enhance what we were doing, to make ourselves even stronger. I donSA国际影视传媒檛 think you should be afraid of it, I think there might be some fear here. But for myself, I thought this would just be an improvement, a strengthening, something that you could stand solidly on, so that we could all keep on pushing hard because weSA国际影视传媒檝e got a long way to go. I know itSA国际影视传媒檚 a tense, and kind of hard place weSA国际影视传媒檙e at, but we shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be SA国际影视传媒� I just hope things work out OK,SA国际影视传媒� Antoine concluded.
Appeal to the United Nations
Recently, I asked my uncle, Ted Blondin, for his thoughts on the proposed resolution, without skipping a beat he said, SA国际影视传媒淚n 1967, the territorial government was established here in the Northwest Territories. The Government of Canada put a whole bunch of bureaucrats on a plane and shipped them up north, and built them a government building, put all the bureaucrats in that building and put up houses for them, and they ran the territorial government. And they imposed local governments in every community SA国际影视传媒� they called them town and councils, hamlets, tax-based communities. Cities, towns, villages SA国际影视传媒� and that kind of governance model was imposed on us. And at the same time, since 1921, since treaty was signed, the prime authority in each of the small communities was chief and council.
SA国际影视传媒淚n every community there was division between young people and old people,SA国际影视传媒� he continued. SA国际影视传媒淭he young people would say, SA国际影视传媒榃e need to do things the way we need to do them,SA国际影视传媒� and the Elders would say, SA国际影视传媒榃e donSA国际影视传媒檛 understand them, and they donSA国际影视传媒檛 understand where we come from.SA国际影视传媒� So there was a big division.
SA国际影视传媒淟and claims agreement is protected under Section 35 of the Constitution, so each of the regions want to make sure theySA国际影视传媒檝e got that foot in the door and theySA国际影视传媒檝e secured all their political, economic and social rights secured first and have that well established before all the regions come together to come up with a Dene Nation where all the many nations working together on one platform and make our appeal to the United Nations that much stronger,SA国际影视传媒� said Blondin.
SA国际影视传媒淪ome of us are there at the regional level but some of us are not. Some of us need that time to get politically secure before we can take the next step to nationhood and make a plea to the United Nations. I think we all agree! ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 where we want to end up, but the time is not right at this time. We need time to develop. We need time to grow. We need time to strengthen.
SA国际影视传媒淥nce the regions get solid, there might not even be a need for territorial government. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 why nationhood has to be solid, strong SA国际影视传媒� all of us working together. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 the time to start thinking approaches nationally and internationally. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not the right time to do that.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淪o the ones who say no, itSA国际影视传媒檚 just timing is not right SA国际影视传媒� the stars are not lined up. We are a very, very patient group, and we have to pray for patience, for strength, to give us time to pull this all together, so when we do have that strength we can pull it all together.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒楲ike going to confession and getting absolvedSA国际影视传媒�
Lucy Jackson of Fort Good Hope spoke on the assemblySA国际影视传媒檚 third and final day
SA国际影视传媒淭his is for time immemorial, the original treaty. This is a standing order, does it need a motion? I donSA国际影视传媒檛 really know. But itSA国际影视传媒檚 a standing order on an international basis. A lot of changes have happened within the 50 years where weSA国际影视传媒檙e losing out. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 what itSA国际影视传媒檚 all about to be here for me, because I came from that remote community. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e a distance from the health centres. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e a distance from all the services we should get but we donSA国际影视传媒檛. I want to explain this poverty and the changes that have taken place over the years SA国际影视传媒� modifying our international treaty from 1921, modifying our other Indigenous systems. That is unacceptable. We cannot agree with that. Reconciliation wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 get us nothing, peoples, itSA国际影视传媒檚 like going to confession and getting absolved. Restitution, preconditions, restitution peoples.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檝e been in position for only one yearSA国际影视传媒� but I read documents after documents. And I hear the leaders saying itSA国际影视传媒檚 a hard job. Holy! Because we live in poverty, we can make the best rules, regulations for ourselves, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 easily breached by ourselves because we donSA国际影视传媒檛 have that money in our hands to pay up rents, and all the bills that we need to pay up. Our young peoples donSA国际影视传媒檛 have that income to move into a rental building because that rent base is $1,400 and you have to deposit the damage fees SA国际影视传媒� you all know that.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e not going to misuse our treaty and make mistakes. Holy! WeSA国际影视传媒檙e generous peoples. WeSA国际影视传媒檝e helped the whole country with our resource capital. Non-renewable resource capital. We give it. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e generous. We SA国际影视传媒極KSA国际影视传媒� everything SA国际影视传媒� I see it every day in meetings. WhatSA国际影视传媒檚 wrong with voting against it?
SA国际影视传媒淓ven with our TKSA国际影视传媒� traditional knowledge is priceless. I read a document this summer, this past summer on caribou mineral licks. Holy! I just about exploded. How did they get into all this information, which is Indigenous rights and inherent right, to protect our caribou?
SA国际影视传媒淭here have been massive changes within the last 50 years, not for the betterment for the Indigenous communities but for the wealth of other people, so we have to think straight on this.
SA国际影视传媒淚 go to the young peoples meetings. They want commodities, they want paved roads, which you guys donSA国际影视传媒檛 have to worry about. They want cafeteria. WhatSA国际影视传媒檚 wrong with that? ItSA国际影视传媒檚 just a small thing but itSA国际影视传媒檚 hard to getSA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淥ur education is substandard. Modified grades - can you imagine that? Hey?
SA国际影视传媒淪o are we going to allow ourselves, or am I going to allow the younger peoples in my community SA国际影视传媒� I canSA国际影视传媒檛 address the needs for you. But ISA国际影视传媒檓 addressing KSA国际影视传媒檃hsho GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne SA国际影视传媒� massive, massive land use by our ancient peoples. We walked the country. We didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have Ski-Doos, we walked the country. We travelled with our own little dog teams. I wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 accept reconciliation. I wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 accept modifying our treaty. Not other indigenous governing systems we had. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 unacceptable for Canada to modify our rights,SA国际影视传媒� said Jackson.
The resolution was tabled for the winter 2023 Dene leadership meetings.
