The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is participating in the negotiation of a self-government agreement with the Federal Government and the Gwich'in.
The Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement commits government to negotiating self-government with the Gwich’in.
Starting in 1995, with the release of the federal inherent right policy, the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit were jointly negotiating a self-government agreement with government that would cover the Beaufort Delta Region. These negotiation lead to the completion of a Self-Government Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) in 2003.
In early 2006, the Gwich’in informed the GNWT, the Federal Government, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) that the Gwich'in no longer viewed the 2003 Self-Government Agreement in Principle as the basis for concluding a final agreement. The Gwich’in stated that they wanted to pursue their own self-government agreement with the Federal and Territorial governments.
This lead to the completion of a Process and Schedule Agreement that will guide self-government negotiations between the Gwich’in, the Federal Government, and the GNWT. The Process and Schedule Agreement was signed in July 2007.
Key Documents:
Process and Schedule Agreement
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