The Tłįchǫ Land Claims and Self-government Agreement (referred to as "the Agreement") is the first combined land, resources and self-government agreement in the NWT. Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories(GNWT) and the Tłįchǫ are parties to the agreement.   The Tłįchǫ Agreement was signed by the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council (Tłįchǫ), the Government of Canada and the GNWT on August 25, 2003, and came into effect on August 4, 2005.  The Agreement provides the Tłįchǫ with ownership of a single block of 39,000 square kilometres of land, including subsurface resources, adjacent to or surrounding the four Tłįchǫ communities of Behchoko, Whatì, Gamètì, and Wekweètì.

The Government of Canada will also provide the Tłįchǫ Government with capital transfer payments totalling $152 million over 14 years and the Tłįchǫ Government will receive a share of resource royalties collected by the  Government of Canada from resource development in the Mackenzie Valley.

The Agreement also provides for self-government. A regional Tłįchǫ Government was created with law-making authority over Tłįchǫ Citizens in Tłįchǫ communities and on Tłįchǫ lands. This law-making authority includes aspects of education, adoption, child and family services, training, income support, social housing, and Tłįchǫ language and culture.

A Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency, established under territorial legislation, is responsible for the management, administration and delivery of health, education and other social programs and services to all residents in the four Tłįchǫ communities and on Tłįchǫ lands, based on Tłįchǫ Laws and NWT Laws.

Consistent with the Agreement, the Tłįchǫ Community Governments (TCGs) of Behchoko, Whatì, Gamètì, and Wekweètì were established pursuant to territorial legislation on August 4, 2005.  The TCGs replaced the Indian Act Bands and NWT municipal corporations that were in place prior to the effective date of the Agreement.  The TCGs are responsible for municipal services and represent and serve all residents.  

The Agreement provides for guaranteed Tłįchǫ participation on the Wek’èezhìi Renewable Resources Board and the Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board.

• Tłįchǫ Agreement 
• Tłįchǫ Implementation Plan
• Tłįchǫ Agreement Highlights
• Tłįchǫ Government/ GNWT Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding - English
• Tłįchǫ Government/ GNWT Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding - Tłįchǫ

• Map of Monfwi Gogha De Niitlee, Wekeezhii, Tłįchǫ Lands and Ezodziti

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Tłįchǫ Agreement? 

• The Tłįchǫ Agreement is the first combined comprehensive land claim and self-government agreement in the Northwest Territories.  It was negotiated by the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), and the Government of Canada. The Tłįchǫ Agreement was signed by the parties on August 25, 2003 with an effective date of August 4, 2005.  

                   
Q. Over what geographic area does the Tłįchǫ Agreement apply?

• The Tłįchǫ Agreement includes four geographic areas. The largest area is "Monfwi Gogha De Niitlee", which is the traditional use area of the Tłįchǫ. In this area, the Tłįchǫ are able to exercise most of the rights set out in the Agreement and all four of the Tłįchǫ communities fall within this area.
• The second area is a resource management area, called "Wek'eezhii" which falls within Monfwi Gogha De Niitlee. It is bordered by other land claims settlement areas and traditional use areas of neighbouring Aboriginal groups.
• The third geographic area also falls within Monfwi Gogha De Niitlee, and is called "Tłįchǫ lands". These are the lands that the Tłįchǫ own in fee simple.
• A fourth geographic area is "Ezodziti", an area of historical and cultural importance to the Tłįchǫ. The Tłįchǫ do not own this land, nor do they have any additional harvesting or management rights here. However, the area has been protected in the interest of preserving its historical and cultural importance to the Tłįchǫ people.

Q. What rights and benefits related to land, resources and self-government did the Tłįchǫ receive under the Agreement? 

• The Tłįchǫ received approximately 39,000 square kilometres of land in a single block surrounding the four Tłįchǫ communities of Behchoko, Whatì, Gamètì and Wekweètì.  On their lands, the Tłįchǫ own both the surface and subsurface (mineral) resources. In addition to Tłįchǫ lands, the Tłįchǫ receive approximately $152 million paid over 14 years, and a share of mineral royalties generated from the production of resources in the Mackenzie Valley. The Tłįchǫ Government has the power to enact laws in relation to the use, management administration and protection of Tłįchǫ lands and the Tłįchǫ Government can also enact laws over a wide range of subject matters for Tłįchǫ  Citizens on Tłįchǫ lands or in Tłįchǫ communities. 
                     

Q. Who is a "Tłįchǫ Citizen"? 

• Eligible Tłįchǫ people who are interested in becoming beneficiaries of the Tłįchǫ Agreement must apply to be listed in the Tłįchǫ Citizens registry.  A "Tłįchǫ Citizen" is a beneficiary to the Tłįchǫ Agreement, whose name is on the Tłįchǫ Citizens Register, and is defined in the Agreement to be a person who is:
  • a "Tłįchǫ person", or meets the conditions of the "community acceptance process set out in the Tłįchǫ Constitution;
  • a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident of Canada, or is Tłįchǫ and as a result of adoption became a citizen of a country other than Canada; and 
  • is not enrolled under another land claims agreement. 
                      

Q. What subject matters are contained in the Tłįchǫ Agreement?

• The Tłįchǫ Agreement contains 27 chapters including the following: 
  • Enrolment
  • Tłįchǫ Government
  • Tłįchǫ Community Governments
  • Tłįchǫ Lands
  • Access to Tłįchǫ Lands
  • Wildlife Harvesting Rights
  • Wildlife Harvesting Management
  • Land and Water Regulation
  • Subsurface Resources 
  • Financial Payments 
  • Mineral Royalties 
  • Protected Areas
  • Heritage Resources
  • Economic Measures 
                       

Q. How are residents of Tłįchǫ communities who are not Tłįchǫ Citizens represented?

• The new restructured public governments in the Tłįchǫ communities serve and represent all residents. For each of the community governments, all eligible voters  have the opportunity to vote, to nominate candidates and to run for office. The exception is that only Tłįchǫ Citizens can be elected as Chief and no more than half of the council seats may be filled by candidates who are not Tłįchǫ Citizens. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to all governments established under the Tłįchǫ Agreement, and all governments are accountable to the people they represent.

Q. How are land, water and resources managed in the area covered by the Tłįchǫ Agreement? 

• The Wek’èezhìi Renewable Resources Board is an institution of public government that acts in the public interest to oversee the management of wildlife and wildlife habitat and make recommendations about wildlife, forest and plant resources, and commercial activities. Its membership is made up of appointees from the Tłįchǫ Government, Canada and the GNWT.  The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board, also an institution of public government that represents the public interest, regulates the use of land and water and the deposit of waste throughout Wek’èezhìi. Its membership is made up of appointees from the Tłįchǫ Government, the Government of Canada, and the GNWT.