IGC release - First legislative initiative enacted under IGC Legislative Development Protocol - Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Regulations

Date of Publication

 

First piece of legislation under IGC
Legislative Development Protocol finalized


MARCH 15, 2022 (Yellowknife) – On January 31, the Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Territorial Protected Area Regulations became the first piece of Northwest Territories legislation to be finalized under the Intergovernmental Council (IGC) of the Northwest Territories Land and Resource Management Legislative Development Protocol.
Comprised of leaders from nine Indigenous Governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), the Intergovernmental Council unanimously agreed to adopt a Legislative Development Protocol in December 2020 that would guide future collaborative work on NWT land and resource legislation that respects the jurisdictions of all IGC members.
As per Step G of the Protocol, the GNWT, working collaboratively with the K’ahsho Got’ine, provided draft regulations to the Intergovernmental Council Secretariat for review in November 2021. A final consensus on the draft was achieved by way of formal IGCS motion and later approved by the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories on January 13, 2022.

The Regulations, which formalize GNWT and K’asho Got’ı̨nę efforts to establish Ts’ude Nilįné Tuyeta as a protected area, came into force on January 31, 2022.

Quotes

“These Regulations represent the first piece of legislation to be finalized in accordance with the IGC Land and Resource Management Legislative Development Protocol. As the first legislative initiative to reach Step G (Final IGC Review) of the Protocol, this is an important milestone, and highlights the success of the Protocol and the progress being made under it.”
- Caroline Cochrane, Premier of the Northwest Territories


“The passage of this legislation is an important first step in the efforts of Indigenous governments to fully engage with the GNWT as equals in the management of the NWT’s lands and resources. I look forward to many more such successes in the future.”
- Charles McNeely, Chair of Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated


Quick facts

  •  A key feature of the Northwest Territories Intergovernmental Agreement on Lands and Resources Management (IGA) is recognition and respect of Aboriginal and Treaty rights.
  • The protocol is consistent with the IGA commitment to collaborate on changes to land and resource management systems, as well as providing a consistent approach for parties to follow.
  • The protocol is the first agreement of its kind in Canada and provides opportunities for the collaborative development of land and resource statutes and regulations for the GNWT and Indigenous governments.
  • The regulations will establish Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta as a territorial protected area under the Protected Areas Act. Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta was designated as an Indigenous Protected Area by the K’asho Got’ine in October 2019.
  • The GNWT and K’asho Got’ine are currently collaborating on implementing the Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta establishment agreement. This includes forming a management board and developing a management plan for Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta.

Related links

For media requests, please contact:
Todd Sasaki
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs
todd_sasaki@gov.nt.ca