Dene North Of 60 Talks Into Fifth Year

Dene North Of 60 Talks Into Fifth Year

Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 14:31

A federal negotiator says it’s too difficult to say how long Athabasca Dene bands will be involved in talks with Ottawa about their land claim north of 60.

The court action was filed in 1991 related to the Fond du Lac, Black Lake and Hatchet Lake bands’ claims of land and harvesting rights in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, which the bands argue are protected by treaties.

The claim has been on hold since 2000, when the bands signed an MOU with the federal government to begin out-of-court settlement negotiations.

Negotiator Ezio Del Degan says a confidentiality agreement prevents details of those talks from being released.

However, he says most of the discussions deal with harvesting rights north of 60.

Del Degan also says federal negotiators are trying to find a way to satisfy all Aboriginal group’s claims in the affected region, and don’t believe a settlement in this case will infringe on the rights of the Inuit in Nunavut.

Del Degan feels the talks are going well, but adds either side could decide at any time to abandon the negotiations and let the courts decide the matter.