when will they get it? The Yukon Supreme Court overturned the Yukon Government Peel Watershed’s final recommended land use plan of January 2014, saying that it does not respect the final agreements with the First Nations for the 67,000 square kilometres of wilderness in northern Yukon. “In yesterday’s historic decision, the Yukon Supreme Court supported the First Nations governmental rights and interests. The First Nations in Yukon and the Northwest Territories see it as a great achievement,” said Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus. “This is precedent-setting because it supports, at law, that the final land claim agreements supercede territorial legislation. These agreements were negotiated over many years between the parties and agreed upon. They are part of the Canadian Constitution and therefore protection is provided and prohibits others to override the authority of First Nation governments,” said Erasmus. He added that in this case it includes the Yukon and NWT First Nations. The Gwich’in Tribal Council were intervenors as territorial land owners and active participants in the Peel River Watershed. “We are very pleased that the Gwich’in Agreement, which is subject to Treaty No. 11, is accepted by the Supreme Court of the Yukon and thereby supports the enactment of their final agreement.”
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 17:58:19 +0000