Dene, Metis leaders apologize for leaving members stranded

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Dene and Metis leaders have apologized over the last-minute cancellation of a meeting with their own people to discuss benefits from a recent $500-million land claim agreement signed in principle with the federal government last September.

Over 200 Dene and Metis, who are former residents of the Northwest Territories, came from all over Alberta to the Native Pastoral Center Feb.9 but were left feeling cheated after learning their political leaders had canceled it.

Almost all of them had not been notified about the cancellation and had traveled long distances to attend the meeting.

Bill Erasmus, president of the Dene Nation, and Gary Bohnet, Metis Association president -- both of the Northwest Territories -- were scheduled to meet with the group, but because of other commitments, were forced to cancel.

According to Erasmus, who flew into Edmonton Feb. 13 to meet with representatives of the Alberta Dene/Metis members, there was a definite mix-up about the meeting.

"We had negotiators in Edmonton who were supposed to attend the meeting. But an earlier meeting they were attending went until late that evening. Then they flew to Vancouvene and Metis are concerned about being left out of the agreement because they now live in Alberta although they are still considered members of their settlements in the NWT.

The federal government and the NWT Dene/Metis representatives agreed in principle Sept. 28 on an agreement, which would pay out $500 million to northern Natives and give them 70,000 square nukes if land. That location has yet to be selected.

Another 400,000 square miles of land in the Western Arctic, most of it located in the Mackenzie Valley, is still to be discussed at the negotiation table.

An agreement will likely be made between the NWT Dene/Metis and the government of Canada sometime in March, and this has local Dene and Metis such as Terry Norwegian worried that once negotiations are finalized, they and their children may not be eligible for any benefits.

" We are very worried. The land claim agreement will be made in March and we don't know where we stand. Do we lose everything?" asks Norwegian, a resident from Arctic Red River in the NWT.

Most of the Dene and Metis now living in Alberta left the NWT for either health reasons or educational purpose, which they say is good reason for not excluding them from the deal.

"It was stated at a meeting last year that anyone who left for medical or education reasons would still be included in the land claims negotiations taken place, but now I feel they are reneging on their promise," charged Norwegian.

Bohnet said a meeting dealing with joint leadership regarding the eligibility and enrollment for land claims will be held Feb. 22-23.

"We need to know their feelings. At this meeting we are hoping to make everyone aware of what is going on and I am going to suggest a spokesperson from the group in Alberta be flown up here (Yellowknife) to address their concerns and to bring back information they obtain at the meeting to the Dene and Metis in Alberta," promised Bohnet.