Dene Nation won't go to court over devolution deal

The Dene Nation will not go to court over the controversial devolution agreement-in-principle between the Northwest Territories and the federal government.

Dene Nation leaders unanimously passed a resolution on Friday to instead support any individual N.W.T. aboriginal government that wants to pursue legal action to quash the devolution agreement.

The agreement-in-principle, signed by N.W.T. Premier Floyd Roland and federal Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan last month, puts the territory on track to gain control over Crown lands and resources. The document sets the stage for negotiations towards a final deal.

But only the Inuvialuit and the N.W.T. Métis Nation have signed the agreement with the territorial and federal governments, while Dene leaders refuse to sign on.

Leaders who oppose the agreement have said it does not provide a large enough share of resource royalties. Some fear their own land claim and self-government negotiations may be jeopardized.

The resolution passed Friday capped a three-day Dene Nation emergency meeting in Dettah, N.W.T., where leaders discussed their options.

The leaders agreed that the federal and territorial governments "have entered into a bilateral devolution agreement without the input and support of the Dene First Nations and therefore does not represent their views," the passed resolution states in part.

The leaders also agreed to start a working group to develop a "framework that would guide the negotiations of a devolution and resource revenue sharing agreement."