Gwich'in get glimpse of what self-government would look like

On day 2 of the Gwich'in Tribal Council's annual general assembly in Inuvik, N.W.T., Grand Chief Ken Kyikavichik sketched out a picture of what a Gwich'in government could look like. 

"The current model of service delivery by the Government of the Northwest Territories simply is not working for our people," said Kyikavichik. And he said the Indian Act "continues to diminish the role and authority of band councils in our communities.

"Gwich'in government, in our view, provides opportunities to change this." 

The Gwich'in Tribal Council has been negotiating a self-government agreement for more than two decades. It is work that started shortly after the Gwich'in signed a land claim agreement in 1992. 

How a Gwich'in government would be structured, what powers it would have, and how long it would take to set up, were a focus of Gwich'in Tribal Council talks on Wednesday. 

Kyikavichik said self-government negotiations had, in the past, become divisive. He wanted to clarify why, after all these years, the Gwich'in Tribal Council continues to pursue the establishment of its own government.

"First and foremost, we need a more effective government system for the Gwich'in," he said.

Kyikavichik presented a list of objectives for a Gwich'in government. They include: reconnecting with land and culture; language revitalization; improving people's health and quality of life; improving homes and infrastructure; creating jobs and business opportunities; and including young people and elders in decision making.

Dinjii Zhuh Regional Government

Under the draft agreement-in-principle, said Kyikavichik, the Gwich'in Tribal Council would transition into the Dinjii Zhuh Regional Government. It would have a grand chief (Dinjii Iisrits'at Chit) and its capital would be Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

Within the Dinjii Zhuh government, Fort McPherson, Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic and Inuvik would each have a local government with its own chief (Dinjii Khehkài) and council.

The Dinjii Zhuh government would serve as a "co-ordinating body," and would represent Gwich'in in meetings with the governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada, said Kyikavichik. 

"That's what our tribal council, or our Dinjii Zhuh Regional Government should be, is supporting our communities, not consolidating power," he said.

Right now, said Kyikavichik, each of the four communities has a Gwich'in council president and a band council chief, which creates confusion. 

The Dinjii Zhuh government would merge the Indian Act band council and the Designated Gwich'in Organization in each community into a single government. 

Municipal governments in the four communities would remain. 

"We're not going after public government, which includes governance over non-Gwich'in," said Kyikavichik.

"We're going for Indigenous government, which is just for our Gwich'in people, and governance within the Gwich'in Settlement Region outside municipal boundaries."

Power of taxation

An important piece of actualizing self-government, of course, is money.

"We don't want this government unless we have the money to be able to deliver," said Kyikavichik. 

He said the ability to impose taxes, like a liquor tax, would help generate the cash needed to deliver government services.

The prospect of taxation powers went over well with Willard Hagen, a delegate representing the Nihtat Gwich'in Council in Inuvik.

"Self-government without taxation … is an oxymoron," he said.  

"You're not self-governing if you don't have your own funding flowing freely."

Process could take years, or decades

To be sure, building a government responsible for things like health care, and the justice and education systems is a daunting task.

For this reason, said Kyikavichik, the Gwich'in Tribal Council has decided to focus on seven "core jurisdictions" in its final agreement negotiations with the governments of Canada and the N.W.T.

Those are: governance, financial relations, lands, housing, culture and language, taxation and economic development.

After a final agreement is reached, the Gwich'in government would look to take over services like education, justice, health and income support — a process that would likely take more than 15 years, said Kyikavichik. 

The Gwich'in government could also explore responsibility for liquor and cannabis regulation, marriage, adoption and gaming. 

The goal is to finalize an agreement-in-principle, and have it approved at the Gwich'in Tribal Council's next annual general assembly in August, said Kyikavichik. 

"The agreement-in-principle step allows us to engage with our people," he said.

The agreement-in-principle would then go to Canada for its approval, which Kyikavichik said could take longer than a year.

The grand chief estimated that final self-government agreement discussions would take three to five years. The council has set 2027 as the year they hope to finalize a Gwich'in government agreement. 

This process isn't the only option, though. 

Kyikavichik said they could also choose to skip the agreement-in-principle phase and advance directly into final agreement talks, or put the whole process on hold. 

Some delegates urged the assembly to push ahead.

"Let's not take a pause, let's not take a break. We have so many successful Gwich'in working for us," said Barry Greenland, a director of the Nihtat Gwich'in Council. 

"We can't sell ourselves short by saying we can't do it."