Gwichya Gwich'in Council says it's suing Gwich'in Tribal Council for suspending funding

Disagreements between the Gwichya Gwich'in Council of Tsiigehtchic and the Gwich'in Tribal Council (GTC) have led to another N.W.T. Supreme Court filing, this time with the Gwichya Gwich'in suing the GTC.

The dispute between the two parties has been ongoing for several years. In November 2022, the GTC suspended the Gwichya Gwich'in's core funding. 

The Gwichya Gwich'in claims in its lawsuit that withholding that money is unlawful, according to a news release.

"There is no provision in the GTC's or the Settlement Corporation's by-laws that permits the GTC to currently withhold funding from the GGC,"the release said. 

The Gwichya Gwich'in said it is operating at a deficit due to the funding lapse and that it may be forced to shut down or pause operations until it gets its funding back. 

"This jeopardizes its members' rights and harms the Gwichya Gwich'in community," the release said. 

The Gwichya Gwich'in also claims that the GTC interfered with the rights of its members by contesting its elections and dismissing its president in 2023 for having allegedly violated the code of conduct.

They also claim that the GTC has wrongfully assumed several administrative rights. Specifically, they allege the GTC has wrongfully appointed Gwichya Gwich'in representatives on the GTC Board of Directors and has wrongfully represented the Gwichya Gwich'in rights-holders before territorial and federal governments.

Preventing the Gwichya Gwich'in "from participating in government negotiations has meant that the GGC and its members are unable to properly negotiate self-governance, in breach of the Land Claim Agreement and the GGC's inherent right to self-government," the release. said. 

Mavis Clark, the Gwichya Gwich'in Council president who was voted out of office, said in the release that the GTC needs to resume their funding. 

"The GTC's conduct has handcuffed the GGC's ability to perform its mandate. At a minimum, the GTC should release the GGC's funding and allow it to be represented during self-governance negotiations," she said.

The GTC declined an interview request from CBC, saying its legal counsel is reviewing the lawsuit. 

The suit comes seven months after the GTC's lawsuit against the Gwichya Gwich'in was heard in the territory's Supreme Court.

That case focused on the Gwichya Gwich'in's elections, and a request to overturn them. The GTC said in court that Gwichya Gwich'in leaders failed to run their last election properly and have not been doing required reports on their spending.