• In 1899 and 1921, representatives of the Indians living in the Mackenzie Valley signed Treaties 8 and 11 respectively.
• In 1970, the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories (IBNWT) was established.
• The IBNWT claimed that the federal government had not fulfilled treaty obligations, and also that the treaties were "Peace" treaties and did not represent surrender of Indian interest in the land.
• The federal government, while contending that the treaties were valid, agreed to negotiate with the IBNWT on the grounds that the Indian people of the NWT had never received the full benefits set out in the treaties.
• In July 1974, the IBNWT and the Métis Association of the NWT (incorporated in 1972) agreed to make a single joint claim on behalf of all native people Mackenzie Valley in the western NWT, claiming title to 450,000 square miles of land.
• Grants were provided to the Dene and Métis to fund the claim development work.
• In July 1975, a Joint Assembly of the two associations made public a "Dene Declaration" and a "Dene Manifesto" asserting their interest in the land and asking for recognition by Canada and the world of a "Dene Nation". This was rejected by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development ("the Minister") in a statement on September 10, 1975.
• During the fall of 1976, the Métis Association withdrew from the development of a joint claim proposal stating "we cannot abide the concept of a nation within a nation". The Métis decided to develop their own claim and received an interim loan from the federal government to do so on the understanding that there would be one final settlement for both claims.
• On October 25, 1976, the IBNWT submitted a claim proposal to the federal government in the form of a "Statement of Rights" and an Agreement-in-Principle". The proposed agreement sought establishment (within Confederation) of "Dene Government with jurisdiction over a geographical area and over subject matters now within the jurisdiction of either the Government of Canada or the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT)" and including such matters as:
• land ownership;
• control over non-renewable resource development;
• protection of hunting, fishing and trapping rights;
• preservation of Dene language and culture; and
• compensation for "past use of Dene land by non-Dene".
• In August 1977, the Prime Minister rejected the concept of a separate "Dene Nation".
• On September 28, 1977, the Métis Association submitted a formal claim to the federal government.
• On January 24, 1978, the federal government presented proposals to initiate discussions on the claims. The federal government offered 50,000 square miles of land, up to $250 million in compensation, as well as other rights and benefits.
• The Indian Brotherhood was renamed the Dene Nation in 1978.
• On September 27, 1978, because of the continued inability of the Dene and Métis to agree on a mechanism for conducting joint negotiations, the Minister suspended funding.
• In November 1979, the Métis proposed that the Dene negotiate a settlement on behalf of both groups.
• In April 1980, loan funding resumed upon a commitment by both organizations to a single settlement of the two claims.
• In April 21, 1981, Mr. David Osborn was appointed Chief Government Negotiator for the Dene and Métis land claims.
• Negotiations began in July 1981. The Dene were informed that constitutional/political development could not be resolved in the claims forum.
• In late 1981, discussions centred on the Norman Wells Pipeline Project.
• During 1982, the Dene and Métis hired separate negotiators. The negotiations focused on the criteria for eligibility to participate in the settlement. Strong differences arose between the Dene and Métis on this and other negotiating positions.
• In December 1982, a Memorandum of Understanding on the negotiating process was signed.
• In February 1983, "an Interim Agreement on Eligibility and Enrolment" was initialled.
• The Dene rejected the Eligibility Agreement in June 1983.
• In July 1983, claims funding was suspended due to a lack of substantive progress in negotiations, and because of continued dissension between the Dene and Métis.
• In September 1983, a new "Interim Agreement on Eligibility and Enrolment" was ratified at the Dene Assembly.
• In October 1983, funding resumed after the Dene and Métis agreement to form a joint Dene/Métis Negotiations Secretariat. Bob Overvold was appointed Chief Negotiator for the Dene and Métis.
• In early 1984, negotiations concentrated on overlapping claims with other native groups and land selection at Aklavik was discussed pursuant to an overlap agreement signed with the Inuvialuit.
• During 1984, negotiations focused on wildlife harvesting and management, with some discussions on the Norman Wells Oilfield.
• In July 1984, the Dene and Métis Assemblies approved a Negotiations Framework which had been developed by their Negotiations Secretariat.
• In early 1985, a request from the Mackenzie Delta region for a regional settlement was not accepted.

• In July 1985, an "Interim Agreement on Key Elements of Lands and Resources" was initialled.
• On June 17, 1986, the federal and Dene/Métis Negotiators forwarded a "Mini-Package" of interim agreements to their principals for review. The topics remaining to be negotiated were identified. The negotiators agreed that the one hundred-page package provided a sound basis for the completion of an agreement-in-principle. The proposal included financial compensation of $350 million and 70,000 square miles of land.
• In October 1986, the negotiators initialled a Framework for Completion of Negotiations leading to an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP).
• Government and the Dene/Métis conducted indepth reviews of the Mini-Package and, by the spring of 1987, the respective negotiators were provided with mandates to continue negotiations toward an AIP.
• Intensive negotiations followed during the latter half of 1987 and into early 1988.
• In March 1988, the Dene/Métis Negotiator, Bob Overvold, left his position and was replaced by Ted Blondin.
• In April 1988, the Minister and the Dene and Métis political leaders became directly involved in resolving a number of key issues.

• In May 1988, the negotiators initialled an AIP and recommended it to their principals for approval.

• On July 10, 1988, at a Joint Assembly at Hay River, the Dene/Métis passed a resolution ("the Hay River Motion") authorizing their leaders to sign the AIP only when the federal government agreed in the AIP to negotiate or renegotiate some sixty specific issues.
• On July 17, 1988, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development informed the Dene/Métis that he would not renegotiate the AIP.
• Further letters by the Chief Federal Negotiator and the Minister identified the issues which government regarded as non-negotiable and those which were open for further discussion and clarification.
• On August 19, 1988, the Dene and Métis advised the Minister that the Joint Leadership had authorized the signing of the AIP, including in its text the joint memorandum which expressed the conditions and reservations of both parties.
• The AIP was signed on September 5, 1988, at Fort Rae by the Dene and Métis, the Prime Minister, and the Government Leader of the NWT. A $2 million grant was paid to the Dene/Métis.
• During the fall of 1988, the Dene/Métis focused on reorganizing their negotiating structure and staffing the Negotiations Secretariat.
• In December 1988, the first meeting was held to prepare the implementation plan for the agreement.
• During January and February 1989, the negotiators reached agreement on the disposition of the crucial issues arising out of the Hay River motion.
• In March 1989, an Agreement on Interim Protection was signed and on April 13 approximately 24,500 square miles of land in the North Slave region were withdrawn from disposition as an interim measure to protect land from development pressure pending land selection in that region.
• In April 1989, the Dene/Métis leadership instructed their negotiator not to enter into any general understandings on how the Hay River motion issues would be treated.
• In May 1989, the Aklavik land sub-agreement, pursuant to the 1984 Inuvialuit overlap agreement, was finalized.
• From April to July 1989, negotiations were directed solely to clarifying the key provisions on the issue of public access to Dene/Métis lands.
• In June 1989, the first land selection negotiating session was held in the Mackenzie Delta region.
• On June 28, the "Interim Protection Provisions" were revised and signed.
• In July 1989, land selection negotiations in the Mackenzie Delta were suspended until the Dene/Métis agreed among themselves on the regional allocation of the land quantum and agreed with the government on the meaning of the access provisions of the agreement.
• At their July 1989 Assembly, the Dene reaffirmed their 1988 motion insisting on the renegotiation of specified basic provisions of the agreement.
• Pursuant to a motion passed at their Assembly, the Dene advised that they were considering withdrawing from the negotiations unless they immediately received funding in addition to the $5.5 million identified for 1989/90.
• The Minister met the Dene/Métis in October 1989 and received assurances that despite the motions of their summer assembly they wished to complete their claim settlement.
• Negotiations resumed. On the agreed deadline of March 31, 1990 the agreement remained incomplete because of Dene/Métis concerns in respect of treaty rights, aboriginal rights, and the entrenchment of self government.
• The Minister met with the Dene/Métis leadership and community leaders in Yellowknife on April 9, 1990, culminating in the initialling of the agreement as final, subject to editing and minor revisions. The parties agreed to recommend it for ratification.
• A Ratification Committee was established and preparations for the vote to be held prior to March 31, 1991 were initiated.
• On July 18, 1990, a joint Dene/Métis assembly passed a resolution calling for renegotiation of portions of the agreement and possible court action to force recognition of their aboriginal and treaty rights. The representatives of the Delta region opposed the motion; representatives of the Sahtu region opposed or abstained.
• On August 1, 1990, the Gwich'in of the Delta region withdrew their negotiating mandate from the Dene/Métis leadership and asked Canada to negotiate a regional settlement on the basis of the April 9 agreement.
• During this uncertain period negotiations were temporarily suspended pending a decision on the future of the claim.
• On September 17, 1990, the Minister met the Dene/Métis leadership in Yellowknife; their views were unchanged.
• On September 29, 1990, the Sahtu Dene and Métis followed the Delta's lead; they withdrew their authorization for the Dene/Métis to represent them and also requested a regional settlement.
• These developments left government little option but to terminate the negotiation of an overall Dene/Métis claim and deal with claims on a regional basis
• On November 7, 1990, Canada announced it would negotiate regional claims with the First Nations of the five regions of the Mackenzie Valley on the basis of the April 9, 1990, Dene/Métis Agreement. The regions are the Delta, Sahtu, North Slave, South Slave and Deh Cho.
• For information on the chronology of The Gwich'in (Dene/Métis) Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, see Information Sheet 22.
• See other Communications Branch information sheets for additional information on comprehensive land claims in other regions.

This is one of a series of information sheets produced by the Communications Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. For information sheets on other topics, contact:

Public Enquiries Kiosk
Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development
Ottawa, Ontario

Telephone: (819) 997-0380

QS-6047-010-EE-A5