It's been over 20 years of steady effort to get this far, and now the real work begins for Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne First Nation.
After ratifying the Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne Government Final Self-Government Agreement on March 31, leaders, Elders and the next generation gathered together in Norman Wells for a celebration this summer.
"Self-government is about the ability to make decisions for your own people, in your own way," said NWT Premier R.J. Simpson on July 28. "This agreement recognizes that right, and reflects the laws, values and priorities of the Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne.
"It also reflects the direction we are headed as a territory. In the Northwest Territories, we are not building toward a provincial model. We are building something unique SA国际影视传媒� a system rooted in partnership and recognition, where Indigenous governments take on greater authority and the GNWT becomes one of many governments working together to serve the people of the North."
Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne President Sherry Hodgson told NNSL Media that the journey to self-governance began 22 years ago with a letter from the land corporation to initiate the process.
Since then, negotiations have been underway between the governments of Canada, the NWT and the Norman Wells Land Corporation. In March, the corporation held a vote among its membership, with some people casting ballots in-person, others by mail and yet others through an advance vote. Support for self-government came in at 86 per cent.
"It means a lot of different things for different families," said Hodgson. "Specifically for individuals, I'm sure they have their own idea of what this means for them, knowing what their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents would have felt knowing we got to this stage.
"As you know, 22 years is a long time. A lot of them were still here when we were beginning this process."
While the next steps of how the new self-government will be structured and operate are still in the planning phases, Hodgson said the agreement gives Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne control over how key decisions are made, including program and service delivery, land management, cultural preservation and business opportunities in the area.
She said the executive and council will be determined by general elections, with a date yet to be determined. The current plan is to have the self-government take effect on April 1, 2026.
"During the transition period, we're going to engage the membership on our laws, procedures and processes," said Hodgson, adding that the first review meeting was planned within a week. "We're working on everything from our kit of laws to what will be required in human resources in our office."
Noting there were far too many people to list without missing someone, Hodgson expressed her thanks to Elders, past chiefs, the teams of negotiators for all three parties and everyone else involved in the process for reaching this stage.
She added there was great optimism among Tlegohli GotSA国际影视传媒檌ne for the future.
"It will create jobs, house us and, hopefully, give us back our ownership, self-sufficiency and pride in ourselves," she said. "I'm very happy with the outcome, I was happy to see the people at the celebration and I look forward to the challenges that are going to be coming and the new path we're going to be paving for the next generation.
"I'm happy to be a part of this history."
