Tsiigehtchic to enter self-government negotiations alone after core funding temporarily suspended

The Gwichya Gwich'in Council of Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., plans to enter self-government negotiations with the federal and territorial governments alone and no longer be part of the Gwich'in Tribal Council in the discussions.

This comes after the Gwich'in Tribal Council (GTC) temporarily suspended the Gwichya Gwich'in Council from core funding after alleging issues with the community's reporting of financial statements. 

The GTC has represented land claim organizations in Inuvik, Fort McPherson, Aklavik and Tsiigehtchic in the Northwest Territories and negotiated on behalf of all four communities.

The negotiations have been ongoing since shortly after the Gwich'in signed a comprehensive land claim agreement in 1992. The GTC is pursuing a community-based regional government model.

The land claim agreement does give each community the ability to negotiate self-government on its own. 

Mavis Clark, the interim president of the Gwichya Gwich'in Council, said on Tuesday the council plans to reach out to the territory and federal government soon to begin that process. 

Clark said the reason Tsiigehtchic, a community in the Beaufort Delta of just over 200 residents, is embarking on negotiations alone is because they have been left out of the discussions, including two negotiation meetings this fall.

"We don't need anyone from the three communities negotiating on our behalf," she said. "Because they've never lived in Tsiigehtchic. They don't know our issues. We're the only ones that know our issues in this unique little community."

The reason Clark wasn't involved in the negotiations was because she was suspended by the GTC.

GTC Grand Chief Ken Kyikavichik said this came from violations of the board of directors code of conduct, while Clark said its from being too outspoken. 

Kyikavichik said he believes the issue really stems from how the Gwichya Gwich'in Council has been reporting its finances. 

"There has been a level of tension in relation to the lack of adequate financial reporting and despite repeated offers for assistance from the GTC, the Gwichya Gwich'in Council in Tsiigehtchic has opted to try and rectify this on their own to no success for over the last three years," Kyikavichik said. 

This resulted in the GTC cutting off the core funding to the Gwichya Gwich'in Council, Kyikavichik said. 

"Given the serious concerns around the financial position and operational management of the council, we have suspended on an interim basis the core funding to the Gwichya Gwich'in Council," he said.