Our Relationship with NAN

RESOLUTION NO. 1990-133

SUBJECT: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NAN

WHEREAS the June 1988 NAN Chiefs' meeting recognized and supported the Mushkegowuk First Nations' desire for direct self­government negotiations;

AND WHEREAS the Mushkegowuk Chiefs, in November 1988 rejected involvement in NAN­wide self-government negotiations;

AND WHEREAS the Mushkegowuk Assembly of Chiefs, Councillors and Elders expressed concern, in February 1989, that NAN duplicates and inter­feres with the manner in which issues are handled within our region; AND WHEREAS the Mushkegowuk First Nations reserve the right to employ whatever self­government process (bilateral, tripartite or multipartite, including Partners in Change) is appropriate to meet the needs of their citizens;

WHEREAS the Mushkegowuk First Nations have joined together to form the Mushkegowuk Council to be the regional government for western James and Hudson Bay, without restricting the sovereign independence of its member First Nations;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Assembly ratifies the strong, unified position adopted by the Mushkegowuk Chiefs in February 1990:

NAN must be restructured from the ground level, recognizing and strengthening the role and resources of our tribal council, as well as parallel bodies such as Keewaytinook Native Legal Services, and Payukotayno: James and Hudson Bay Child and Family Services;

Certified copy of a Resolution adopted on: November 15, 1990

NAN must become a supportive consulting and lobbying service for our tribal council and First Nations. NAN must be conscious of our initiatives, and respect them. NAN must not bypass our tribal council, and must not overstate its mandate to represent our First Nations;

We will continue to ensure that NAN is kept informed of our initiatives, and we will monitor NAN's activities;

We expect more detailed and coordinated communications from NAN, such as a monthly newsletter;

NAN will not represent the Mushkegowuk First Nations in such areas as health, education and legal services;

NAN must recognize that our tribal council is undertaking its own research into land use, and treaty and aboriginal rights. These must form the basis of our partici­pation in any negotiations on lands and resources;

We expect NAN to continue to provide us with funds for treaty research. We will also work in cooperation with provincial and national organizations involved in treaty research;

NAN's memorandum on policing must recognize our intent to form a separate Police Governing Authority for western James and Hudson Bay, independent of any NAN-wide entity;

NAN must recognize that it has no mandate to represent us on any issue, without explicit authorization of our tribal council and/or First Nation Councils;

The Mushkegowuk First Nations give their full support to a NAN which is re-organized to recognize and support our initiatives and strengthen our tribal council.

That this Assembly mandates the Board of Chiefs to form a committee to develop a position on the relationship between the Mushkegowuk Council and NAN in response to the federation concept, including the relationship between NAN and Mushkegowuk Council on other matters identified in this resolution.

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