Tsilhqot’in and Ottawa to sign financial deal as part of new relationship: chief
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — The leader of Canada’s first Indigenous group to win title to its territory says an updated agreement it’s negotiating with the federal government is part of a new model of relations between Ottawa and First Nations.
Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal council chairman for the Tsilhqot’in National Government, said the agreement is due to be signed by spring, and it will outline a financial relationship between Canada and the six First Nations his council represents in British Columbia’s central Interior.
Alphonse said previous funding models, which he described as “marginal,” no longer apply now that the Tsilhqot’in’s title land claims have been formally recognized by the courts.
“We have proven rights and we have proven title so that funding formula is not suited for Tsilhqot’in. Canada has to come up with a new formula. And whatever we do develop will be a new standard for First Nations all across the country, so it’s really essential for this government to establish that and show some leadership and demonstrate good will,” he said.