North Slave Métis seek right to intervene in Akaitcho trial – – Northern Journal

June 8, 2015

Leaders of the North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA) stood before a Federal Court judge last week to fight for their right to intervene in an ongoing court case that could have lasting impacts on the fate of Métis in the Northwest Territories.

The NSMA wants the ability to serve as an intervenor in a court battle between the Akaitcho First Nations and the government of Canada over Ottawa’s ongoing land claim negotiations with the NWT Métis Nation (NWTMN).

The Akaitcho launched their case seeking to halt negotiations with NWTMN in early 2012, alleging that the eligibility clause for membership within the Métis’ land claim Agreement in Principle overlaps with their own criteria, and thus impacts their unsettled land claim negotiations.

That eligibility clause requires all NWTMN members to have either Cree, Chipewyan or South Slavey First Nations ancestry. The Akaitcho worry that criteria overlaps with their own, and could lower the compensation and land quantum they receive from Canada, which is dependent on population.

Read More: http://norj.ca/2015/06/north-slave-metis-seek-right-to-intervene-in-akaitcho-trial/