Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę, Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories sign Final Self-Government Agreement Français

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Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Sep 18, 2025, 13:32 ET

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 18, 2025 /CNW/ - Tlegohli Got'ine Government Inc., Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and the Government of Northwest Territories

Today, Sherry Hodgson, President of Tlegohli Got'ine Government Inc., Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories, signed the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę. The agreement supports the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę inherent right to make their own laws; preserve and protect their language and culture; run programs and services, including education and healthcare; and elect their own leadership.

This is an important milestone that will have positive impacts for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę. It will recognize their right to govern themselves and make decisions based on their community's priorities. Once in place, the agreement will support greater self-reliance and local decision-making in the community. It will create opportunities for community-led development and employment, contributing to long-term stability and growth.

The agreement fulfills all Parties' commitments to negotiate self-government with the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę. The next step is to make the agreement legally binding through both territorial and federal legislation.

This is a strong example of how Canada is working in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples—supporting Nation-to-Nation relationships, meeting constitutional obligations, and advancing reconciliation.

Quotes

"This Final Self-Government Agreement is Canada's formal recognition of the identity, culture, and inherent right to Self-Government of the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę. It provides the formal basis for a new government-to-government relation between us and the Government of Canada, and a government-to-government relation between us and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

It is our generation's legacy to our children and future generations. We will do our best to use it to preserve, protect, exercise, and advance the inherent and treaty rights of the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę for the benefit of all our people living in Canada, here today. But our youth are the future, and this agreement provides our youth with the foundations to do the same when they take on the task of preserving, protecting, exercising and advancing our rights. Use this Self-Government Agreement, learn from the mistakes we may make and take us into the future—secure as Sahtu Dene/Metis people within the larger Canadian mosaic."

Sherry Hodgson
President of Tlegohli Got'ine Government Inc.

"This agreement restores decision-making power to the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę and shows what reconciliation looks like in practice. It strengthens communities today, creates opportunities for young people tomorrow, and lays the foundation for long-term prosperity. When Indigenous governments lead where they live, when people are part of every decision that affects them, we all move forward."

R.J. Simpson
Premier of the Northwest Territories

"This is more than an agreement. It is a formal recognition of Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę's right to self-govern. It's about restoring the community's power to make decisions that best support their people, strengthen their culture, and create new opportunities for jobs and economic growth."

The Honourable Rebecca Alty
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

  • Self-government agreements have been or are being negotiated with each of the five Indigenous communities in the Sahtu Region, including the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Norman Wells (Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę). This was an obligation agreed to in the 1993 Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.
  • Timeline:
    • 1993: The Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement was signed. Land Claim Agreements are also known as modern treaties. The Land Claim Agreement committed Canada to negotiate self-government with each of the Sahtu communities, including the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę.
    • 2005: Negotiations began on the Self-Government Agreement to recognize Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę's right to govern its own affairs.
    • 2007: A Framework Agreement was signed, which outlined how formal negotiations would proceed.
    • 2019: The Agreement-in-Principle was signed, which set the basis for the final agreement negotiations.
    • 2024: A draft of the Final Self-Government Agreement was initialled, signalling the completion of negotiations. 
    • 2025: The Agreement was approved by the community at a ratification vote held on March 31, 2025.      
  • The Agreement is aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and respects the rights in the 1993 Sahtu Dene and Métis Land Claim Agreement, which is protected by the Canadian Constitution.

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For more information, media may contact: Alec Wilson, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, [email protected]; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, [email protected]; Adetoyeke Adedipe, Senior Communications Officer, Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, [email protected]

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