Agreement overview

The Deline Final Self Government Agreement – called FSGA for short – is an agreement between the Deline First Nation Band, the Deline Land Corporation, the GNWT and the Government of Canada.

The self-government agreement is the way the self-government rights of all Deline beneficiaries will be put in place and respected by other governments.

The FSGA does not change the rights and benefits band members and beneficiaries have under Treaty 11 or the land claim. It respects and builds on them by turning over more decision-making powers to the community as was agreed in the land claim.

There are a few important things the Self-Government Agreement will do for Deline.

  • It will create a new single government called the Deline Got’ine Government (DGG) that will take the place of the First Nation, the Land Corporation and the Charter Community
  • Deline Got’ine will have more control over the decisions that affect their daily lives, including how programs and services are delivered in the Deline District
  • It will bring decision making closer to the community and ensure decision makers are accountable to those who elect them
  • It will provide new powers and tools the DGG can use to strengthen Deline culture, language and economy

There are some other important agreements and plans that have been negotiated that will make sure everyone understands and agrees on:

  • how self-government will be put into action (Implementation Plan)
  • how the DGG will be funded (Financing Agreement)
  • the tax rules that will apply to the DGG and its institutions (Tax Treatment Agreement)

Self-government and the creation of the DGG will not only benefit people who live in Deline. These changes will provide the DGG with important tools to support and serve all Deline First Nation members and land claim beneficiaries, particularly in preserving their culture, language, spiritual practices, customs and traditions.

Self-government will be the start of a new and more equal relationship for Deline with the territorial and federal governments. They will work together as governments and Deline will have more power to make decisions for the community and more ability to influence decisions made by other governments.