Moose Deer Point, Wahnapitae, Nipissing, Magnetawan and Zhiibaahaasing First Nations signed the landmark agreement this week with the federal government.
“The Anishinabek Nation Government Agreement is the first self-governing agreement of its kind in Ontario and marks a significant step away from Indian law for Anishinabek First Nations signatories,” a federal news release said Wednesday.
The agreement, if approved, would give the First Nations the power to make their own decisions about how elections will be held, who their citizens are and how their governments will function. They would also have power over how best to protect and promote their language and culture.
Federal legislation must now be passed for the agreement to enter into force, which means that parts of Indian governance law will no longer apply to the First Nations that sign it.
We look forward to continuing to work with Anishinabek partners on all our common priorities — Marc Miller, Minister for Crown-Indigenous Relations
Anishinabek Grand Council Chairman Reg Niganobe said that while five member communities have signed the agreement now, any of the 34 other First Nations political organizations could decide to sign in the future.
Niganobe said the First Five Nations had taken a “giant step”.
“It is a long and frightening act, especially the departure from Indian law and the comfort zone that has been created there,” Niganobe said. “We know that Indian law is not the most friendly law to the indigenous peoples, but it is what we have been operating for a long time now.”
2 decades of negotiations
Crown-Indigenous Minister Marc Miller said in a press release that the agreement would renew a “nation-to-nation relationship with the signatories of Anishinabek First Nations”. “We look forward to continuing to work with Anishinabek’s partners on all our common priorities, to implement their inherent right to self-determination and to support their inspiring visions for a better future for their citizens.” It took two decades of negotiations to reach the agreement, which was approved by each of the First Nation signatories through community votes.
