Feds to work to resolve Yukon First Nation's funding issue
Harper, Duncan met with Carcross Tagish First Nation chief Monday
CBC News
Posted: Aug 21, 2012 3:58 PM CT
Last Updated: Aug 21, 2012 4:58 PM CT
A group of about 50 members of the Carcross Tagish First Nation lined the highway as the Prime Minister drove into Carcross, Yukon, Monday night. (CBC)
The federal government now says it will work with Yukon’s Carcross Tagish First Nation to resolve the band’s ongoing funding issue.
This is a change of tune from last month, when the First Nation’s chief said Ottawa was threatening to cut its funding because the band refused to sign its financial transfer agreement.
Ottawa had said it would not cut off funding if the First Nation signed an interim agreement. The Carcross Tagish First Nation refused.
The First Nation’s chief, Danny Cresswell, said the agreement was outdated and caused the band to be underfunded. He demanded new negotiations.
In a release Tuesday, the First Nation said it met with both Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan and the Prime Minister, who both resolved to work with the First Nation to settle the dispute.
“We had a frank and honest discussion with Minister Duncan. He listened and assured us that he would immediately look at C/TFN funding and if it was unfair compared to other self-governing Yukon First Nations, he would fix it,” said Cresswell.
However, Cresswell added that they have heard promises from the federal government before.
“But coming from the Prime Minister, we trust that Minister Duncan will be true to his word and work towards a speedy resolution.”
A line of Carcross Tagish First Nation protesters greeted the Prime Minister as he arrived in Carcross for a Conservative Party fundraiser earlier Monday. More than 50 of the First Nation citizens dressed in traditional regalia and lined the highway, singing and drumming.
The Prime Minister and Duncan were in Carcross, Yukon, Monday as part of Harper’s annual summer tour of the North.
He is continuing his tour today with stops at a mine in Yukon and a visit to Norman Wells, N.W.T.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Charges laid in worker's fall at N.W.T. hydro site
- The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission has laid 14 charges related to the fall of an employee at the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Bluefish Hydro site. more »
- Police deem N.W.T. woman's death suspicious
- The RCMP in Fort Resolution, N.W.T., are treating the death of 23-year-old Melissa Payne as suspicious. more »
- Duffy expense claims reveal more about campaign travel
- Election spending records show additional days Senator Mike Duffy spent on the campaign trail in the 2011 election, including days he told the Senate he was on business, and days on which Deloitte auditors couldn't track him. more »
- Parts of Yukon on flood watch as rivers break up
- A warmer weather forecast for the Yukon means the threat of spring flooding is far from over. The communities of Upper Liard and Ross River are currently at a high risk of floods. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- How was the Mike Duffy report 'whitewashed?'
- Opposition parties pushed the government on Thursday to answer questions about the "whitewashed" Duffy report while the RCMP is also seeking more information from the Senate as part of its review of questionable expenses. more »
- 2nd suspect in Tim Bosma murder case to plead not guilty
- The lawyer for Mark Smich says the Oakville, Ont., resident will plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Tim Bosma, the Hamilton man who disappeared earlier this month after taking two men on a test drive of his truck. more »
- SNC-Lavalin letter says Gadhafi son offered VP post: RCMP
- SNC-Lavalin's ties to Libya's former dictatorship ran so deep the company offered the son of Moammar Gadhafi a six-figure job as a vice president in 2008, according to a newly unsealed RCMP affidavit. more »
- Canada Post campaigns against 'no flyers' mailbox signs
- Canada Post has been mailing more than 900,000 letters across the country to people to try to convince them to remove "no flyer" signs from their mailboxes. more »
- Body of missing Fort Resolution, N.W.T., woman found
- Police deem N.W.T. woman's death suspicious
- MMA fighter gets jail for assaulting ex-girlfriend
- Yukoners knit wooly mammoth a new coat
- Cab driver tried to run him over, says Iqaluit man
- Hunters not to blame for caribou decline, says NTI
- Arctic bacteria found multiplying at record –15 C
- Yukon couple hold record for longest marriage in country
- Arena fire may force Fort Smith to build outdoor rinks
