Welcome to the Gwich'in Arbitration Panel

On April 22, 1992, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada signed the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. The Agreement took effect on December 22, 1992, after passage of the federal Gwich’in Land Claim Settlement Act.

The Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement is a modern treaty between the public governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada and the aboriginal population of the area customarily occupied by the Gwich’in. Its major provisions include:

• Gwich’in title to over 22,000 square kilometers of land in the Northwest Territories and over 1,500 square kilometers of land in the Yukon;

• Gwich’in wildlife harvesting rights and rights of first refusal for a variety of commercial wildlife activities;

• establishment of institutions of public government to manage wildlife and to regulate land, water and the involvement, with Gwich’in representation guaranteed, on these public institutions;

• transfer of monies to the Gwich’in Tribal Council.

A map of the settled area is shown at www.gwichin.ca/TheGwichin/Map_settlement.html.

The full Land Claim Agreement is available for review on line at www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/agr/gwich/gwic/index_e.html.

Gwich’in Arbitration Panel

Chapter 6 of the Land Claim Agreement provides for the creation of an arbitration panel. The arbitration panel has jurisdiction to arbitrate:

1. any matter which is stipulated to be determined by arbitration under the Land Claim Agreement; and

2. any matter concerning the interpretation or application of the agreement, where the parties agree to be bound.

 

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The Gwich’in Arbitration Panel is an independent quasi-judicial body. Its members are all jointly appointed by Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Gwich’in Tribal Council. The panel members are bound to act fairly, without favour or partiality towards any party involved in arbitration.