Historic day for First Nations communities and Canada
Saturday was a historic day for the five First Nations communities that have signed on to the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement.
"Today marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement Act. We are honoured to be here with the B'Maakonigan communities … to commemorate this unprecedented occasion. We share in the collective enthusiasm at the vast potential this new Agreement will create for these signatory communities," Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe of Anishinabek Nation said in a news release.
The celebration was an opportunity for people to gather in-person to commemorate the signing of the Agreement, which took place at a virtual ceremony earlier this year.
"We are beginning the process of developing our own laws within the community. Our membership is being consulted now. Then we will go to ratification and it will be our membership that votes them in. It's important, truth and reconciliation brought some stuff to life but now we can finally say who we are," Chief Rhonda Williams-Lovett of Moose Deer Point First Nation told CTV News.
Canada's Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Mark Miller, was on hand Saturday and said that this agreement is long overdue.
"It's taken them far too long, decades to get to this place. There's a lot of people who aren't here today that we're honouring that have fought for their lifetimes to see this day. These are the ways we document our relationships, there ways that we move forward in a relationship that has often been marked by distrust," Miller said.
Achieved through about 25 years of negotiation, the historic agreement gives signatory First Nation communities control over governance and the law-making powers in some key areas; they will make their own decisions about how their elections will be held, who their citizens are and how their governments will operate, as well as how best to protect and promote Anishinaabe language and culture.
The agreement also means that parts of the Indian act will no longer apply in these territories.
"It's overwhelming I guess you could say, because for so long we've lived under the Indian Act and to know that the citizens I represent are going to be the ones making the decisions on how they live, that's what's important," Chief Williams-Lovett added.
"They will get to do it all."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.