The Province of British Columbia and seven First Nations, represented by the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, have signed an agreement that will use money generated from resource projects in the central interior of the country to pay for programs that include language revitalization, economic development and self-management. In January 1994, CSEC entered the contracting process. By April 1997, they had reached level 4 of the six-step process – the negotiation of an agreement in principle. [2] CSEC borrowed $14 million (CDN) from the government to resolve malfunctions in unceded areas. Until 2007, negotiations stalled in an impasse. [3] In her December 2006 Report to Parliament, Auditor General Sheila Fraser stated that the financial burden placed on First Nations during the implementation of negotiations was one of the factors that led some First Nations to use litigation or other options to resolve focal claims. The DINA process was complex, inflexible and slow. [4] In March 2007, at a contract forum hosted by CSEC, which allowed members to listen to governments and officials of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, CSEC made the historic decision to vote in favour of halting contract negotiations as British Columbia`s process did not yield the expected results in the carrier`s territory. [5] “This agreement provides unprecedented forest security with the largest collective of First Nations, with whom the government has signed a reconciliation agreement and whose territories are at the heart of the domestic forest industry. The predictability of the forest sector in this region benefits not only Sekani Nations Transporters, but also other loggers in the region. “Our government is working to shape resource development in the most appropriate way to ensure it creates jobs and opportunities, benefits local communities and promotes reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Mining and energy projects are key to growing B.C`s economy and this historic agreement will allow for significant new investments to support economic development throughout the region. The NDP/Greens coalition government reached the agreement with Carrier Sekani First Nations, which premier Christy Clark`s Liberal government began in 2016 with forward Pathways 1.0. This agreement builds on the 2017 Interim Agreement.

Read the Pathways 2.0 agreement: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing/carrier-sekani-tribal-council This agreement will promote reconciliation between the province and the seven Carrier Sekani First Nations by fostering regional economic development, developing partnerships with industry, and creating new business opportunities and jobs that will benefit everyone in the region. . . .