The Denesuline First Nation and Sayisi Dene First Nation Canada were on the verge of initialing a land claim agreement. Then on June 12, 2019, without warning, the Minister put off signing and claimed more consultation was required with Indigenous peoples in NWT. At the negotiating table, Canada had previously agreed to initial the agreement while these NWT talks continued.
Sayisi Dene First Nation and Northlands Denesuline First Nation have been forced to file an Application for Judicial Review of Minister Carolyn Bennett’s decision shutting down negotiations. After a public demonstration in Ottawa on June 19, 2019 and nearly a month of repeated requests, Minister Bennett has refused to meet or explain her action. The court application was filed to meet a legal deadline.