April 9, 1990: Dene/Metis ink historic land claim agreement

RT @Northern_Clips: RT @cbc_archives: On this day in 1990: #Dene, #Metis ink historic land claim agreement in #NWT
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Dene/Metis ink historic land claim agreement

Broadcast Date: April 9, 1990

A week ago, the protracted negotiations almost fell apart. But today, it looks like the Dene and Métis of the Northwest Territories' Mackenzie Valley will sign a long-awaited final land claim agreement with the federal government. The accord would give the native groups control of more than 180,000 sq. km of land, plus $500 million over 20 years. In this clip from CBC's Midday, host Valerie Pringle talks to Dene leader Bill Erasmus and Métis leader Gary Bohnet about the potential deal.

There's "a general feeling of optimism that we're going to have this deal initialled today," says Bohnet. But even if it is signed, Erasmus adds, "there's still a heck of a lot of work to do."