Native User Agreement

Overview

The Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement (1985) anticipated allocation of the harvest among the native user communities when herd numbers were low and conservation required a limited harvest.
The Native User Agreement establishes formal arrangements for the sharing of the harvest of Porcupine Caribou across the Canadian range among all eight native user communities in the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Purpose

The Native User Agreement (NUA) was developed to integrate harvest management of Porcupine Caribou among all eight native user communities in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, including harvest allocation and harvest-sharing arrangements. The NUA harmonizes the requirements of the Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement (PCMA) (1985) and the management responsibilities and authorities of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (1984), the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement (1992), the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement (1993) and the Vuntut Gwitchin Self-Government Agreement (1993), the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement (1998) and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Self-Government Agreement (1998), and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun Final Agreement (1993) and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun Self-Government Agreement (1993).

The Parties

The signatories to the Native User Agreement are: the Inuvialuit Game Council, representing the Inuvialuit user communities of Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk; the Gwich’in Tribal Council, representing the Gwich’in user communities of Inuvik, Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic; the Vuntut Gwitchin Government, representing the Gwich’in user community of Old Crow; the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, representing the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in community of Dawson City; and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, representing the Northern Tutchone community of Mayo.

Highlights of the Native User Agreement

• The Native User Agreement (NUA) establishes an integrated harvest management regime and administrative arrangements that will contribute to the conservation of the Porcupine Caribou herd and the sustainability of the First Nation and Inuvialuit user communities.
• Of paramount importance in harvest management, administration and allocation decisions by the Parties will be based on respect for Porcupine Caribou and maintenance of a healthy northern ecosystem.
• The NUA provides the means to harmonize differences in harvest practices, methods, customs, and laws among the Parties across jurisdictional and settlement territory boundaries.
• The NUA establishes arrangements for harvest sharing and allocation among the First Nation and Inuvialuit user communities to address uncertainties in wildlife population abundance and distribution and harvest access and availability as they affect food security.
• The NUA implements First Nation and Inuvialuit harvesting rights established in the PCMA in the management context established in their respective land claim and self-government agreements.
• The NUA establishes the Porcupine Caribou Native User Commission to coordinate the implementation of the agreement and harvest management among the First Nation and Inuvialuit user communities.

NUA Working Group Members

Vuntut Gwitchin Government: Darius Elias
Gwich’in Tribal Council: Stephen Charlie
Inuvialuit Game Council: Billy Storr
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in: Darren Taylor and Natasha Ayoub
First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun: Dawna Hope