C-27 (45-1) - Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tlegohli Got’ine Act
Chamber
commons
Stage
1st Reading
Introduced
Mar 26, 2026
Progress
This bill gives legal effect to a self-government agreement granting the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę people in the Northwest Territories the right to govern themselves.
Key Changes
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Self-Government Agreement is given the force of law and recognized as a treaty under the Constitution Act, 1982
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is established as a legal entity with the capacity to make laws, enter contracts, and hold property
- The Indian Act no longer applies to the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government or its citizens
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government gains authority to issue policy directions on land and water use on its Settlement Lands under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is added to the First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act, allowing it to levy its own GST on its lands
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is added as a recognized taxing authority under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act for real property taxes on its lands
Gotchas
- The Sahtu Dene and Metis Land Claim Settlement Act and the Sahtu Agreement take precedence over this bill and the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Agreement in cases of conflict, meaning the broader Sahtu framework remains the overarching authority
- Certain provisions of the agreement are given retroactive effect to November 20, 2024, meaning some rights and obligations apply before the bill was introduced
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Tax Treatment Agreement, which governs how taxation applies to the community, is given legal force but is explicitly not a treaty under the Constitution Act, 1982, giving it less constitutional protection than the main agreement
- Judicial review of the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government's decisions falls exclusively under the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, not federal courts, and only after all internal Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę appeal processes are exhausted
- A coordinating amendment links this bill to Bill C-10 (Commissioner for Modern Treaty Implementation Act): if that bill passes, the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government will automatically be added to its oversight schedule
Who's Affected
- Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę citizens and community members in the Northwest Territories
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government and its institutions
- Federal and Northwest Territories governments, which must now consult and coordinate with the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government
- Businesses and individuals operating on or near Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Settlement Lands
- The Sahtu Land and Water Board, which must now consult the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government on certain land and water decisions
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The Sahtu Dene and Metis Land Claim Settlement Act and the Sahtu Agreement take precedence over this bill and the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Agreement in cases of conflict, meaning the broader Sahtu framework remains the overarching authority
- Certain provisions of the agreement are given retroactive effect to November 20, 2024, meaning some rights and obligations apply before the bill was introduced
- The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Tax Treatment Agreement, which governs how taxation applies to the community, is given legal force but is explicitly not a treaty under the Constitution Act, 1982, giving it less constitutional protection than the main agreement
- Judicial review of the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government's decisions falls exclusively under the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, not federal courts, and only after all internal Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę appeal processes are exhausted
- A coordinating amendment links this bill to Bill C-10 (Commissioner for Modern Treaty Implementation Act): if that bill passes, the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government will automatically be added to its oversight schedule
Summary
Bill C-27 makes the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę (a Dene community in the Northwest Territories, also known as the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę people) into Canadian law. The agreement was negotiated between the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę, the Government of Canada, and the Government of the Northwest Territories, and was ratified by the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę community in March 2025 before being signed in September 2025. It flows from the 1993 Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, which promised self-government negotiations. The bill establishes the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government as a legal entity with the full powers of a natural person, meaning it can enter contracts, own property, and make laws. Laws passed by the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government under the agreement will have the force of law in Canada. The Indian Act will no longer apply to the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government or its citizens once the agreement takes effect. The bill also amends several other federal laws — including the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, and the First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act — to recognize the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government's new status and authorities. The agreement is recognized as a treaty under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, giving it constitutional protection.
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Vibes
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