Treaty negotiations between the Metlakatla First Nation, Canada, and the province have advanced in to stage 5.
A new agreement, signed this morning, will see the parties move forward with a rights-recognition approach to try to hash out a final treaty.
This approach will focus on ensuring areas such as self-governing, land ownership, resource rights, and law-making authorities are constitutionally protected under the core treaty,
It also explicitly recognizes that Aboriginal rights are inherent, and cannot be extinguished or surrendered.
Stage 5 is the final stage of the negotiation process before a treaty agreement is reached.
