New gov't rep to offer 'objective advice' on Dehcho land claim talks, says premier

A new set of eyes will bebrought in to help finalize negotiations on a land claim with the Northwest Territories' Dehcho First Nations.

The territorial and federal governments will appoint a ministerial special representative, according to Premier Bob McLeod.

That person's task? To sit down with each of the First Nations, Mtis nations and Dene bands in the Dehcho region, talk about their views and relay those views to McLeod and Carolyn Bennett, the federal minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

The goal is to offer "independent, objective advice...on how close we might be to an agreement-in-principle and what the key elements of that AIP might be," said McLeod in a speech Mondayat the Dehcho First Nations' annual general assembly in Jean Marie River.

The representative has not been chosen yet.

The territorial government wants to settleoutstanding land claims within the next four years.

• N.W.T. premier Bob McLeod promises new Dehcho land offer in 90 days

In December,whenMcLeodanswered questionsfrom otherMLAsfollowing his speech onwhy he should bepremier again,he said he was willing to offer theDehchoFirst Nationsanew land claim deal within 90 days.

That did not happen.

In both his December comments and in his more recent speech at Monday's assembly, McLeod said the style of negotiations needs to be changed first.

"We've gotten as far as we can get with the old approach and I don't believe that a new offer based on that approach is what we need to get us over the finish line," he said Monday.