The Yukon Agreements

The Umbrella Final Agreement was signed in 1993. Today, 11 Yukon First Nations have Final and Self-Government Agreements.

Pauline Frost, Former Senior Official, Vuntut Gwitchin Government

The Umbrella Final Agreement for Yukon is a foundational document. It sets the tone for us as First Nations people with our inherent right in the Yukon – inherent right to land, management; to fish and wildlife; to resources and resource development. It sets a standard, some standards that we live by, standards by which we build our governments upon. So it’s significant.

Daryn Leas, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizen

The Final Agreements are constitutionally protected treaties. They set out our law-making powers, commitments for governments to negotiate tax powers and justice arrangements and so forth.

Steve Smith, Chief, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations

I think what the Final Agreements and the Self-Government Agreements symbolize is that it’s a partnership. It was also an affirmation of Yukon First Nations saying that “yes, we are agreeing to be a part of the fabric of Canada.” Land Claims and self-government really is about us taking control of our own lives again. If we want to entrench our customs and our culture and our traditional laws, then we have that right to do that.

Marilyn Jensen, M.A., Yukon College Indigenous Governance Instructor, & Founder of the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers

So today, here in the Yukon, we do have self-government agreements that allow for that space for us to create our own governments, to create legislation, to provide programs and services which we feel are relevant and necessary for our communities. So it really brings the governance model and system to our community, at a community level, and really tries to make things conducive and relevant and meaningful to our citizens, our people.