The Lheidli T'enneh First Nation will decide this Saturday in a referendum whether they will vote again on a treaty with the B.C. and federal governments rejected in 2007.
The federal government has told the Lheidli T'enneh - whose main community is located just east of Prince George - they must decide before Nov. 30 whether they will take a revote of the treaty.
The referendum will take place during a community forum at the Coast Inn of the North to discuss the findings of a governance initiative working group established in early 2008. Members from outside Prince George are expected.
While Lheidli T'enneh leaders, including chief Dominic Frederick, would not discuss the findings of the report of the working group, they did say that one of the recommendations of the working group was to proceed to a second ratification vote.
If a revote was to take place, the community would be voting on an unchanged treaty, although cash amounts are indexed to inflation.
The treaty rejected in 2007 by the Lheidli T'enneh included self-government, 4,275 hectares of treaty land, $27 million in cash, revenue-sharing and fishing rights. The land included parcels within city limits.
The deal was much improved from one rejected by the band in 2000, which offered $7.5 million in cash and 2,663 hectares of land.
It also improved on the cash component of the 2002 agreement-in-principle, which offered $12.8 million.
In 2007, the treaty failed to meet the 70-per-cent threshold needed. Of the 233 valid votes cast - out of a possible 300 - only 48 per cent voted in favour of the treaty.
Members seemed to be concerned about the treaty's complexity and the scope of the settlement, but a survey following the rejection showed there were some misunderstandings as well. Self-governance was also an issue.
The treaty outlines the broad strokes of governance, but there was a lot of work needed to fill in the details.
For example, while the treaty called for a democratic constitution, the constitution needed to be created.
Other elements of the governance framework include that elections will be held at least once very five years and that a Lheidli T'enneh Government will include at least one elected representative from non-members ordinarily resident on the First Nation's lands. Few other details of the government makeup are provided.
In a prepared statement, Frederick, the chief, said he and the council have followed the wishes of the community in the past three-and-a-half years to determine what, if any, governance alternatives were available to the community. Those governance options will be shared at the community forum on Saturday, said Frederick. "Community members will have an opportunity to ask questions about the report and its conclusions and recommendations so they are in a position to make an informed choice in the referendum. This is an extremely important time in our history," he said.
If the Lheidli T'enneh vote in favour of another vote on the treaty, Frederick would not say what the threshold of acceptance might be. Frederick - flanked at a news conference by councillors Louella Nome and Jan Shannon, and treaty manager Marvin George - also said he could not say when a second vote might take place.
Asked if he was optimistic about whether the referendum on another treaty ratification would be positive, he would not answer.
