Radio Transcript

Below is a transcript of CBC radio report. Also, the issue of A**o getting commissioner's land to build 400 unit housing development

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A**ho Land Claim Negotiations
CBC Radio, Wednesday, February 16, 2005, 6:30/7:30 a.m. (transcript)

CBC: Some of the A**ho leaders are questioning whether they are using the right process to negotiate a new land claim agreement with the federal government. Those negotiations have been going on for five years now. Some A**ho leaders are thinking that an alternative route might get them a deal more quickly. Mary Rose Blackduck has the story.

BLACKDUCK: The A**cho leaders say they are at a stalemate in the negotiations with Ottawa. Some think the problem might be the process. The A**ho chose to use their treaty rights to negotiate a land deal and that hasn’t been working very well. On the other hand, the T**ho gave up some of their treaty rights in order to get a more comprehensive deal on land and self-government.

(unkown voice) : So maybe peoples, you know, our membership might think we are not on the right track or we should be moving faster you know.

BLACKDUCK: Another A**cho leader, Peter Liske, was at the Yellowknife Airport to greet the T**ho delegation last week. He’s also having doubts about their negotiations.

LISKE: We just have to reevaluate. I just don’t know sometimes. I’d say treaty is the right way, maybe we should hold onto it so thing fly by until everything is over and say well maybe we have the best deal, I don’t know.

BLACKDUCK: And there’s another problem with the A**ho negotiations. The chief federal negotiator has left the job and no one has been appointed to take over. The members of the A**ho Territory from Fort Resolution will meet today and tomorrow to talk about where they should go from here. Mary Rose Blackduck, CBC News, Yellowknife.