"Algonquin Land Claim Negotiations Process"

On June 12, 2015, the Government of Ontario announced...

"The Algonquins of Ontario land claim negotiations reached a new milestone with the publication of a proposed agreement-in-principle. Negotiations have been in progress since the early 1990s. Earlier accomplishments have included:

• Annual interim big game harvesting arrangements that have been in place since 1991
• The publication of a statement of shared objectives in 1994, which was reaffirmed in 2006
• Development of a consultation process interim measures agreement in 2009
• Publication of a preliminary draft agreement-in-principle in December 2012.

Current Status of the Negotiations

The negotiators for Ontario, Canada and the Algonquins of Ontario have initialed a proposed agreement-in-principle. This initialing indicates that negotiators are recommending the proposed agreement-in-principle to the parties they represent.
The proposed agreement-in-principle is the result of extensive consultations on a preliminary draft agreement-in-principle that was made public in 2012. The resulting revisions were agreed to by the three negotiators, based on new information or concerns that came to light during the consultation process.

Next Steps

The next anticipated step will be an Algonquin ratification vote. Decisions regarding that process will be determined by the Algonquins of Ontario. The result of that vote will provide the parties with an indication of the level of Algonquin support for the proposed agreement-in-principle. Approval of the governments of Ontario and Canada will then be sought before the next stage of the negotiations proceeds.

Final Agreement Negotiations
The final stage of negotiations is expected to take several years. Various forms of informal and formal consultation will continue throughout these negotiations, including processes related to environmental assessment of the proposed lands package and parks additions, municipal planning and fisheries planning.

If the negotiations conclude successfully, the result will be a final agreement, which will be subject to a final Algonquin ratification vote and the approval of the governments of Ontario and Canada. The land claim settlement will take the form of a modern-day treaty and will be given legal force through implementing provincial and federal legislation."

Related Information

• Algonquin Land Claim Agreement-in-Principle – December 18, 2012
• Milestone Achieved in Algonquins of Ontario Land Claim Negotiations – June 12, 2015
• Algonquin Land Claim Consultation Result – June 12, 2015