Message from Chief Nelson Genaille -
President, Treaty Land Entitlement Committee of Manitoba Inc.
Tansi! On behalf of the Treaty Land Entitlement Committee (TLEC) of Manitoba’s Board of Directors and staff, I am honoured to welcome you to our new website!
To date, Canada has set aside a total of 453,338 acres of land as Reserve for the 15 Entitlement First Nations (EFNs) that have signed their Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) agreements under the Manitoba Framework Agreement (MFA) on Treaty Land Entitlement.
The Total Crown land and Other land amounts that these 15 EFNs are entitled to select and acquire is 963,097 acres.
Currently, these 15 EFNs are completing their Crown land selections and Other land acquisitions. I want to encourage our Member EFNs to continue completing their Crown land selections, as well as resolving the various issues affecting their land selections and land acquisitions.
To support and facilitate TLE implementation, our Implementation Secretariat is committed to providing technical support and assistance to our Member EFNs in all aspects of the reserve creation process.
As we look forward to the next fiscal year – 2012/2013 – please be aware that will be the final and fifth year of TLEC’s 5-year funding commitment with Canada. As you may recall, in 2008 TLEC secured this funding commitment after the depletion of TLEC’s Implementation Account. This funding arrangement has allowed TLEC to continue fulfilling its TLE implementation responsibilities as set out in the MFA and serving its Member EFNs.
Given the fact that there remains a total of 509,759 acres of land selections and acquisitions remaining to be converted to Reserve status for these 15 EFNs, and in light of the time it took to convert the current acreages to date, it is obvious that TLEC’s Member EFNs will require the on-going technical support of TLEC beyond 2013.
In closing and on behalf of the Board, we will continue using our best efforts to complete the fulfillment of this outstanding Treaty obligation owing to our Member EFNs. Our work will not cease until all the lands owing to our Member EFNs under the Numbered Treaties are converted to Reserve by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada.
Ekosi! Megwetch!
Chief Nelson Genaille
President – Board of Directors
Treaty Land Entitlement Committee of Manitoba Inc.