Governance

Policies and Procedures

These Governance Policies and Procedures define and clarify Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation Chief and Council governance roles and responsibilities. These policies and procedures are linked to other key Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation policies, namely the Election Code, Personnel Management Policies and Procedures and Financial Management Policies and Procedures.

The authority of a First Nation government is traditional, moral, and legal.

Traditional and moral authority are drawn mainly from Dene laws, values, and principles. At the heart of the traditional and moral authority of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation is the necessity to act for the collective rather than for the individual interest, and to protect the land from which the people come from.

Dene Principles:

This land was created ‘by the one who provides for all,’ and we come from this land. We recognize our equality with this land and all living creatures.
We recognize and respect the natural laws which regulate the cycle of the seasons, the rhythms of the earth, and the ways of the animals.
No one individual has the right to own the land. As the ones who come from this land, we have a collective right to use the land and its resources to ensure our survival as a people. We also have a collective responsibility to protect the land and resources for our children and grandchildren.
We take only what we need from the land. We honour and give thanks to the spirit of the land and that which we take from the land. We do not waste anything that we have taken from the land, but share it with all who are in need.
The survival of the whole group (family and community) is more important than the accumulation of individual wealth or status.
Individual rights and freedoms are respected and encouraged within the larger, more important context of a collective identity and collective responsibility for the survival and well-being of the entire group.
The laws of the Dene, which have been passed down to us by our Elders, teach us how to respect the land, ourselves, and each other. They teach us how to live in balance and good health, and how to protect ourselves and our children. We must continue to live by these laws and pass them on to our children.
We respect and care for each other. In particular, we honour and provide for our Elders, who cared for us and passed on the gifts of generations past. We also honour and provide for our children who will pass on the ways of the Dene to generations yet to come.
We come from male and female and we respect and honour the contribution which both men and women make in working together for the survival of the people.
We respect and honour our leaders and medicine men and women who share their special skills, experience, wisdom, and powers for the benefit of the people. We don’t expect them to work for us or serve us but we look to them for guidance and instruction to help us govern ourselves in a good way.

Everyone has the right to be heard and to take part in the decision-making process on discussion of matters which will affect us.

We respect the right of Dene in family groups, in communities, or in regions to make decisions without interference from outside with respect to matters which affect us in our territory.

The legal authority of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation to govern on behalf of registered members of the First Nation is derived from three sources:

1.      Treaty 11.
2.      The Constitution Act.
3.      The Indian Act.

The interpretation of powers particularly with respect to indigenous/aboriginal and treaty rights continues to be debated and legal decisions rendered by the courts. The Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation Chief and Council are required to keep informed on these matters and monitor their impacts on governance responsibilities and member rights.