The agreement constitutionally protected rights and benefits. (Facebook/Athabasca Denesuline Final Agreement - North of 60)
Indigenous rights

Athabasca Denesųłiné approves North of 60 Agreement

Jul 2, 2025 | 5:10 PM

The Athabasca Denesųłiné Agreement and Athabasca Dene Legacy Agreement are one step closer to reality.

Members of Black Lake First Nation, Fond du Lac First Nation, and Hatchet Lake Denesųłiné First Nation, which are collectively known as the Athabasca Denesųłiné, voted 97 per cent in favour of the agreement during recent voting. In total, 2,608 members out of a registered 2,674 voted to approve the agreement.

“While we now await final approval from the House of Commons and the Senate, our work will continue in the months ahead. We will begin setting up the Nihoghedi Kóé organization to ensure that we are ready to implement the Agreements in a good and meaningful way,” read a statement released on Monday.

According to a release issued by the Government of Canada in 2025, the Athabasca Denesųłiné Agreement, often referred to as the North of 60 Agreement, concludes years of negotiations and addresses Athabasca Denesųłiné’s constitutionally protected rights and benefits within their traditional territory in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.