Gitanyow, British Columbia - The Government of Canada, represented by the Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, joined representatives from the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs to sign a 10-year Incremental Fisheries Reconciliation Agreement at the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs' Office and Sindihl House of Learning in Gitanyow, in northwestern British Columbia. It was signed by the Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, and the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
This agreement will strengthen the Gitanyow Fisheries Authority's capacity to deliver fisheries stewardship initiatives, including the Kitwanga Sockeye Recovery Program. It will also support participation in commercial fishing opportunities, collaborative approaches to the management of Gitanyow fisheries, and ongoing salmon conservation and recovery efforts.
The agreement is an important step forward in Nation-to-Nation reconciliation. It builds on the longstanding relationship between Canada and Gitanyow Nation to support healthy, sustainable salmon populations. It also recognizes the importance of information-sharing and coordination among multiple partners for effective salmon stewardship at the watershed level.
The Government of Canada is committed to renewing Nation-to-Nation relationships with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership, and to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
