A huge milestone was made for the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) last week as they signed a new reconciliation agreement with the Government of Canada.
The newly signed document sets out a process for future discussions and negotiations on topics of shared interest both with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Canada, a federal government news release stated.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Gary Anandasangaree came to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s community centre Friday afternoon to sign the agreement with the Nation.
“Canada’s relationship with Tsleil-Waututh Nation is important,” Anandasangaree said in the release. “By signing this agreement, we are signalling our mutual support for a new nation-to-nation relationship and the terms under which we will explore and negotiate matters of mutual interest. I appreciate the leadership of Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the hard work of the negotiators in moving this draft agreement forward.”
According to the release, the reconciliation agreement builds on a Letter of Understanding signed in 2017, recommitting the two parties to continue working together.
Friday’s announcement included remarks from Tsleil-Waututh Nation Elected Chief Jen Thomas, and elected councillor Charlene Aleck performed a dance with the papers to bring a blessing down on them.
“It is a big celebration, you know? It means that the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is going to have a voice,” Thomas said.
“It was hard not to be moved when that happened,” she added, speaking about Aleck's blessing on the agreement. “I had to hold back tears. It just made it that much more powerful and real.”
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has been working on the reconciliation agreement for the last five years. Roughly three months ago, Thomas and other Nation members met with Anandasangaree over Zoom, asking to solidify the agreement as it had been in the works for a long time. Both Thomas and Anandasangaree got their staff to work on the agreement to get it done, she said.
Agreement will create a smooth path moving forward, elected chief says
Thomas said now that the document has been signed, it is a huge step in the right direction.
“They’re finally going to look at us as somebody as important as them to make decisions within our core territory,” Thomas said. “It is a big thing to be recognized, this agreement is going to help repair what was damaged.”
What Thomas is referring to is the Trans Mountain pipeline project, which opened for commercial service in May 2024. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has protested the Trans Mountain pipeline project through their Sacred Trust Initiative since 2012. The project involved twinning an existing 1,150 kilometre pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby.
“We felt like when the pipeline went through, it damaged the relationship, it damaged the negotiations, it damaged the talks we were having,” she said. “When the pipeline went through, we didn’t have a voice….”
Thomas added that two decades ago, there were more hurdles that Nation leaders had to jump over to have their voices heard. Over time those barriers have lowered, and the reconciliation agreement will help create an even smoother path moving forward for future generations.
“Now it’s going to be consent-based decision making on all projects in our core territory,” Thomas said. “It’s just huge to be recognized finally.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
https://bsky.app/profile/abbyluciano.bsky.social
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