Dene Nation again calls for NWT wildfire public inquiry

The Dene Nation is reiterating its call for an independent public inquiry into the Northwest Territories’ 2023 wildfire season.

The demand for an inquiry – and the impact of wildfires and related evacuations on NWT communities – was the focus of a virtual panel hosted by the Dene Nation and Keepers of the Water. The panel was broadcast on CKLB and streamed online.

Several Dene leaders criticized the NWT government’s handling of the crisis. They said the emergency response should be reviewed by an independent third-party and include broad public input, particularly from Indigenous people.

“We’re the caretakers of the land, we’re the caretakers of the environment and we’ve been doing that for a long time,” said Ndilǫ Chief Fred Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

“We don’t believe that GNWT did the proper job.”

Sangris criticized firefighting efforts, communication and the fast-paced evacuation of Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ. He said evacuees were “basically abandoned” by the NWT government.

“This government, the GNWT is so embarrassing. They are really embarrassing. They have not done anything good,” he said.

Sangris said the First Nation should have a nation-to-nation relationship with the NWT government. He expressed a need for Indigenous knowledge and leadership in firefighting efforts and called for federal funding to train more residents as firefighters.

“From the commissioner of the NWT, I want her to say, ‘Yes, we need to have an inquiry.’ We need to find out the truth, what took place, and somebody’s got to pay for it,” he said. (Commissioner of the Northwest Territories Margaret Thom is named in legislation as the person ultimately responsible for causing an inquiry to come into being, ordinarily on the advice of politicians.)

Trevor Teed, the Dene Nation’s lands and environment director, described the Yellowknife evacuation as “really, really disorganized.” He said some people were given food vouchers at Alberta evacuation centres but did not have the money to travel to use them. He said there had been a lack of supports for Elders who did not speak English.

“There were a lot of things, in my opinion, that could have been handled better,” he said.

“There’s a lot that has to be fixed before the fire season and flood season hits again.”

‘We all need to be included’

The Dene Nation’s first call for a full, independent public inquiry into the 2023 wildfire season came in October last year.

Last month, the Dene Nation submitted a formal request for an inquiry to Commissioner Thom.

“These disaster events cannot be understood in a vacuum,” Dene National Chief Gerald Antoine said.

“You look at what Yellowknife is doing and you look at what the GNWT is doing … they just wanted to keep it within their parameters, and that’s not acceptable for me.

“We all need to be included. We all have experiences.”

Antoine said the context of Indigenous families’ experiences and Indigenous knowledge are important when reviewing last summer’s wildfires.

He pointed to a review of the 2016 Horse River wildfire, in northern Alberta, which focused on Indigenous impacts and found a disconnect between provincial and federal authorities and local institutions and history.

The City of Yellowknife has launched a review, called an after-action assessment, into the municipality’s wildfire response. Two NWT government departments have also commissioned after-action assessments of the territory’s response to the 2023 wildfire season. (One of those reviews, initially to be led by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, is now being led by the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs on the premier’s watch.)

Both the city and NWT governments have said their reviews will involve public input, but will not point fingers or assess individuals’ performance or competency.

“We need to answer the big questions. People need assurances that what went wrong is going to be fixed. People need to feel heard and people need to heal,” Premier RJ Simpson told the legislature earlier this year.

“That’s the goal with this review. That’s what we want to achieve.”

MLAs passed a non-binding motion in favour of a public inquiry last month, with all six cabinet members present voting in opposition. Following the vote, the premier said he may consider a public inquiry after the current reviews are complete.

“I’m currently a little embarrassed by the premier from Hay River,” said Dënesųłiné Elder François Paulette. “He had to evacuate the town twice last year. Does he not get the picture?”

Chief Sangris said he was unhappy that Speaker Shane Thompson made a tiebreaking vote delaying MLAs’ debate about a public inquiry. As environment and communities minister during the wildfires, Sangris said, Thompson should take accountability for the emergency response.

Paulette said the territorial government lacks traditional knowledge and communities are not receiving adequate resources to address climate change impacts.

“I’m kind-of embarrassed of the territorial government, again, that they’re not wanting to work with Indigenous First Nations people,” he continued.

“This land is the land of the Dene. We share it with non-Dene. And that comes from the treaties.”