Yukon Court of Appeal’s Decision in Dickson v Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation

(Old Crow, Yukon, Canada – July 21, 2021)

Today the Vuntut Gwitchin Government received the Yukon Court of Appeal’s reasons for decision in the case of Dickson v Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, 2021 YKCA 5 which concerned a challenge to the residency requirement for Council under our Constitution. The decision fully upholds the validity of our residency requirement finding it is protected by the section 25 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Given the complexity and significance of the issues addressed by the Court in its reasons, the Chief and Council along with our legal team will continue to review and deeply contemplate this decision over the coming days and will provide a more detailed comment next week. Council will also be hosting community information sessions in the coming weeks on Crow FM and online for our Citizens to learn about and discuss the decision.

In the meantime, Council thanks everyone for their hard work and dedication:

“Mahsi’ Choo to our legal team that represented us so well with the integrity that truly honours our elders and Nation. We feel we were heard by the Court which recognized the strength of our peoples’ Constitution by protecting and upholding it. We will continue to review the decision carefully and move forward together as a people and as a nation.” – Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm

For Media Inquiries Please Contact:

Juliann Fraser

Senior Policy Analyst

Vuntut Gwitchin Government

Governance@vgfn.net

NT5