Bill C-27 Final Self-Government Agreement Tlegohli Got’ine Act

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C-27 An Act to Give Effect to the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tlegohli Got’ine and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts

Short Title: Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tlegohli Got’ine Act

Bill Type: House Government Bill

Bill Sponsor: Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

What Government Says This Bill Does

"This enactment gives effect to the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę and makes consequential amendments to other Acts." — Official Summary, Bill C-27

Who Are the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę?

The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę (pronounced roughly "Tlee-go-hlee Got-ee-neh") are a Dene community in the Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories. Their self-government agreement was ratified by the community on March 31, 2025 and signed by all three parties — the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government, Canada and the Northwest Territories — on September 18, 2025. This Bill gives that agreement the force of federal law.

What This Bill Does

This is what post-Indian Act Indigenous governance looks like.

The Indian Act — in place since 1876 — gives Ottawa control over Indigenous communities: their governance, land use, membership and finances. This Bill does the opposite. It removes the Indian Act entirely for Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę citizens and replaces it with a self-government agreement the community negotiated, ratified themselves on March 31, 2025 and signed with Canada and the Northwest Territories on September 18, 2025. Parliament is now giving that agreement the force of constitutional law.

Section 35 of the Constitution recognized Indigenous self-government as a right in 1982. This Bill implements that right for one community — 44 years later. The Indian Act is still in place for most others.

The question for Canadians is whether this model — community-driven, constitutionally protected and Indian Act-free — should be the standard for all Indigenous communities in Canada.

PART 1 — Self-Government Recognition

  • Gives the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę the force of law as a treaty under sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982
  • Establishes the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government as a legal entity with the full capacity of a natural person — it can own property, enter contracts and govern
  • Removes the Indian Act as the governing framework for Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę citizens from the date the Agreement takes effect
  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę laws made under the Agreement have the force of law and are not subject to the federal Statutory Instruments Act
  • The Agreement prevails over all other federal laws in the event of conflict — except the Sahtu Dene and Metis Land Claim Settlement Act, which prevails over everything
  • Courts must take judicial notice of the Agreement and all registered Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę laws — they are treated as established legal facts requiring no further proof
  • The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is not a federal board or tribunal — it is reviewed exclusively by the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, not federal courts
  • Certain provisions are retroactive to November 20, 2024
  • The Governor in Council sets the Effective Date and Transition Date by order

PART 2 — Land and Resource Management

  • The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government gains the authority to issue binding policy directions to the Sahtu Land and Water Board for activities on Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Settlement Lands
  • Where Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę policy directions conflict with federal Ministerial directions, the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę directions prevail
  • The Sahtu Land and Water Board must consult the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government before issuing, amending or renewing any licence, permit or authorization affecting Settlement Lands
  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę law can require permits for land use even where federal regulations do not — and can waive permit requirements where federal regulations would otherwise require them
  • The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is exempt from fees for non-commercial water use and waste deposit on Settlement Lands
  • The Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government can collect real property taxes and frontage and area taxes on lands within Tłegǫ́hłı̨

PART 3 — Consequential Amendments

  • Access to Information Act — Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government added as a protected Indigenous government body
  • Privacy Act — Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government added; personal information can be shared with and protected by the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government
  • Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act — Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government recognized as a taxing authority
  • First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act — Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government added as a body authorized to levy GST on its lands
  • Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act — Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government integrated throughout as a co-management partner
  • If Bill C-10 (Commissioner for Modern Treaty Implementation Act) passes, the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government is automatically added to its schedule

WHO GAINS POWER

  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government — full legal personhood, law-making authority with force of law, land and resource management powers, taxing authority, policy direction authority over federal boards, exemption from the Indian Act and exemption from federal court jurisdiction
  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę citizens — removed from Indian Act governance; rights and entitlements flow from the Agreement and Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę law
  • Northwest Territories Supreme Court — exclusive jurisdiction over judicial review of Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government decisions

WHO LOSES POWER

  • Federal government — policy directions from the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations are subordinate to Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government directions on Settlement Lands
  • Sahtu Land and Water Board — must consult and follow Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę policy directions on Settlement Lands; Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę law can override federal permit requirements
  • Federal Court system — no jurisdiction over Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government decisions

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government — gains taxing authority including real property tax, frontage and area tax and GST on Settlement Lands
  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Government — exempt from fees for non-commercial water and waste use on Settlement Lands

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • No direct fiscal transfers in this Bill — taxation and fee structures are established but amounts are not specified

THE CATCH

  • The Agreement prevails over all federal law in the event of conflict — except the Sahtu Agreement, which prevails over everything including this Bill; the hierarchy of laws is: Sahtu Agreement → Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Agreement → all other federal law
  • Certain provisions are retroactive to November 20, 2024 — meaning rights and obligations existed before Parliament voted on them
  • The Effective Date and Transition Date are set by the Governor in Council by order — Parliament does not set or approve the timeline for when self-government actually begins
  • Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę law can require permits where federal law does not — and waive permits where federal law would require them — creating a parallel regulatory layer on Settlement Lands
  • Full implementation is contingent on a separate order in council — this Bill passes authority but does not trigger it

Source: Bill C-27 — Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę Act First Reading: March 26, 2026