Written By: Karen Turner

In September, a delegation from Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation came to Parliament Hill for a reception in honour of their homeland and part of a proposed national park reserve. Thaidene Nene, meaning Land of the Ancestors, is a spectacular boreal and tundra landscape rich in culture and wildlife, located along the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, NWT.  CPAWS has been working with Lutsel K’e to help them realize their vision of protecting their land and Denesoline way of life for generations to come. Speaking to a full room of parliamentarians, bureaucrats and other supporters, Chief Lockhart opened the reception with a prayer and spoke passionately about why Thaidene Nene is important to the Dene people of Lutsel K’e, both culturally and ecologically. Steven Nitah, chief negotiator with Lutsel K’e, spoke about the process and reinforced the federal government’s commitment of announcing the new national park next summer. After many years of work by Lutsel K’e, supported by CPAWS and other partners, this proposed national park is close to becoming reality. Over the past year, Parks Canada has hosted a series of public meetings across Canada asking for input on the proposed Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve. Their final stop was in Ottawa. There’s still time to input into the process — Deadline is October 21, 2016. Write a letter today!                     Photos: i) Jonathan Wilkinson ii) Cheif Felix Lockhart iii) Steven Nitah iv) Lutsel K’e Delegation