Canada Signs 'Historic' Deal Over Offshore Oil and Gas

A new deal has been signed - billed as the first of its kind in Canada - that is meant to give Canadian Northerners more of a say in any offshore oil and gas development in the western Arctic.

This is reported by CBC News.

Dan Vandal, Canada's minister of Northern Affairs, was in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, on Thursday to sign the deal, alongside Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) chair Duane Ningaqsiq Smith, and the premiers of Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

According to a news release on Thursday, the Western Arctic–Tariuq (offshore) Accord is an "historic" agreement, and the first of its kind with an Indigenous government as a full party.

The accord is intended to ensure that Inuvialuit, as well as residents in Yukon and the N.W.T., share in any decision-making about offshore development of petroleum resources, and are the prime beneficiaries of any economic benefits.

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