N.W.T. court hears arguments in Tlicho leadership dispute

The N.W.T. Supreme Court heard from lawyers Thursday in the two-year-old leadership battle within the Tlicho aboriginal government, pitting three community chiefs against the government itself.

More than 100 people from all four Tlicho communities packed the cultural centre in Behchoko, N.W.T., for the court hearing, in which Behchoko Chief Leon Lafferty, Chief Charlie Nitsiza of Whati and Henry Gon of Gameti asked the court to strike down a law suspending meetings of the chiefs' executive committee.

The government, under Grand Chief George Mackenzie, suspended the cabinet-style committee on which the three community chiefs form a majority after the chiefs unsuccessfully tried to oust Mackenzie.

Appearing before the court Thursday, lawyers for the chiefs said the committee should resume meeting, at least until a lawsuit filed by the chiefs against the Tlicho government is resolved.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this year, calls on the government to reinstate the committee altogether.

"Our point is really quite simple, that the Tlicho constitution and the Tlicho agreement provides for challenges to be made directly to a court of law, where there's a question about the validity of that law," Ron Maurice, lawyer for the three chiefs, said outside court.

But lawyers for the Tlicho government argued, in part, that the N.W.T. Supreme Court does not have the authority to hear the lawsuit altogether.

"The court shouldn't do the lawsuit the way the chiefs brought it to court, because it's really an invitation for the court to ignore the decision of the Tlicho assembly," said Arthur Pape, lawyer for the Tlicho government.

"The Tlicho constitution says the first decision on whether a Tlicho law is proper has to be made by the Tlicho assembly."

The court hearing took place Wednesday and Thursday, while elections are underway for chief and council in all four Tlicho communities, which also include Wekweeti.