Arctic land claim opposed

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The federal court is now considering whether it will grant an injunction that could block the passage of the largest land claim in Canadian history.

Lawyers for the Prince Albert Tribal Council asked the court to stop the ratification of the eastern Arctic Inuit claim on the grounds it violates the traditional rights of the Saskatchewan Dene.

"We're asking the court to recognize there's a serious issue that has to be dealt with before ratification," tribal council chief negotiator John Dantouze told reporters outside the Ottawa hearing.

"Canada hasn't recognized our treaty rights in the Northwest Territories, which

we believe we have."

The Inuit settlement, reached between the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut and the federal government last December, will create a 350,000 square kilometre Inuit homeland.

Saskatchewan Native leaders say about 3,700 people belonging to three northern bands will lose out if the $580-million deal is ratified in November.

The Saskatchewan leaders say Ottawa stepped outside its legal rights when it dealt away land north of the province's border that has been traditionally used by the Wallaston Lake, Fond du Lac and Black Lake bands.

The current deal allows the Dene bands to continue hunting, trapping and fishing in the disputed territory.

Don Brown, a lawyer for the Inuit federation, also said the agreements won't prevent further negotiations for additional Dene rights.

"If the TFN agreement is ultimately ratified, these plaintiffs are going to be able to use the land where they claim an interest in exactly the same the way they always have," he said. "There's going to be no dams, there's going to be no mining. It's going to be used for hunting caribou."

But Dantouze said provisions for non-Inuit use severely limit development potential for the Saskatchewan bands.

"It doesn't give us very much room," he said.

The court is expected to hand down its ruling on Oct. 15.