The Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow and Parks Canada Sign Co-Management Agreement

Press Release

October 1, 2024

Today, Chief Darlene Bernard, Lennox Island First Nation, Chief Junior Gould, Abegweit First Nation, co-chairs of the Epekwitk Assembly of Councils, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced the signing of a co-management agreement between the Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow and the Government of Canada.

The agreement, called Toquktmekl (doh-gook-t-may-gul), Mi’kmaw for “tackling projects together”, provides the framework for Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow (the Mi’kmaq Nation Government of PEI) to continue to work together and share resources. The agreement embodies the shared commitment to ensure ecological integrity and the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq Way of Life are maintained and promoted for the use, benefit, education, and enjoyment of future generations.

The Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada have been working collaboratively for many years, and this agreement formalizes this relationship through a shared governance structure that will provide guidance through a co-management board. Through Toquktmekl, the Epekwitk Assembly of Councils and Parks Canada will cooperate in the planning, management, operation, and in the monitoring and evaluation of Parks Canada administered lands on PEI.

The cultures and identities of Indigenous peoples are rooted in the land, and honouring connections to place is an important element for actions and outcomes related to reconciliation. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring Indigenous connections are honoured, and Indigenous rights are respected. Toquktmekl advances reconciliation in a concrete and meaningful way – by acknowledging the contributions of the Mi’kmaq, Mi’kmaw history and culture, as well as the special long-standing relationship the Mi’kmaq have with traditional lands and waters on PEI.

This agreement will ensure Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq expertise, knowledge, and traditional practices are incorporated into all aspects of management and programming. It represents a meaningful step in the path to regaining Mi’kmaq self-determination and self-government and is an evolution of an already positive and well-established relationship between the Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow and Parks Canada. For L’nuey, the PEI Mi’kmaq Rights organization, the agreement represents an important milestone in the fulfillment of the mandate from the Mi’kmaq leadership to protect, preserve and implement Mi’kmaq rights in PEI.

Parks Canada is committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous peoples and honouring their contributions to our shared heritage, history, and future. Collaborating with numerous Indigenous communities across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places.

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Additional multimedia

Left picture: Karen Jans, Parks Canada-PEI Field Unit Superintendent and Jenene Wooldridge, Executive Director, L’nuey. Photo credit: Parks Canada / Right image: Cavendish Dunelands Trail, Cavendish, PEI National Park Credit: Parks Canada

Greenwich Dunes Trail, Greenwich, PEI National Park Credit: Parks Canada

Quotes

“This agreement formalizes and strengthens our longstanding relationship with Parks Canada, ensuring that our expertise, knowledge, and traditional practices are integral to the management and programming of Parks Canada administered areas across Epekwitk (PEI). As stewards of our ancestral lands for over 12,000 years, the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq are inherently committed to preserving the ecological integrity of our lands and waters while honouring our rich cultural heritage. Through Toquktmekl we can also exercise Etuaptmumk, known as two-eyed seeing, which incorporates strengths of both Indigenous and Western knowledges, and will ensure the protection of these cherished places for the benefit of future generations. It is a positive step towards Mi’kmaq self-government and self-determination, honouring our cultural connections to the land and our rights as Indigenous people, while also working together in a collaborative spirit.”

Chief Darlene Bernard
Lennox Island First Nation
Epekwitk Assembly of Councils Co-Chair

“Toquktmekl advances our path to real reconciliation by acknowledging the deep and widespread roots that we have as Mi’kmaq with our traditional lands. We are pleased to sign this co-management agreement which marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to reinforce our relationship with Parks Canada and assert our rights as Mi’kmaq. By working together under a shared governance framework, we pave the way for meaningful collaboration in managing and safeguarding the lands that are essential to our identity and way of life. This agreement demonstrates the spirit of real reconciliation by respecting our rights, setting a positive precedent for Indigenous co-management across the country, and guaranteeing the preservation of our cultural heritage and practices for generations to come.”

Chief Junior Gould
Abegweit First Nation
Epekwitk Assembly of Councils Co-Chair

“The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation and a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, based on a recognition of rights, respect, collaboration, and partnership. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am both proud and humbled to sign this agreement that demonstrates – in a concrete way – the commitment to support the Mi’kmaq of PEI in their ongoing stewardship over their lands and waters, including in the places that Parks Canada has a role in administering.”

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

“For millennia, the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq have been the guardians of the lands and waters of their ancestral lands. The Toquktmekl agreement is not only an important step toward ensuring this stewardship can continue for many generations to come but also a symbol of our dedication to continued partnership on the path to reconciliation. More to do.”

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

The specific details on how Toquktmekl will be implemented will be developed over the coming months and years as the co-management board – Toqi-Alsutekekl – is formed and begins to operate.
Toquktmekl is separate from the Pituamkek National Park Reserve establishment process. Read more about Pituamkek. While distinct, both processes embody the goals and hopes for continued meaningful collaboration between Parks Canada and the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq.
Examples of shared initiatives between Parks Canada and the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq include:o   Honouring historic and contemporary Indigenous connections to Parks Canada administered sites: revisiting narratives and telling whole stories from different perspectives; for example, the addition of ‘Skmaqn’ to Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst National Historic Site and the inclusion of Mi’kmaw heritage in the stories told at the site.o   Park Promise: grounded in Indigenous beliefs and sacred teachings, this initiative invites all to tread lightly on the earth and live more sustainably.
o   Mi’kmaw heritage presentation and interpretation: Mi’kmaw Elders, knowledge keepers, community members and youth share their stories in locations administered by Parks Canada; Mi’kmaw history and culture highlighted throughout Parks Canada administered places.

o   Trilingual signage and interpretive panels: Indigenous place names are incorporated into official signage and interpretive displays, reinforcing the collaboration and shared stewardship between Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples.

o   Collaborative management and planning for species at risk: traditional Indigenous knowledge is incorporated into conservation approaches; working with Lennox Island First Nation, Abegweit First Nation and the Mi’kmaw Confederacy of PEI on a Multi-Species Action Plan.
Mi’kmaw TranslationsEpekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq (eh-buh-gwid-neh-wah meeg-mah): the Mi’kmaq of PEI; specifically, the Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq of Lennox Island First Nation and Abegweit First NationToquktmekl (doh-gook-t-may-gul): tackling projects together
Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow (meeg-mah eh-buh-gwid-neh-wah gahb-ment-dem-wow): the Mi’kmaq Nation Government of PEI

Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq Way of Life: the historical connection, evolving linkage and ongoing relationship between Epekwitnewaq Mi’kmaq and the Lands

Skmaqn (ska-MAA-kin): the waiting place

Pituamkek (bee-doo-um-gek): at the long sand dune

The Mi’kmaq Epekwitnewaq Kapmntemuow and Parks Canada Sign Co-Management Agreement

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