First Nations communities that sign the Framework Agreement are supported financially, politically and technically to develop and ratify their own community land code.
Land code benefits for signatory First Nations include:
- First real recognition of First Nation right to manage their reserve lands and resources
- Removal of reserve lands from Indian Act restrictions
- Community control over First Nation land management and development
- Inclusion of both off-reserve and on-reserve members in important decisions
- Increased accountability to members of the First Nation
- More efficient management of First Nation land
- Recognition of First Nation legal capacity to acquire and hold property, to borrow, to contract, to expend and invest money, to be a party to legal proceedings, to exercise its powers and to perform its duties
- Transfer by Canada of previous land revenues to First Nations
- Recognition of the First Nation’s right to receive revenue from interests in their land
- Protection against arbitrary expropriation of First Nation land
- Protection against loss of First Nation land through surrender for sale
- Ability of First Nation to directly protect their environment
- Ability of First Nation to create rules related to land during marriage breakdown
- Recognition of significant law-making powers respecting First Nation land
- Removal of the need to obtain ministerial approval for First Nation laws
- Recognition in Canadian courts of First Nation laws
- Recognition of right to create modern offences for breach of First Nation laws
- Ability to appoint Justices of the Peace
- Ability to create a local dispute resolution process
- Establishment of a regulation backed land registry system
- Establishment of a First Nation created and controlled Lands Advisory Board and Resource Centre to provide professional technical and political assistance to First Nations