Framework Agreement
The Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management (FA) is a historic, government-to-government agreement signed on February 12, 1996, between the original 13 First Nations who created and advocated for it and the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. It is an initiative developed by these First Nations to opt out of the 44 land-related sections of the Indian Act. The Framework Agreement recognizes First Nations’ inherent right to govern their reserve lands. Today, the Framework Agreement has expanded to include an ever-growing number of communities across Canada interested in replacing the land restrictions of the Indian Act with the legal framework developed in a community land code. Only those First Nations who are signatories to the agreement are affected by its application. Each signatory community to the Framework Agreement assumes the administration and full law-making authority of their reserve lands, environment and natural resources when they ratify their land code.
Canada originally ratified and implemented the Framework Agreement in the First Nations Land Management Act (FNLMA), which was assented to on June 17, 1999. However, the FNLMA was repealed and replaced by the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management Act (FAFNLMA) in December 2022. The change was initiated by the signatory First Nations of the Framework Agreement to correct inconsistencies in the FNLMA and provide clear and concise ratifying legislation emphasizing the central importance of the First Nation-driven Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management.