Canada: Wet'suwet'en sign historic deal to negotiate land rights

Agreement with British Columbia and Ottawa may help settle pipeline dispute but other Indigenous groups are unhappy

A group of Indigenous leaders have struck an unprecedented deal with Canada's government to resolve a dispute over territorial rights near the site of a controversial pipeline project which provoked fierce protests, police raids and a nationwide rail blockade.

At a virtual signing ceremony on Thursday, hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en people agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the federal government and the province of British Columbia - a landmark agreement many hope will grant the Wet'suwet'en title rights to 22,000 sq km of territory.