MEDIA RELEASE
December 15, 2025
Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation Appears Before Supreme Court of Canada in Historic Overlapping Land Claims Case
HAZELTON, B.C. – On December 8 and 9, 2025, the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation (the “Nation”) appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada to appeal a B.C. Court of Appeal decision that removed its Aboriginal rights and title claims from Malii, a case in which the Gitanyow Nation claims rights and title over an area in northwestern B.C. that overlaps with Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Territory. The B.C. Court of Appeal had decided that Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha could participate as a defendant only in Malii, allowing the Nation to defend against the Gitanyow’s overlapping claims but requiring the Nation to advance its own claims in a separate proceeding.
The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in this case is expected to set a national precedent for how courts will handle overlapping land claims.
The Malii trial had been scheduled to begin in May 2025. When the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha’s appeal, the B.C. Supreme Court accepted the Nation’s application to adjourn the Malii trial until after the national decision.
“Hearing overlapping Aboriginal title claims in the same proceeding is in the best interests of all parties,” said Ryan Beaton, counsel for Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha.
“These are historic steps towards reconciliation that deserve time and attention. Given the contested history, it doesn’t make sense to argue cases between the same parties, about the same territory, in separate proceedings. Hearing overlapping claims together will not only bring greater clarity, but it can also save years in court proceedings.”
The Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation is in the process of seeking recognition of Aboriginal rights and title over its traditional territory, including through the Malii case for that part of its territory that overlaps with the Gitanyow claim.
The Supreme Court of Canada decision is expected in 2026.
The Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation are descendants of the Laxwiiyip Tsetsaut, an independent self-governing people who occupied Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Territory at the time the British Crown asserted sovereignty in the region. For more information, visit tsklhnation.ca.
Media Contact:
Karen McCluskey
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Email: mccluskey.karen@gmail.com