Toquktmekl agreement provides governance framework for co-management of Parks Canada administered
places on PEI

Charlottetown, PEI Parks Canada and L’nuey – On October 1, 2024, 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 ...