The Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement
We will look after it together
In 2025, the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada signed the Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement, marking a new chapter in shared stewardship of Parks Canada-administered places in Nova Scotia. The Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement is a formal partnership between Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia for co-managing protected areas.
Mi’kmaw translations
Etuaptmumk (Eh-doo-ah-bt-moomk) – Two-Eyed Seeing
L’nu’k (LL-Noog) – The people of this land
Msit No'kmaq / Msit Ko’kmaq (Em-Sit-No-Gah-Mawk / Em-Sit-Ko-Gah-Mawk) – All my/your relations
Netukulimk (Neh-doo-gool-imk) – Sustainable living in harmony with nature
Toqi'maliaptmu'k (Doh-kee-mal-ee-apt-mook) – We will look after it together
We will look after it together
Toqi'maliaptmu'k means “we will look after it together”, and that is exactly what this historic co-management Arrangement represents. This Arrangement both formalizes and builds upon the relationship between the Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada, honouring Mi’kmaw ancestors, knowledge, and responsibilities to the land while fostering reconciliation and mutual respect.
Toqi'maliaptmu'k provides a framework to recognize and implement Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia Peace and Friendship Treaty rights, needs and interests related to the cooperative management and shared stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of Parks Canada-administered places in Nova Scotia. It also provides for collaboration on economic opportunities.
The Arrangement embodies the shared commitment to ensure ecological integrity and that the Mi’kmaq way of life are maintained and promoted for the use, benefit, education, and enjoyment of future generations.
Key objectives
Recognizing Mi’kmaw rights – Protecting Aboriginal and Treaty rights
Toqi'maliaptmu'k provides a framework to recognize and implement Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia Peace and Friendship Treaty rights, needs and interests related to the cooperative management and shared stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of Parks Canada-administered places in Nova Scotia.
Toqi'maliaptmu'k builds towards the longer-term objective of reconciliation through recognition and implementation of Mi’kmaw Aboriginal and Treaty Rights.
The lands, waters and ice that Parks Canada plays a role in administering are the traditional territories, ancestral homelands and treaty lands of Indigenous Peoples. In many instances, when protected heritage places were created, important land, cultural and livelihood connections were severed as a result of past policies. This has led to intergenerational harm and loss of Indigenous knowledge, culture and identity.
Toqi'maliaptmu'k is a time-limited arrangement to respect and enable traditional activities such as harvesting and other land-based cultural practices in places administered by Parks Canada in Nova Scotia.
Aboriginal rights, including harvesting, are collective rights of distinctive Indigenous societies that have been recognized and affirmed by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
The Marshall decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 affirmed the Mi’kmaw Treaty right to fish, hunt, and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood. This right arose from the 1760–61 Peace and Friendship Treaty which was signed by the Wolastoqey, Mi'kmaq, and Passamaquoddy Nations and the Crown at the time, and is legally binding today.
Harvesting practices may include gathering plants and natural objects, fishing, trapping, and hunting by Indigenous Peoples on their traditionally used lands and waters. Harvesting methods have evolved over time and, today, may use traditional or modern equipment and technologies such as firearms, motorized vehicles, and GPS. These activities in Parks Canada-administered places in Nova Scotia will respect the guidelines developed jointly and in good faith by the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada.
The cultures and identities of Indigenous Peoples are rooted in the land, and honouring connections to place is an important element for actions and outcomes related to reconciliation. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring Indigenous connections are honoured, and Indigenous rights are respected.
Strengthening collaboration – Making decisions as a team
Shared governance arrangements provide ways for Parks Canada and Indigenous Peoples to engage in collaborative decision-making for protected historic places.
Through Toqi'maliaptmu'k, the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada will cooperate in the planning, management, operation, monitoring, and evaluation of Parks Canada-administered national parks and national historic sites in the Province of Nova Scotia, excluding Sable Island Reserve.
The Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada see the importance of Netukulimk and ecological integrity as an example of Etuaptmumk or also known as Two-Eyed Seeing.
In the spirit of two-eyed seeing, the Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada acknowledge and respect each other’s understandings of the lands through principles of Netukulimk and through scientific, cultural and ecological integrity, and seek to ensure the respectful recognition and implementation of Mi’kmaw values, concepts and knowledge system.
Cultural heritage protection – Preserving Mi’kmaw traditions and language
Toqi'maliaptmu'k advances reconciliation in a concrete and meaningful way: by acknowledging the contributions of the Mi’kmaq, Mi’kmaw history and culture, as well as the special long-standing relationship the Mi’kmaq have with traditional lands and waters in Nova Scotia.
Indigenous practices on the lands, waters, and ice are lived expressions of Indigenous knowledge and rights. The continuity of these practices ensures that Indigenous knowledge is lived and that Indigenous principles are upheld.
Indigenous People, including the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, consistently describe practices on the lands, waters and ice as necessary to exercise inherent rights and uphold their responsibilities as stewards. These practices represent important ways the Mi’kmaq maintain active cultural connections to the lands, waters and ice, thereby supporting cultural continuity.
Practices on the land in protected heritage places often include:
- ceremonies
- Indigenous-led conservation activities
- place-based learning and knowledge sharing between Elders, youth, knowledge keepers, and community members
- harvesting for food and other purposes
Environmental stewardship – Integrating Indigenous knowledge to protect nature
Toqi'maliaptmu'k enables management informed by Mi’kmaw knowledge, values, and principles, and facilitates the exercise by the Mi’kmaq of their rights and responsibilities as stewards of the lands, waters, and ice they have inhabited for millennia.
Economic opportunities – Creating jobs and business growth
Building capacity among the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia to participate in shared stewardship and increasing economic opportunities for the First Nations communities are objectives of the Arrangement.
Through Toqi'maliaptmu'k, Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia will undertake new initiatives to advance shared goals of supporting stewardship of natural and cultural heritage, cooperatively managing environmental and cultural protection, and collaborating on economic opportunities.
Watch the video
This video by Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMKNO) and The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs explains the Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement between the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada. It also provides a brief history of the decades of collaboration that precede the Arrangement.
Shared initiatives
The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada have been working together for many years to honour the historic and contemporary Indigenous connections to Parks Canada-administered places and to share these stories with visitors. This work has included revisiting narratives and telling whole stories from different perspectives; for example, including Mi’kmaw heritage in the stories told through interpretive programming and panels throughout Parks Canada-administered sites.
Here are some examples of shared initiatives between Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia that reflect a commitment to shared stewardship, cultural understanding, and honouring Mi’kmaw connections to the land.
Commemorating Indigenous connections
Mi’kmaw stories and perspectives are integrated into visitor experiences, including the Mi’kmaw Interpretive Centre at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Mi’kmaw-led interpretive programs at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, and new interpretative exhibits at Fort Anne and Halifax Citadel National Historic Sites which highlight Mi’kmaw history and perspectives within the story of Kjipuktuk (Halifax) and Nme’juaqnek (Annapolis Royal).
Collaborative archaeology
An approach that actively engages Mi’kmaw communities and provides opportunities for learning and knowledge-sharing in projects that benefit from this collaboration.
Earth Keepers and shared stewardship
From harvest to restoration and protection, we have worked together on initiatives related to moose population, salmon, hemlock woolly adelgid, and spruce budworm, whether caring for species at risk, monitoring and taking steps against invasive species, or operating the Earth Keeper program. Our ecosystems are stronger because of this work.
Mi’kmaw heritage presentation and interpretation
Mi’kmaw Elders, Knowledge Holders, community members, and youth share their stories, and Mi’kmaw history and culture are highlighted throughout Parks Canada-administered places by way of enhanced visitor experience programs.
Signage and interpretive panels
Mi’kmaw place names are incorporated into official signage and interpretive displays, reinforcing the collaboration and shared stewardship between Parks Canada and Indigenous Peoples.
How the Arrangement works
The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada have been working collaboratively for many years. This Arrangement formalizes this relationship through a shared governance structure, guided by a co-management board.
Through Toqi'maliaptmu'k, the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Parks Canada will cooperate in the planning, management, operation, monitoring, and evaluation of Parks Canada-administered lands in Nova Scotia.
The Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada will each make decisions based on their own processes and will work together on issues of shared responsibility for the management of the lands, as set out in the Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement.
The specific details on how Toqi'maliaptmu'k will be implemented will be developed over the coming months and years as the co-management board is formed and begins to operate.
The Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement covers all Parks Canada-administered places in Nova Scotia, except for Sable Island National Park Reserve. The Mi’kmaq and Parks Canada are engaged in ongoing consultation respecting management and governance of Sable Island National Park Reserve.
The term of the Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement is 10 years with an option to extend or renew.
The importance of this co-management Arrangement
Parks Canada is committed to continuing to work and explore ways to meet the priorities and aspirations of Indigenous partners across the country with respect to healing breaches of the past and advancing reconciliation. This includes, for example, supporting stewardship of natural and cultural heritage, cooperatively managing environmental and cultural protection, and collaborating on economic opportunities.
Parks Canada supports Indigenous stewardship in establishing and managing protected areas. Shared governance arrangements are an important way for Parks Canada to deliver on Government of Canada commitments to renewed relationships based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership, rooted in the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (PDF, 151 MB).
Shared governance arrangements provide ways for Parks Canada and Indigenous Peoples to engage in collaborative decision-making for protected heritage places. This enables management informed by Indigenous knowledge, values, and principles, and facilitates the exercise by Indigenous Peoples of their rights and responsibilities as stewards of the lands, waters, and ice they have inhabited for millennia.
This Arrangement is the first of its kind for the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia; it is a tool for us to fully co- manage and govern some very important areas within our traditional territory. This Arrangement was built upon years of collaboration and shared desire to care for our natural and cultural resources in the best way possible. It strengthens our role in helping to oversee National Parks and Historic Sites, protects our Mi'kmaw rights, and ensures that the Mi’kmaw voice is part of decision making on these lands going forward. The Toqi’maliaptmu'k Arrangement demonstrates how we can create Nation-to-Nation arrangements, where the Mi’kmaq can truly work alongside the federal government as equal partners.
National Parks and Historic Sites must reflect our long history and use of these important landscapes. We are proud to say that through this Arrangement, we can now work to ensure that both current and historic Mi'kmaw cultural connections to these lands are respected and understood. We are proud to sign the Toqi’maliaptmu'k Arrangement — a document that honours and is built upon Mi'kmaw language, culture, and principles. Through this Arrangement the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia will strengthen the relationship with Parks Canada, based upon Netukulimk and Msit Ko'kmaq, and our collective desire to protect these lands for generations to come.
The Government of Canada remains dedicated to reconciliation and fostering a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples, grounded in the recognition of rights, mutual respect, collaboration, and partnership. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am honoured to sign this Arrangement, which represents a tangible commitment to supporting the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia in the stewardship of their lands and waters, including areas Parks Canada administers.
Recognizing rights, preserving culture, and upholding the Treaty relationship are essential to our shared path toward reconciliation. I’m grateful to the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia for their partnership in co-developing this historic Arrangement, one that reflects our commitment to a future built on respect for rights and true partnership.
As a Mi’kmaq and as Parliamentary Secretary, I am deeply proud to see this historic step toward true co-management and shared stewardship of our lands. Toqi’maliaptmu’k means ‘we’re taking care of it together - the two of us’ - and the Arrangement reflects this, guided by respect, balance, and our shared responsibility to future generations. This is reconciliation in action.
Key historical events
| 1725-1779 | Peace and Friendship Treaties – Agreements between L’nu’k and the Crown (Government of Canada) that guaranteed Mi’kmaq land and resource rights |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Section 35 of the Constitution Act – Recognized Aboriginal and Treaty rights |
| 1990-2006 | Supreme Court cases – Affirmed Mi’kmaq rights to harvest |
| 2002 | Umbrella Agreement – Signed by the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, the Province of Nova Scotia, and Canada to establish a negotiation process |
| 2007 | United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – Established international Indigenous rights standards (PDF, 151 MB) |
| 2007 | Mi'kmaq - Nova Scotia – Canada Framework Agreement |
| 2010 | Terms of Reference for Mi’kmaq–Nova Scotia–Canada Consultation Process – Created a streamlined process for Crown consultations with the 13 Mi’kmaq First Nations |
| 2012 | National Parks Interim Arrangement – Formalized the Parks Canada-Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia partnership |
| 2025 | The Toqi'maliaptmu'k Arrangement |
Other co-management arrangements between Indigenous Peoples and Parks Canada
The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation and renewed relationships with Indigenous Peoples, based on a recognition of rights, respect, collaboration, and partnership.
Parks Canada and Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) have negotiated and continue to negotiate bilateral agreements with Indigenous governments and communities across the country for the cooperative management of lands under Parks Canada’s administration.
Under its current legislative regime, Parks Canada employs three broad types of shared governance models:
- relationship-building bodies
- cooperative management
- consensus management
Many national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas are managed cooperatively with Indigenous partners (as of March 2025):
- 20 heritage places have relationship-building structures in place
- 8 have both relationship building and cooperative management structures
- 20 have cooperative management structures
- 6 heritage places operate under consensus management
- Date modified :