For a number of years, Dene Metis and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut tried to negotiate a deal on the boundry between their traditional territories. The negotiations failed and in 1991 a former NWT Commissioner, John Parker, was appointed to arbitrate on the issue. After hearing both sides, Parker proposed a boundry line, which has come to be known as the “Parker Line”.
The “Parker Line” was put to a vote in 1992 by the people of the NWT, who approved it by a small majority. Tłı̨chǫ, however, voted almost unanimously against it.
The “Parker Line” now forms the boundary between Nunavut and the northeastern edge of traditional Tłı̨chǫ territory.