The virtual signing ceremony saw the hereditary chiefs and government ministers witness each other signing the document through Zoom, as travel has been restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The memorandum of understanding that's due to be signed will set the terms for months of negotiations on land rights and title for the Wet'suwet'en over their traditional territory in northern B.C.

The chiefs also addressed concerns from the elected leadership that they and other members of the Wet'suwet'en have not been properly consulted with.

The elected leadership say the pact on land rights and title has not been fully circulated to the Nation's clans for their input, and accuse the federal and B.C. governments of consulting in bad faith.

The agreement does not apply to the controversial Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which sparked the discussions that led to the deal.

Peter Grant spent 10 years representing the Wet'suwet'en in the Delgamuukw case left dangling by the Supreme Court in 1997, which could be resolved by the proposed agreement announced Sunday.

The chiefs reached the agreement late Saturday night with federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and her B.C. counterpart Scott Fraser.

The agreement being sought would essentially resolve the 1997 Delgamuukw decision in the Supreme Court of Canada that acknowledged Indigenous rights and title over their traditional lands.

'We are here to show that we have treating rights too,' said protest organizer James Pictou.

The women gained their seats after complaining earlier that they were being locked out of the discussions, with the anger among both sides turning towards each other outside the meeting hall.