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YELLOWKNIFE -- A consortium of energy companies signed a deal yesterday giving northern native people a 33-per-cent stake in a proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline.

The group, made up of Imperial Oil Ltd., Shell Canada Ltd., Conoco Inc. and ExxonMobil Canada, signed a memorandum of understanding with the region's natives represented by the Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Pipeline Corp.

The proposed $3-billion Arctic gas pipeline would bring northern gas to southern markets. The oil companies are still analyzing the project's economics, but getting native support has been a critical element in their development plan.