Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Canada may pay First Nations tribe for treaty 'mockery': Court ruling

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 27 Jul 2024 12:52
4 Min Read

Although the highly anticipated finding is expected to result in billions of dollars being paid out, First Nation leaders claim the decision only adds another obstacle to the decades-long struggle for justice.

  • x
  • A First Nations land recognition video narrated by Chief Willie Littlechild plays on video screens prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (AP)
    A First Nations land recognition video narrated by Chief Willie Littlechild plays on video screens prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (AP)

The top court of Canada has found that the successive Canadian governments' "egregious" failure to uphold a crucial treaty struck with Indigenous nations rendered the agreement a "mockery" and denied generations of fair compensation for their resources.

Although the highly anticipated finding is expected to result in billions of dollars being paid out, First Nation leaders believe the decision only adds another obstacle to the decades-long struggle for justice.

Canada's supreme court condemned the federal and Ontario governments for their "dishonorable" actions regarding a 174-year-old agreement, which left First Nations people to live in poverty while nearby communities, businesses, and the government took advantage of the abundant natural resources to further their own financial interests.

The court's decision was made unanimously and was released on Friday.

The court stated in the ruling, "For almost a century and a half, the Anishinaabe have been left with an empty shell of a treaty promise."

The stark language is yet another illustration of how important cases continue to show the lingering legacy of the colonial project, which was initially conceived by the British government and continued after Canada gained independence.

The court's ruling to draw attention to the "egregious" methods in which governments have handled their agreements with Indigenous nations may have far-reaching effects on Canada as a whole as well as the impacted areas.

Read more: Indigenous America: The US kills its victim and walks in its funeral

The British Crown and a number of Anishinaabe nations on the banks of Lakes Huron and Superior signed a compact in 1850 that served as the basis for the case.

A unique "augmentation clause" in the Robinson Treaties, which covered 35,700 sq miles (92,400 sq km) of land, promised to increase annual payments "from time to time" as the land produced more wealth - "if and when" that payment could be made without causing a loss to the Crown.

Related News

Indigenous communities bear brunt of Canada’s historic wildfire season

Aboriginal group sues Australia for $1.1bln iron ore claim

The lands and rivers included by the agreement produced enormous profits for businesses over the course of the following 174 years, as well as significant income for the province of Ontario. However, the annuities were set at $4 per person in 1874 and were never raised after that.

The court added: “Today, in what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes, the annuities are distributed to individual treaty beneficiaries by giving them $4 each,” leaving aside the “shocking” figure paid to beneficiaries.

“The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson Treaties.”

One of the main topics the court addressed was the treaty's unique "augmentation clause." 

The court ruled that the nation-to-nation arrangement constituted an alliance of equals and urged the Crown to raise the yearly payments in order to go back "to the foundations of the treaty" and "engage the honour of the Crown."

Justice Mahmud Jamal wrote that it would be "patently dishonourable" to fail to do so.

Lawrence Wanakamik, chief of Whitesand First Nation, expressed to reporters the decision had been a “long time coming”.

In January last year, a series of high-profile pipeline conflicts in recent years have highlighted the volatile character of resource extraction projects, which frequently pit First Nations communities against strong corporations.

Two landmark agreements in western Canada could have reportedly reshaped the role of Indigenous nations in resource development projects, giving previously excluded groups more power and signaling a possible shift in how industry and governments negotiate with communities on the frontlines of environmental degradation.

It is worth noting that the region is currently home to coking coalmines with a dismal environmental track record: in March, a provincial court fined Teck Resources C$60 million for polluting local waterways with selenium at its Fording River and Greenhills operations. Other mines have been suggested, but they have been met with fierce opposition.

In recent years, Indigenous leaders in Western Canada have lobbied for a stronger say — or even complete authority – over resource developments affecting their area.

Indigenous people in #Canada performed dancing rituals during a pro-#Palestine rally in #Toronto as they demanded a ceasefire in #Gaza.#GazaUnderAttack #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/RbZckmqudg

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 14, 2023

  • indigenous people
  • Canada
  • First Nations

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS