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Robinson Huron Treaty parties seek support from Canadians

Batchewana First Nation of the Ojibways and 20 other First Nation bands in Ontario say the Canadian government has failed to carry out its duties under the 164 year-old Robinson Huron Treaty and they want Canadians to know that.

Batchewana First Nation of the Ojibways and 20 other First Nation bands in Ontario say the Canadian government has failed to carry out its duties under the 164 year-old Robinson Huron Treaty and they want Canadians to know that.

“We need to start telling our own stories,” said Batchewana First Nation Chief Dean Sayers in a prelude to today’s announcement that the parties to the Robinson Huron Treaty are suing the Canadian government.

Sayers says he hopes Canadians will stand together and demand the truth from their government after more than 100 years.

Today, Sayers was joined by Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig/Algoma University Legal Council Dave Nahwegahbow and President Darrell E. Boissoneau as well as Batchewana First Nations band researchers at Algoma University to announce the commencement of a lawsuit against both the government of Canada and the government of Ontario.

The lawsuit specifically addresses the issue of annuities – or an amount of money that is disbursed to each and every band member whose band is included in the Robinson Huron Treaty.

That money is supposed to be a share of the money the federal government makes off the lands granted to its use under the treaty and it was supposed to increase each year the government made money off the Robinson Huron Treaty lands, the chiefs contend.

Since 1874, the amount disbursed to each band member has been $4 a year.

“We had to formally file; unfortunately, and sue Canada for non-fulfilment of the escalator clause,” Sayers told SooToday.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

The bands want to sit down with the Canadian government and talk about how they are going to benefit going forward from all the things they compromised, he said.

“We all line up every year – and we just lined up the other day, again – to get our $4 in exchange for sharing the land. In exchange for sharing the resources” he said. “As part of that exchange there was many other commitments that the governments of Canada and Ontario inherited from the Crown.”

The Canadian people need to be educated on these things because they need to tell their government that it needs to fulfill the obligations that it has because that reflects on them as a Canadians, Sayers said.

Over the years, lands in the care and control of parties to the Robinson Huron Treaty were expropriated to build the Trans Canada Railway; to build highways, roadways, hydro generation facilities, mines, parks, towns and cities; and, as part of profitable Crown forest management and mineral extraction agreements with non-band members to harvest lumber and minerals on Robinson Huron lands but, still, the annuity has not increased.

The Canadian government’s intent to continue to ignore First Nation issues is made apparent by its actions on a daily basis, Sayers added.

As an example, Chief Sayers cited comments by Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Bernard Valcourt in which Valcourt referred to the duly elected and long-functioning Confederacy of Nations as a group of 'rogue chiefs.'

“Mr. Speaker, I think members of the House will agree that we should have members condemn, in the strongest terms, the threats of those rogue chiefs who are threatening the security of Canadians, their families, and taxpayers,” Valcourt said in the House of Commons on May 15 in response to an NDP query about his willingness to meet with the Confederacy of Nations.

“I will meet with these people when they unequivocally withdraw their threats to the security of Canadian families, taxpayers, and citizens,” he added.

Sayers described Valcourt’s approach as antiquated and colonial.

“It’s so disempowering, it’s so defeatist and so deflating and we need to continue to move forward. It’s deflating to Canadians as well,” Sayers said. “Canadians expected us to have a good working relationship and to work out these issues.”

Instead, 133 Chiefs joined together at the annual assembly of the Chiefs of Ontario to assert their sovereignty and advance their agenda.

“133 Chiefs said, ‘No more stealing from us. We are asserting our jurisdictional rights to land. There has been a failure of Canada to protect us so we’re going to take that responsibility seriously.’ We will make decisions based on our own processes whether or not an initiative moves forward – whether or not there’s going to be an expropriation or an extraction.”

“We reserve the right to have pre, prior, informed consent on any issue,” Sayers said. “If Canada is not going to protect us, we’ll protect ourselves. Canada is not protecting our interests as they agreed they would. They are protecting corporate and foreign interests.”

Sayers said the Confederacy of Nations and the Robinson Huron Treaty parties want to deal with the Canadian government to work out these treaty issues – not with third parties like Canadian taxpayers.

“We want to work this out,” he said. “There’s no need for people to be afraid of having to vacate and get back on boats and go back across the ocean. No, we don’t have that intent.”

Sayers said he believes the eventual outcome of this action and other efforts to protect First Nation sovereignty, treaty rights and inclusion in the profitability of its lands will be peace and prosperity for everyone.

“All Canadians will enjoy a really good quality of life free from any issues around the relationships with indigenous people – like those challenges that we’re facing today.”

He said it will come sooner or later but, if the right people are sitting at the table across from the First Nations, it will come sooner rather than later.

“We have a unique global insight and I would hope that Canadians would expect that would be preserved and enhanced and used so that we will have a better earth and a better future. There is real value in protecting and helping the indigenous people.”

Sayers said he hopes Canadians can see that and can agree that the indigenous people of Canada shouldn’t be living in poverty, but should have access to clean water, good housing and education.


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Carol Martin

About the Author: Carol Martin

Carol has over 20-years experience in journalism, was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, and has also lived and worked in Constance Lake First Nation, Sudbury, and Kingston before returning to her hometown to join the SooToday team in 2004.
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