Latest news with #RobinsonSuperiorTreaty
Associated Press
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek and Canada mark historic settlement to address the First Nation's Treaty Reserve Claim
OTTAWA, ON, March 8, 2025 /CNW/ - Honouring the Treaty relationship is a fundamental part of advancing reconciliation in Canada and rebuilding trust with First Nation communities. Today, Chief Wilfred King of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek and the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced that the First Nation and Canada have reached a financial settlement to address the First Nation's Treaty Reserve Claim against Canada. This settlement is an important step to promote reconciliation and renew the Nation-to-Nation relationship. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek's Treaty Reserve Claim relates to a Treaty promise for reserve land that dates back to the signing of the Robinson Superior Treaty in 1850. In their claim, the First Nation is seeking reserve lands under the Treaty and financial compensation. Achieved through dialogue and co-operation, this co-developed settlement provides financial compensation from Canada to the First Nation, and it also recognizes that Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek is a party to the Treaty. The longer-term work toward a land-related settlement continues among the First Nation, Ontario, and Canada. Quotes 'This is a significant step forward in our ongoing collaborative work to honour a Treaty promise, advance reconciliation and strengthen our Nation-to-Nation relationship with Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek. Settling claims through dialogue is the right thing to do. This compensation is rightfully owed to the First Nation to address their claim and build a better future for the community and future generations.' The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency Quick facts Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek filed a Specific Claim with Canada in 2001, and a Boundary Claim with Ontario in 2010, and then commenced litigation for their Treaty Reserve Claim against Ontario and Canada through the courts in 2016. The settlement announced today addresses Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek's claim against Canada with the payment of financial compensation. The settlement was approved in a vote by Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek members on February 22, 2025 and was then signed by Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek and Canada. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Ontario and Canada will be working toward a negotiated settlement among the three parties to address the Treaty promise for reserve land. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Ontario, and Canada will work together toward shared and balanced solutions. The parties will provide updates to and engage with interested parties as key milestones are reached at the negotiation table.
CBC
28-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Robinson Superior Treaty annuities case heads back to court after settlement talks fail
Social Sharing Negotiations to settle a longstanding case involving annuities owed to 12 First Nations along the shores of Lake Superior have broken down. The Supreme Court of Canada had given the federal and Ontario governments until Jan. 26 to make offers in a case estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The Anishnaabe Nations of Robinson Superior Treaty entered talks last month expecting a settlement offer in the dozens of billions – a lot more than the $3.6B offer Canada and Ontario made. "They simply ignored the economic evidence about how much wealth Canada and Ontario took from our lands," said Gull Bay First Nation chief Wilfred King. According to the Supreme Court of Canada, the failed negotiations mean it will now be up to the courts to decide fair compensation for the Crown having made a "mockery" of the treaty over the last 175 years. The Robinson treaties promised the Anishinaabe that the annual payments they received from the Crown in exchange for the right to extract resources from their land would increase according to the wealth produced in the territory, but they've been capped at $4 per person per year since 1874. Superior Court of Ontario Justice Patricia Hennessy will now rule on who should pay the Lake Superior Anishnaabe and how much. Her ruling could eventually be appealed to another court, adding more years to the already decade-long legal battle. Federal government says its offer was fair Eric Head, spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, says the federal government's offer was fair, just and honourable. "We worked closely [and] in good faith with the First Nations and Ontario over the past six months to try to reach a negotiated agreement," he wrote. "Unfortunately, the parties could not find the common ground to achieve this goal in the six-month timeline provided by the Supreme Court of Canada." Head declined to say how much of the $3.6B offer would have come from federal coffers, saying details remain confidential at this time. "Arriving at the compensation amount, Canada considered the factors set down by the Supreme Court of Canada, our past discussions with our treaty partners, all the facts in this case, and the evidence heard during the trial," he continued. The other group of plaintiffs in this case, the 21 First Nations of Robinson Huron Treaty territory in northeastern Ontario, settled out-of-court for $10B before the last stage of the trial in 2023, with the provincial and federal governments each paying half.
