First Nations eye lawsuit over land claims

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This article was published 02/02/2022 (1367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MANITOBA chiefs have threatened to sue the Stefanson government over treaty land allocations.

“It’s still the status quo. So in regards to truth and reconciliation, it ain’t happening,” said Nelson Genaille, a chief who heads the Treaty Land Entitlement Committee.

The province started Crown-land auctions on Monday, after an apparent communication problem that has hindered the province’s obligation to help First Nations get land they were promised more than a century ago by the British Crown.

In 1997, Manitoba signed a deal to transfer 1.1 million acres of land to First Nations, often by giving them first dibs when the province puts rural or urban Crown land up for sale.

Almost 25 years later, just 51 per cent of that quota has been met, chiefs called on Manitoba to halt the annual auction of agricultural land that started Monday.

In a statement, the Stefanson government said it had tried to give bands advance notice about land parcels within their region that would qualify under the treaty quota program.

“We are confident this process was followed correctly, and in accordance with the (1997) agreement. Despite this, some communities indicate that these circulation packages were not received,” a spokesman for Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson wrote.

As a result, the province will issue one-year lease permits on parcels of land in areas where First Nations said they hadn’t been properly informed. Those bands will be able to select land ahead of the 2023 auction.

“We take seriously the requirement for communities to have an opportunity to review available parcels prior to disposition,” the spokesman wrote.

Genaille disagreed, saying it was a unilateral plan.

He said Reconciliation Minister Alan Lagimodiere called to explain his government’s plan and promised to hold a meeting in the future.

“Are they actually going to mean truth and reconciliation, and ask us beforehand when they do something? A phone call doesn’t suffice,” said Genaille, who is chief of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation near Swan River.

Southern Grand Chief Jerry Daniels added his concern in a news release, noting Premier Heather Stefanson promised to improve the Tory government’s relationship with Indigenous people.

“The issue of Crown land auctions is the perfect opportunity to show she truly means to fulfil that promise,” Daniels wrote, saying the auction should be halted.

“The focus should now be on honouring existing agreements and finalizing additional (ones) before any more land changes hands.”

First Nations want to convert the land into reserves to be used for cultural practices such as hunting and harvesting medicine, as well as for economic opportunity.

That’s become increasingly hard as agriculture groups and public utilities buy up some of the best parcels of land, chiefs argue.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca