Prime Minister Trudeau has signed a land acquisition agreement with the Siksika Nation

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June 2, 2022 • 12 minutes ago • 3 minutes reading • 17 comments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Siksika Nation Nioksskaistamik (Chief) Ouray Crowfoot stepped out of the queue where they held a meeting before signing a land agreement at the historic site of the Treaty Apartments on Thursday , June 2, 2022 Photo: Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia

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A historic $ 1.3 billion land deal signed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the head and council of Siksika represents hope and a chance to look ahead, First Nation members say.

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Trudeau, along with Crown and Indigenous Relations Minister Mark Miller, formally signed the agreement with Chief Uray Crowfoot. Under the agreement, Siksika Nation will receive $ 1.3 billion in compensation for illegal land transfers and will be able to acquire 115,000 acres of land from surrounding areas over time. The two sides met in Treaty Plains, where the original Treaty 7 was signed between members of the crown and several first nations in 1877.

“I understand that we still have a lot of work to do on the path to reconciliation. But today, without forgetting the past, we have the opportunity to look to the future and how warmly we are greeted today, “Trudeau said. “For more than 60 years, with relentless advocacy and leadership, your community has struggled to correct a blunder to achieve the result you deserve.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with some Siksika elders after signing a land agreement with Siksika Nation Nioksskaistamik (Chapter) Ouray Crowfoot at the historic Treaty Flats on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Photo by Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia

The land lawsuit was first filed in court in 1960 by the Siksika Nation. The agreement, signed on Thursday, addresses long-standing lawsuits related to the Bow River Irrigation Area, the Canadian Pacific Railroad lawsuit and other historic grievances. Trudeau said Thursday that in 1910 and in subsequent years, the government took land from the nation through fraudulent and dishonest means.

Chief Crawfoot said full reconciliation would never be possible and past mistakes could never be corrected again, but he said signing the agreement would allow both sides to move forward and give Siksika an opportunity to invest in its future.

“This land, yes, $ 1.3 billion, that’s a lot of money,” Crawfoot said. “You will never do it completely from what it was before, but you have to move on. What $ 1.3 billion can do is provide opportunities, opportunities we didn’t have before, some of those economic opportunities that were mentioned before by the prime minister.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Siksika Nation Nioksskaistamik (Chapter) Ouray Crowfoot sign a land agreement at the historic Treaty Flats on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Photo: Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia

Crawfoot said the settlement is part of a puzzle that will help the nation.

The two sides have begun exploratory talks to settle the lawsuit out of court. Last December, 77% of the nation’s voters voted “yes” to the terms of the deal, paving the way for both sides to sign the agreement.

Lucille Wright said she voted against the agreement because she disagreed that it was a global agreement that dealt with multiple claims, and said the original 1910 surrender claim alone cost $ 8 billion. However, she said that no matter how she voted, she still sees Thursday as a sign of hope for the future.

“I hope our people, you know, think about investing in the future, we’re investing in our future,” Wright said. “We have a prominent leader. He did not give up on us, but he is adapting to the changes that have taken place. “

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Mona Royal said she voted in favor of the agreement and did so, thinking of her children and grandchildren. She said she hopes the money the nation receives will be invested in the community.

“It’s not 100 percent enough, but it’s something that both sides agreed on,” Royal said. “I want people to invest in the real problems of the nation. I want people to invest in a detox center, a dialysis machine, community centers, there are many things that this money can do to really help our people. “

Speaking after Thursday’s ceremony, Crawfoot said $ 1.3 billion was a lucrative deal for land and resources taken from Sixica. He said work on investing in the money would begin as soon as possible and wanted it to be used to ensure that members of the nation have the same access to services as others in Alberta.

Crawfoot said he wanted Siksika to have its own police force and the nation to support school survivors and improve mental health services. He also wants to help people with disabilities.

“These are the kinds of inequalities we are looking to correct. “We are looking for nothing but fair treatment that every other Alberta, every other Canadian would receive elsewhere,” Crawfoot said.

He said he believed the money would go to help surrounding communities and in turn help the rest of the province and the rest of the country.

dshort@postmedia.com

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