Saskatchewan’s Thunderchild First Nation has reached a historic agreement with the Government of Canada to settle unpaid Treaty 6 benefits that have been owed for 150 years. The settlement, announced on Thursday, involves a $155.4 million compensation package to address Canada’s failure to provide promised agricultural items under Treaty 6, including “cows and plows” — essential farming tools and livestock meant to support the First Nation’s transition to agriculture. Thunderchild First Nation filed the claim in June 2020, and after an expedited claims process, the compensation has been agreed upon.
The agricultural benefits, which included ploughs, seeds, and livestock, were never delivered, leaving the community without the necessary resources to support their agricultural economy. Chief Thunderchild, who signed Treaty 6 in 1879, had originally rejected the treaty terms, but was later pressured into settling. The First Nation also previously launched litigation in 1991 over the wrongful surrender of land, reaching a settlement in 2003.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree emphasized that resolving such claims is central to Canada’s reconciliation efforts with First Nations. Since May 2023, over $2 billion has been provided to First Nations in the western provinces through similar agricultural benefit claims.
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