Government foot-dragging on land claims leaves Metis, First Nations fighting – CBC
Feb 26, 2015
“What do we really want our government to do?”
It’s a question we often ask and it’s especially relevant when it comes to the issue of indigenous land claim settlements in Manitoba.
Do we want our government to do what is right and fair, or do we want our government to stall and try to keep as much as it can for itself?
Manitoba is unique in the fact the Métis were the “first nations” in this province, as their claims to land were established in the Manitoba Act prior to the signing of numbered treaties with First Nations. Basically, our forebears made a deal with the Métis and then made deals for the same land with First Nations.
Whether you agree or disagree with this history, the highest court in our land, the Supreme Court of Canada, has consistently backed both indigenous claims. If Canada is indeed a nation of laws, then we must obey these rulings no matter what we think of them with the benefit of hindsight or revisionist history.
