CITATION: Restoule v. Canada (Attorney General), 2018 ONSC 7701 COURT FILE NO.: C-3512-14 & C3512-14A and COURT FILE NO.: 2001-0673 DATE: 20181221 ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE BETWEEN: ) ) ) Court File No.: C-3512-14 & C3512-14A ) ) MIKE RESTOULE, PATSY CORBIERE, ) DUKE PELTIER, PETER RECOLLET, ) Joseph J. Arvay Q.C., David C. DEAN SAYERS and ROGER ) Nahwegahbow, Catherine Boies Parker DAYBUTCH, on their own behalf and on ) Q.C., Dianne G. Corbiere, Christopher behalf of ALL MEMBERS OF THE ) Albinati, Donald L. Worme Q.C., Scott OJIBEWA (ANISHINAABE) NATION ) Robertson and Jim Ratis, for the Plaintiffs. WHO ARE BENEFICIARIES OF THE ) ROBINSON HURON TREATY OF 1850 ) ) Plaintiffs ) ) – and – ) Owen Young, Michael McCulloch, Barry ) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF Ennis and Scott Warwick, for the Defendant ) CANADA, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL The Attorney General of Canada. ) OF ONTARIO and HER MAJESTY THE ) QUEEN IN RIGHT OF ONTARIO Michael R. Stephenson, Peter Lemmond, ) Sarah Valair and Christine Perruzza for the Defendants ) Defendant The Attorney General of Ontario. ) ) THE RED ROCK FIRST NATION and ) THE WHITESAND FIRST NATION ) Harley Schachter and Kaitlyn Lewis, for the ) Third Parties. Third Parties ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) -AND- ) ) Page: 2 ) Court File No.: 2001-0673 ) ) THE CHIEF and COUNCIL OF RED ) ROCK FIRST NATION, on behalf of the ) RED ROCKFIRST NATION BAND OF ) Harley Schachter and Kaitlyn Lewis, for the INDIANS, THE CHIEF and COUNCIL of ) Plaintiffs. the WITHESAND FIRST NATION on ) behalf of the WHITESAND FIRST ) NATION BAND OF INDIANS ) ) Plaintiffs ) ) ) – and – ) ) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ) Owen Young, Michael McCulloch, Barry CANADA, and HER MAJESTY THE ) Ennis and Scott Warwick, for the Defendant QUEEN IN RIGHT OF ONTARIO and the ) The Attorney General of Canada. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ONTARIO as ) representing HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN ) Michael R. Stephenson, Peter Lemmond, IN RIGHT OF ONTARIO ) Sarah Valair and Christine Perruzza for the ) Defendant The Attorney General of Ontario Defendants ) ) HEARD: September 25, 26, 27, October 2, ) 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, ) 27, 30, 31, November 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ) 14, 15, 16, 17, 27, 28, 29, 30, December 11, ) 12, 13, 14, 2017, January 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, ) 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, February 5, 6, 7, 8, ) 13, 14, March 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, ) June 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, ) 2018. P.C. HENNESSY, J. REASONS FOR JUDGMENT – STAGE ONE Page: 3 REASONS FOR JUDGMENT – STAGE ONE TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 8 A. Procedure of the Trial and Nature of the Evidence......................................................... 8 II. WHO WERE THE ANISHINAABE OF THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION? 11 A. 1700 – 1850................................................................................................................... 12 i. Governance .............................................................................................................. 12 ii. Who was Chief Shingwaukonse? ............................................................................ 14 iii. Kinship and Doodem Identity .................................................................................. 15 a. Fictive Kinship and Alliances with Colonial Actors .......................................... 16 iv. Gift Giving, Presents, and the Principle of Reciprocity .......................................... 17 v. The Anishinaabe’s Perspective on Creation and Relationship to Land ................... 18 III. THE WRITTEN RECORD 1763 – 1849: FROM THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION TO THE VIDAL-ANDERSON COMMISSION...................................................................... 19 A. Pre-1763: The Covenant Chain Alliance ...................................................................... 20 i. 1756 – 1763: Extending the Covenant Chain to the Western Nations .................... 20 B. 1763: The Royal Proclamation of 1763 – Setting Out the Principles for Treaty Making 21 C. 1764: Council at Niagara .............................................................................................. 23 i. Presentation of Wampum Belts and Speech at Niagara .......................................... 23 ii. Diplomatic Discourse and Shared Metaphors ......................................................... 24 D. 1794: Dorchester Regulations – Operationalizing the Royal Proclamation ................. 25 E. 1812 – 1815: War of 1812 ............................................................................................ 25 i. The Shift from Military Alliance to Civilization Policy .......................................... 26 F. 1818: The Treaty-Making Process Incorporates Annuities .......................................... 26 i. 1830: The Colborne Policy and the Change in Annuities ....................................... 27 ii. Anishinaabe Awareness of Colonial Government Treaty-Making Activities in the Province .............................................................................................................................. 28 G. 1830s – 1840s: Life in the Upper Great Lakes Region ................................................. 28 H. 1840s: Mining Activity in the Upper Great Lakes Region ........................................... 28 I. 1845 – 1850: The Pre-Treaty Dialogue Between the Anishinaabe and the Crown ...... 29 i. The Crown’s Evolving View Pre-Treaty ................................................................. 29 ii. The Anishinaabe Assert Jurisdiction and Demand a Treaty .................................... 31 Page: 4 a. Summary of the Pre-Treaty Anishinaabe Complaints........................................ 34 iii. Anderson’s Visit and Report in 1848 ...................................................................... 34 IV. THE VIDAL-ANDERSON COMMISSION .................................................................. 37 A. Fall 1849: The Vidal-Anderson Commission ............................................................... 37 B. December 5, 1849: Report of the Vidal-Anderson Commission .................................. 39 i. Title .......................................................................................................................... 39 ii. The Anishinaabe’s Willingness to Treat ................................................................. 40 iii. Observations and Recommendations ....................................................................... 40 iv. Anishinaabe Use and Understanding of Money and the Concept of Value ............ 42 a. Use and Understanding of Money ...................................................................... 42 b. What did the Commissioners Mean by “Value of the Land”? ........................... 43 v. The Recommendation to Consider a Provision to Increase the Annuities .............. 44 C. Conclusion to the Vidal-Anderson Commission .......................................................... 45 V. THE MICA BAY INCIDENT AND INSTRUCTIONS TO ROBINSON ................... 45 A. The Involvement of William B. Robinson .................................................................... 46 B. Instructions to Robinson ............................................................................................... 48 VI. THE TREATY COUNCIL OF 1850: AN ACCOUNT ................................................. 50 A. Chronology of the Treaty Council ................................................................................ 50 i. August 18, 1850 – September 4, 1850: Pre-Treaty Meetings with Anishinaabe Chiefs and Leaders ............................................................................................................. 51 ii. The Opening Offer ................................................................................................... 52 iii. September 6, 1850: Different Responses to the Opening Offer .............................. 54 iv. September 7, 1850: Chief Peau de Chat Signs and Chief Shingwaukonse Repeats His Demands ...................................................................................................................... 55 v. September 9, 1850: The Huron Delegation Signs the Treaty .................................. 56 vi. September 10 – 24, 1850: Making the First Payments ............................................ 56 B. The Treaties’ Terms ...................................................................................................... 56 i. The Surrender and Compensation Term .................................................................. 56 ii. The Augmentation Clause ....................................................................................... 58 a. Did Chief Shingwaukonse Give Up His Demand for Revenue-Based Compensation? .............................................................................................................. 58 b. How did Robinson Explain the Augmentation Clause in His Official Report? . 59 c. Is it Reasonable to Conclude that Governor General Lord Elgin Approved of Robinson’s Intention to Offer an Augmentation Clause? ............................................. 60 d. When was the Concept of the Augmentation Clause Introduced or Proposed?. 62 Page: 5 VII. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POST-TREATY HISTORICAL RECORD? ................................................................................................................................... 64 A. The Post-Treaty Context: The Historical and Cultural