TREATY IMPLEMENTATION: FULFILLING THE COVENANT Office of the Treaty Commissioner Saskatoon, Saskatchewan © Office of the Treaty Commissioner 2007. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. ISBN 978 – 0 – 9782685 – 0 – 3 Printed in Canada Published by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Publication of this book has been made possible with the cooperation of the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy Treaty Implementation: Fulfilling the Covenant Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL . vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . xii SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS . xix 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 The Exploratory Treaty Table . 3 Two Perspectives on the Treaties . 4 The Statement of Treaty Issues . 5 The “Made in Saskatchewan” Process . 7 The Governance Agreements in Principle . 8 About This Report . 9 2. THE INTENTIONS OF THE TREATY PARTIES . 15 Spirit and Intent of Treaties: The Elders’ Understanding . 15 a) Elders’ Understanding of Treaty Principles . 17 b) Wîtaskêwin – Living Together on the Land . 18 c) Elements of Treaty that Require Flexibility and Adaptability . 20 The Numbered Treaties: Canada’s Understandings . 21 a) The Policy of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 . 22 b) Legislative Policies and the Indian Act . 24 c) Treaties in the Modern Era . 26 Conclusion: Identifying Common Intentions as a Guide to the Future . 27 3. APPROACHES AT THE EXPLORATORY TREATY TABLE . 29 Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Approach . 30 Canada’s Approach . 31 Common Understandings . 33 The Role of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner . 34 Conclusion . 37 4. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE TREATY RELATIONSHIP . 39 Post Treaty Era (1870s to 1930s) . 39 a) Provision of Timely and Full Treaty Land Entitlement . 39 b) The Indian Act . 40 c) Famine Relief . 42 d) Lack of Agricultural Assistance . 43 e) The Saskatchewan Act , 1905 . 43 iii Treaty Implementation: Fulfilling the Covenant Table of Contents f) Surrenders of Productive Reserve Land Under Duress . 43 g) The Migratory Birds Convention Act . 44 h) Residential School Policy . 44 i) Education . 46 j) The Natural Resources Transfer Agreement . 46 k) The Great Depression . 47 Opportunities for Reform (1940s to 1980s) . 47 The 1990s . 52 The New Millennium . 54 Conclusion . 56 5. ENTERING THE NEW ECONOMY . 59 Intention of the Treaty Parties . 59 Socio-Economic Conditions . 61 The Socio-Economic Status Quo Is Unacceptable and Unsustainable . 65 Conclusion . 67 6. VIEWS ON TREATY IMPLEMENTATION . 69 Methodology . 70 Contextual Themes . 71 First Nations Concerns . 73 Federal Concerns . 75 A Foundation for Treaty Implementation . 79 Moving Forward . 85 Conclusion . 87 7. HONOURING THE COVENANT . 89 Perspectives at the Time of Treaty Making . 91 a) The Spirit and Intent of the Treaties in First Nations Law . 91 b) Canadian Jurisprudence on Treaty Interpretation . 95 Perspectives of Post-Treaty History . 96 a) The Constitutional Context of Treaty Implementation . 96 b) Divergent Views . 98 i) Sovereignty, Self-Determination and Governance . 100 ii) Aboriginal Title . 109 c) Common Views . 114 Perspectives of the Present Day: The Four Pillars of Reconciliation . 115 a) Political Reconciliation . 116 b) Legal Reconciliation . 124 c) Socio-Economic Reconciliation . 128 d) Spiritual Reconciliation . 130 iv Treaty Implementation: Fulfilling the Covenant Table of Contents Perspectives of the Future . 131 a) Toward Fulfillment.