The Canadian government said Canada remains committed to improving relationships with Indigenous people and working with them to advance their rights.
Ogimaa-Kwe (chief) Claire Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) and Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced an agreement on March 2 in which Canada will make an advance payment of $30-million to be applied against a future resolution of the MCFN’s Treaty 22 and Treaty 23 specific claim.
“Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation see this advance payment as a good-faith gesture by Canada, and as evidence of its seriousness to finally settle this 205-year-old Land Claim. Negotiations are making good progress, and it is our hope that a final agreement can be reached, that can be voted on by our membership, late this year or in early 2026,” said Sault.
Canada and the MCFN have been in negotiations to resolve this specific claim since 2022. The claim dates back to 1820 when Canada failed to protect the interests of the First Nation in the surrender and sale of 10,940 acres of the First Nation’s reserve land within Treaties 22 and 23.
Innovative approaches including the Specific Claims Advance Payment Framework allow more timely access to compensation for First Nations to address historical wrongs at an earlier stage in the specific claims process. They also demonstrate the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and advancing First Nation rights to self-determination, including under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“As we celebrate this advance payment agreement, we reaffirm Canada’s commitment to addressing past wrongs. This agreement enables the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to access settlement funds earlier on in the specific claims process. It is our hope that this will create new opportunities to move forward together in the spirit of respect and partnership,” said Anandasangaree.
The Canadian government believes that the best way to address outstanding specific claims and advance reconciliation with First Nations is through negotiation and dialogue. Negotiated settlements help address past wrongs, honour treaty and legal obligations, and renew relationships with First Nations for the benefit of all people living in Canada.
