Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; along with Chief Darcy Gray of Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government; Chief Terry Shaw of La Nation Micmac de Gespeg; Chief John Martin of Micmacs of Gesgapegiag; and Grand Chef Jacques Tremblay of Première Nation Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk announced changes to the Peace and Friendship Treaties maps to now include four First Nations based in Quebec.
The Peace and Friendship Treaties were signed by the Crown and First Nations between 1725 and 1779 on unceded Mi'gmaq and Wolastoqey and Peskotomuhkati ancestral lands spanning the present-day provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and parts of Quebec.
The new, co-developed map is the result of productive dialogue between Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and the communities of Listuguj, Gesgapegiag, Gespeg, and Première Nation Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk.
Previously, Canada's maps of the Peace and Friendship Treaties did not reflect the inclusion of the traditional territories of these four First Nations located in present-day Quebec. These changes correct that omission and now more accurately illustrate the geographic representation of the traditional territories of all Peace and Friendship Treaty signatories.
This collaboration honours historic treaty relationships and is an important step in strengthening nation-to-nation relationships. Efforts such as these, as well as other efforts to honour pre-Confederation treaties, create greater understanding and awareness of the Peace and Friendship Treaties and their signatories and-importantly -show how these treaties can be made visible in our present-day representations, including maps, which can promote and advance inclusive reconciliation.
