Lac La Croix First Nation, Ontario - Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and the Government of Ontario
Today, Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian of Lac La Croix First Nation; local Member of Parliament Marcus Powlowski, on behalf of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; and the Honourable Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs; announced that the Lac La Croix First Nation, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have concluded tripartite negotiations and signed a settlement agreement in relation to the Lac La Croix First Nation's Treaty Land Entitlement Claim. This settlement resolves a long-outstanding claim that the Nation did not receive all the lands owed to it under Treaty 3, which they signed in 1873.
Honouring Treaty and legal obligations to First Nations and working collaboratively to renew relationships are fundamental to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
For 150 years, the Lac La Croix First Nation was without the use and benefit of lands owed to them under Treaty 3. Under this historic settlement, the Government of Canada will provide $118.2 million, and the Government of Ontario will provide $13.1 million, for a total of $131.3 million in compensation to the First Nation.
The resolution of this Treaty Land Entitlement claim is the result of the dedicated efforts by the Nation's leadership and negotiators since 2002, when the First Nation submitted the claim to Ontario and Canada. Ontario and Canada accepted the claim for negotiation in 2011. The First Nation ratified the settlement agreement in November 2022. Ontario's Minister of Indigenous Affairs executed the settlement agreement in December 2022, and Canada's Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations executed the settlement agreement in February 2023.
Treaty Land Entitlement settlement agreements demonstrate the federal and provincial governments' commitment to advancing reconciliation-one that shows our commitment to build trust, acknowledges and respects the Treaty relationship, and helps build a better future for all Canadians.
