Page 60 - Alderville First Nation

One basic treaty right for all Status Indians is the right to
education. Our treaty rights came about in exchange for our
agreement to share our lands. It was agreed that all First Nations
people would be entitled to these rights, which in many treaties
were granted “for as long as the sun shines and the rivers flow.”
Despite these assurances, the federal government has not
always upheld their end of the treaty agreements, and many
First Nations, including our people, have been forced to fight for
these rights through the courts (the legal system).

After a lengthy court process in the 1990s and early 2000s,
efforts were made to address compensation of agreements
that were never fulfilled in the Williams Treaties. In 2018, the
First Nations and governments of Canada and Ontario arrived
at a negotiated settlement of the Williams Treaties (see The
Williams Treaties: A Chronology of Events, on page 70 of the
Resources section).

Treaty rights and how they are interpreted are an ongoing
concern for our First Nation. Ensuring that both parties honour
the spirit and intent of the treaties, making sure that treaty
agreements are fit to modern times, and ensuring that our right
to our traditional lands is not taken away are some of the major
issues in present-day treaty negotiations.

In the case of our community, treaty rights carry extra weight,
since we are rapidly becoming a community of non-status First
Nations. It is very important for our leaders in the years to come
to ensure that our rights under the treaties are protected for all
of our community members, not just those who CIRNAC says
are status.

58 Alderville First Nation

ogemawahj_community_book3.indd 58 2019-02-28 10:57 AM