We call this paper “Breach of Trust” because of the laws and statutes passed in Ottawa to undermine the true Spirit and Intent of Treaty 6. First and foremost is the wording used in the written treaty, where it says the land was ceded and surrendered to Queen Victoria.
Our knowledge passed down from our forefathers contradicts this. They said this land was to be shared with the newcomers.
Only a depth of six inches was asked for by the Queen’s representative, Lt. Gov. Morris, and only for agriculture. No mention was made about other resources. Because of this, in 1930, the government enacted the Natural Resources Transfer Act to bestow on the provinces all our resources. Our people were not part of this and they were not informed of this activity. Prior to this, in 1927 Ottawa passed legislation that Indians could not hire lawyers. This was all part of the grand scheme to rob us of our resources.
We have never shared in the bounties of Alberta except on two occasions - once in the 1950s in the amount of $20 per capita, and the other when Ralph Klein was the premier. This was in the amount of $400 per person.
During the treaty process, which occurred over four days, an individual used sticks to number the articles that were talked about. There are 10 of them and form part of the true Spirit and Intent of the treaty, and we add these as an addendum.
There was never any mention made of the formation of reserves, the Indian Act, or the secret ballot elections that plague our people. We maintain the right to live anywhere we want to live since this is our land. In regard to the Indian Act and secret ballot elections, we reject both. They are instruments used by the government to subjugate our people and imply that we never had governance in place before the Europeans arrived.
In creating the reserves, and putting our people in them, they had the gall to cheat and lie to some tribes because of the fertility of the land our forefathers inhabited. People from these tribes were forced to sign away their treaty by way of an X beside their names. One example is where the Edmonton International Airport is situated – this was a reserve and it is only one case. People that have roots from these tribes know who they area. They need to be fairly compensated and land given to them, since it is also their land, not the government’s.
Another important issue is the medicine chest. The service and medication has gone down every year. We are now given generic medicine instead of the brand name and a lot of it is not covered by Medical Services. Canada is not generic, so why should our people get secondhand services and medication? Over-the-counter drugs, cough syrups, Tylenol extra strength and others need to be free as well.
We also reject the status card for Treaty people. The card we will use will signify a person’s lineage as a descendant to the original signers of Treaty 6. It will envelop everything that we need to enjoy our rightful place in today’s society. Education, health, vehicle insurance, and registration will be some of the things covered by this card.
In the past and present, the Canadian citizen thinks we don’t pay taxes. The only place where we don’t pay taxes is the work we do on reserve. This is propaganda spread by the government. With this card, we will strive to be well off because it is high time we get to enjoy Canada’s bounty.
The Jay Treaty is also recognized by the United States, but not by the Canadian government. It is because it favours the Indian people.
These are only some of the issues that we bring forth. The only way to right some of the wrongs done to us would be to repeal all the laws and statutes ever passed by the federal government in fighting the true owners of Canada.
This is all we have to say, for now.
Signed:
Michel Pasquayak, Treaty 2; Archie Memnook, Treaty 1; Irvin Kehewin, Treaty 1
