#robinsontreaties — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #robinsontreaties, aggregated by home.social.
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The history of Canada's refusal to honor nation-to-nation treaties signed with Indigenous peoples is long, shameful, and heartbreaking; enough so that from our current vantage point, it's hard for anyone to imagine anything resembling "justice" prevailing - after all, you can't rewind time, and we're talking about a couple hundred years worth of disgraceful colonial predation here. Despite this however, a recent Supreme Court ruling against Canada and the province of Ontario appears poised to force the colonizer state to honor at least one important treaty; albeit 174 years after it was signed.
Canada owes First Nations billions after making ‘mockery’ of treaty deal, top court rules
"The court decision to highlight “egregious” ways in which governments have treated their agreements with nations could have far-reaching consequences, both for the affected communities and the country.
The case centered on a treaty signed in 1850 between the British Crown and a group of Anishinaabe nations on the shores of Lakes Huron and Superior. Known as the Robinson Treaties, the agreements, covering 35,700 sq miles (92,400 sq km) of land, included a rare “augmentation clause” that promised to increase annual payments “from time to time” as the land generated more wealth – “if and when” that payment could be made without the Crown incurring a loss.
Over the next 174 years, the lands and waters covered by the deal generated immense profits for companies – and substantial revenues for the province of Ontario. But in 1874, the annuities were capped in at $4 a person and never increased.
“Today, in what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes, the annuities are distributed to individual treaty beneficiaries by giving them $4 each,” the court wrote, singling out the “shocking” figure paid to beneficiaries. “The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson Treaties.”
To be clear, and as several First Nations representatives in the article point out, the ruling is still unlikely to result in true justice. After all, the court declined to attach a settlement figure and the process of deciding how much money the country and the provinces owes will be up to the Crown, aka representatives of the government itself, as opposed to the Indigenous communities affected. Given that these same governments tried to argue that the costs of colonizing the affected region should count against the settlement (and indeed, that it meant there should be no payments made at all as such) it's hard to imagine the final numbers coming anywhere near the $126b Superior Anishinaabe First Nations has (credibly) argued they're owed.
With that having been noted however, the Robinson Treaties are not even remotely the only nation-to-nation agreements the Canadian government and its provinces have violated or ignored in Canada's long history of treaty-based colonial looting and violence. By recognizing the standing of the Superior Anishinaabe First Nations, and the clear and intentional violation of the treaty by Canada itself, it's likely that this ruling will empower other legal challenges designed to force Canadian authorities to honor its numerous other treaties in ways the nation has thus far refused to even acknowledge its legal obligation to do so. It's not justice, but the Supreme Court's ruling on the so-called Robinson Treaties may some day be remembered as the moment the dam finally broke, ushering in something at least resembling atonement and restitution for Canada's long, shameful, and tragic history of colonial exploitation and wanton criminality towards the Indigenous nations it has treated, and continues to treat, with contempt and violence.
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The history of Canada's refusal to honor nation-to-nation treaties signed with Indigenous peoples is long, shameful, and heartbreaking; enough so that from our current vantage point, it's hard for anyone to imagine anything resembling "justice" prevailing - after all, you can't rewind time, and we're talking about a couple hundred years worth of disgraceful colonial predation here. Despite this however, a recent Supreme Court ruling against Canada and the province of Ontario appears poised to force the colonizer state to honor at least one important treaty; albeit 174 years after it was signed.
Canada owes First Nations billions after making ‘mockery’ of treaty deal, top court rules
"The court decision to highlight “egregious” ways in which governments have treated their agreements with nations could have far-reaching consequences, both for the affected communities and the country.
The case centered on a treaty signed in 1850 between the British Crown and a group of Anishinaabe nations on the shores of Lakes Huron and Superior. Known as the Robinson Treaties, the agreements, covering 35,700 sq miles (92,400 sq km) of land, included a rare “augmentation clause” that promised to increase annual payments “from time to time” as the land generated more wealth – “if and when” that payment could be made without the Crown incurring a loss.
Over the next 174 years, the lands and waters covered by the deal generated immense profits for companies – and substantial revenues for the province of Ontario. But in 1874, the annuities were capped in at $4 a person and never increased.
“Today, in what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes, the annuities are distributed to individual treaty beneficiaries by giving them $4 each,” the court wrote, singling out the “shocking” figure paid to beneficiaries. “The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson Treaties.”
To be clear, and as several First Nations representatives in the article point out, the ruling is still unlikely to result in true justice. After all, the court declined to attach a settlement figure and the process of deciding how much money the country and the provinces owes will be up to the Crown, aka representatives of the government itself, as opposed to the Indigenous communities affected. Given that these same governments tried to argue that the costs of colonizing the affected region should count against the settlement (and indeed, that it meant there should be no payments made at all as such) it's hard to imagine the final numbers coming anywhere near the $126b Superior Anishinaabe First Nations has (credibly) argued they're owed.
With that having been noted however, the Robinson Treaties are not even remotely the only nation-to-nation agreements the Canadian government and its provinces have violated or ignored in Canada's long history of treaty-based colonial looting and violence. By recognizing the standing of the Superior Anishinaabe First Nations, and the clear and intentional violation of the treaty by Canada itself, it's likely that this ruling will empower other legal challenges designed to force Canadian authorities to honor its numerous other treaties in ways the nation has thus far refused to even acknowledge its legal obligation to do so. It's not justice, but the Supreme Court's ruling on the so-called Robinson Treaties may some day be remembered as the moment the dam finally broke, ushering in something at least resembling atonement and restitution for Canada's long, shameful, and tragic history of colonial exploitation and wanton criminality towards the Indigenous nations it has treated, and continues to treat, with contempt and violence.
-
The history of Canada's refusal to honor nation-to-nation treaties signed with Indigenous peoples is long, shameful, and heartbreaking; enough so that from our current vantage point, it's hard for anyone to imagine anything resembling "justice" prevailing - after all, you can't rewind time, and we're talking about a couple hundred years worth of disgraceful colonial predation here. Despite this however, a recent Supreme Court ruling against Canada and the province of Ontario appears poised to force the colonizer state to honor at least one important treaty; albeit 174 years after it was signed.
Canada owes First Nations billions after making ‘mockery’ of treaty deal, top court rules
"The court decision to highlight “egregious” ways in which governments have treated their agreements with nations could have far-reaching consequences, both for the affected communities and the country.
The case centered on a treaty signed in 1850 between the British Crown and a group of Anishinaabe nations on the shores of Lakes Huron and Superior. Known as the Robinson Treaties, the agreements, covering 35,700 sq miles (92,400 sq km) of land, included a rare “augmentation clause” that promised to increase annual payments “from time to time” as the land generated more wealth – “if and when” that payment could be made without the Crown incurring a loss.
Over the next 174 years, the lands and waters covered by the deal generated immense profits for companies – and substantial revenues for the province of Ontario. But in 1874, the annuities were capped in at $4 a person and never increased.
“Today, in what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes, the annuities are distributed to individual treaty beneficiaries by giving them $4 each,” the court wrote, singling out the “shocking” figure paid to beneficiaries. “The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson Treaties.”
To be clear, and as several First Nations representatives in the article point out, the ruling is still unlikely to result in true justice. After all, the court declined to attach a settlement figure and the process of deciding how much money the country and the provinces owes will be up to the Crown, aka representatives of the government itself, as opposed to the Indigenous communities affected. Given that these same governments tried to argue that the costs of colonizing the affected region should count against the settlement (and indeed, that it meant there should be no payments made at all as such) it's hard to imagine the final numbers coming anywhere near the $126b Superior Anishinaabe First Nations has (credibly) argued they're owed.
With that having been noted however, the Robinson Treaties are not even remotely the only nation-to-nation agreements the Canadian government and its provinces have violated or ignored in Canada's long history of treaty-based colonial looting and violence. By recognizing the standing of the Superior Anishinaabe First Nations, and the clear and intentional violation of the treaty by Canada itself, it's likely that this ruling will empower other legal challenges designed to force Canadian authorities to honor its numerous other treaties in ways the nation has thus far refused to even acknowledge its legal obligation to do so. It's not justice, but the Supreme Court's ruling on the so-called Robinson Treaties may some day be remembered as the moment the dam finally broke, ushering in something at least resembling atonement and restitution for Canada's long, shameful, and tragic history of colonial exploitation and wanton criminality towards the Indigenous nations it has treated, and continues to treat, with contempt and violence.
-
The history of Canada's refusal to honor nation-to-nation treaties signed with Indigenous peoples is long, shameful, and heartbreaking; enough so that from our current vantage point, it's hard for anyone to imagine anything resembling "justice" prevailing - after all, you can't rewind time, and we're talking about a couple hundred years worth of disgraceful colonial predation here. Despite this however, a recent Supreme Court ruling against Canada and the province of Ontario appears poised to force the colonizer state to honor at least one important treaty; albeit 174 years after it was signed.
Canada owes First Nations billions after making ‘mockery’ of treaty deal, top court rules
"The court decision to highlight “egregious” ways in which governments have treated their agreements with nations could have far-reaching consequences, both for the affected communities and the country.
The case centered on a treaty signed in 1850 between the British Crown and a group of Anishinaabe nations on the shores of Lakes Huron and Superior. Known as the Robinson Treaties, the agreements, covering 35,700 sq miles (92,400 sq km) of land, included a rare “augmentation clause” that promised to increase annual payments “from time to time” as the land generated more wealth – “if and when” that payment could be made without the Crown incurring a loss.
Over the next 174 years, the lands and waters covered by the deal generated immense profits for companies – and substantial revenues for the province of Ontario. But in 1874, the annuities were capped in at $4 a person and never increased.
“Today, in what can only be described as a mockery of the Crown’s treaty promise to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes, the annuities are distributed to individual treaty beneficiaries by giving them $4 each,” the court wrote, singling out the “shocking” figure paid to beneficiaries. “The Crown has severely undermined both the spirit and substance of the Robinson Treaties.”
To be clear, and as several First Nations representatives in the article point out, the ruling is still unlikely to result in true justice. After all, the court declined to attach a settlement figure and the process of deciding how much money the country and the provinces owes will be up to the Crown, aka representatives of the government itself, as opposed to the Indigenous communities affected. Given that these same governments tried to argue that the costs of colonizing the affected region should count against the settlement (and indeed, that it meant there should be no payments made at all as such) it's hard to imagine the final numbers coming anywhere near the $126b Superior Anishinaabe First Nations has (credibly) argued they're owed.
With that having been noted however, the Robinson Treaties are not even remotely the only nation-to-nation agreements the Canadian government and its provinces have violated or ignored in Canada's long history of treaty-based colonial looting and violence. By recognizing the standing of the Superior Anishinaabe First Nations, and the clear and intentional violation of the treaty by Canada itself, it's likely that this ruling will empower other legal challenges designed to force Canadian authorities to honor its numerous other treaties in ways the nation has thus far refused to even acknowledge its legal obligation to do so. It's not justice, but the Supreme Court's ruling on the so-called Robinson Treaties may some day be remembered as the moment the dam finally broke, ushering in something at least resembling atonement and restitution for Canada's long, shameful, and tragic history of colonial exploitation and wanton criminality towards the Indigenous nations it has treated, and continues to treat, with contempt and violence.