Treaties are agreements made between the Government of Canada, Indigenous groups and provinces and territories that define everlasting rights and obligations for all sides.
The treaty making process between Indigenous peoples and the Crown was formally established by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 following the Seven-Years-War. As European settlement and colonization began to increase, agreements needed to be made in order to ensure peaceful relations, and resource sharing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Even to this day, all Canadian citizens (Indigenous or non-Indigenous), are treaty people. Treaties are to be held with high regard, as they previously and presently influence the foundation of Canada. There isn’t much talk about Treaties in Canada and few Canadians know much or anything about them. Treaties are living agreements between First Nations and the Crown for the benefit of all people who live in treaty territory, and are recognized and affirmed in Canada’s Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
There are 46 treaties and other agreements (land purchases by the Crown) in Ontario alone, and the treaties that were previously established are still as relevant today as the day(s) that they were signed. With this being said, it is imperative that Canadians understand the foundational importance of treaties to Canadian citizens as well as the land they reside on.
(The Government of Canada webpage provides a map of the various treaties throughout Canada. It is important to note that the larger extent of what we now call Canada is treaty territory.)
The Government of Canada has made a total of 70 historic treaties in Canada signed between 1701 and 1923.
These treaties include:
- Treaties of Peace and Neutrality (1701-1760)
- Peace and Friendship Treaties (1725-1779)
- Williams Treaties (1923)
- Robinson and Douglas Treaties (1850-1854)
- The Numbered Treaties (1871-1921)
The process of creating Treaties involved both parties recognizing and securing their futures and relations with the land and resources. The history of Canada reveals that in many ways the treaty agreements have been violated through discriminating policies and practices.
Indigenous peoples have lived on the land we now call Canada for thousands of years, with their own unique cultures, identities, traditions, languages and institutions. If honored and followed correctly, Treaties can provide a framework for living together and sharing the land Indigenous peoples originally occupied. The agreements in the Treaties provide foundations for ongoing cooperation and partnership as we move forward together to advance reconciliation.
View active treaties and First Nations in Ontario:
