Siksika Nation to receive $1.3B in land claim settlement

The Siksika First Nation sign appears in this Nov. 16, 2021 photo.

The Siksika Nation has voted to accept a $1.3 billion one-time settlement payment from the federal government over a wrongful land surrender that dates back to 1910.

About 77 per cent of nation members voted in favour of the referendum last week, with 70 per cent of eligible voter turnout, according to a news release on the Siksika Nation website.

The vote means the nation will discontinue all filed court actions relating to the land settlement.

According to nation research, in 1910 a land deal was struck by a slim majority in a rigged vote which included support of some non-nation members and even a voter who was actually dead at the time.

In a news release, Chief Ouray Crowfoot said the settlement "is not reconciliation."

"We will never be restored to the same as before these breaches took place. We lost almost half of our land base and access to ceremonial sites and our connection to the land."

Crowfoot continued to say the agreement would help move towards financial sovereignty.

Members of the nation told CTV News the situation is complicated but they see reasons to be optimistic for the future.

Adam Hoof said the land is vital for his people.

"The money does help build for the generations [that are] upcoming."

"We live one life," he said, continuing. "We have this earth. Money, its not everything, land is. The water. The air."

Faron Melting Tallow hopes future generations will not also experience the struggles he has faced.

"My only optimism right now is my children, my grandchildren hopefully they will see a better future than I ever did."

"But my hope is that everybody will be prospering sooner rather than later because this [agreement] is a thing that we've never experienced before," said Melting Tallow.

The use of the settlement funds will be entirely up to the nation.

There are approximately 8,000 members of the Siksika Nation.

The settlement will also allow the nation to buy back the land from the 1910 surrender, plus an option to "apply for up (to) 115,000 acres of land purchased by the Nation that can be added to the reserve anywhere in Alberta."

GOVERNMENT RESPONDS

Early Monday evening, a spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada responded to an email request from CTV Calgary for comment.

"The Government of Canada and Siksika First Nation have been working together toward a negotiated settlement to resolve an outstanding land claim called the 1910 Claim and other grievances outside of the courts."

"We believe that the best way to address outstanding issues is through dialogue and negotiation with partners to find shared and balanced solutions. The community approval process is a key milestone in this process."

"This settlement is a decisive step forward in our joint work to resolve this longstanding claim and to renew our relationship and advance reconciliation with Siksika First Nation."

"Questions about the vote results and the voting process and/or plans to invest or distribute its settlement funds are best addressed by Siksika First Nation."

"We remain committed to moving forward in as timely a manner as possible."