11 Numbered Treaties Case Study

Treaties in Canada have always been an integral part of the history of settlement, used to define the rights of the Aboriginal peoples of this land and the right of the Canadian government to use those aforementioned lands. However, a number of arrangements between the government and the First Nations peoples they negotiated with often seemed one-sided and unfairly biased towards the former whilst subjugating the latter. Most prominent among these were the 11 Numbered Treaties, a series of contracts made between the Aboriginal peoples of the Prairies and the newly established Government of the Dominion of Canada. Although it might not seem like it now, both sides had many reasons that influenced their decisions to sign, for they all wanted the best possible deal for their futures. The Government of Canada thought that that was the ownership of the vast majority

In order for these goods to benefit the general population, settlements had to be made in the Prairie lands, in what is now known as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Many government officials viewed European homesteads on Aboriginal lands as “God’s intent”. Unfortunately for them, European settlement of the prairies could not begin until treaties were created and signed by the Aboriginal peoples that possessed the land at the time. The negotiations the two groups had over the terms of the arrangement resulted in the government accumulating the lion's share of the land, with only a little left to the peoples who had previously lived there. The acres of land given to the First Nations peoples as reserve seemed like a small price to pay for relative peace in the west, and would let Canada prevent war, which would potentially cost them over 20 million dollars per year. In this way, the numbered treaties would expand Canada’s economy, eliminate the Aboriginal people’s right to land and reduce their power, and allow Europeans to settle the