RHT Chiefs' Petition and Memorial to the Governor Gernal of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

On the 171st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty, the 21 First Nations of the Robinson Huron Treaty (RHT) are calling on Canada and Ontario to engage in honourable negotiations to fully implement the augmentation clause regarding the annuities.

The Governor General of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario are representatives of the Crown. At the Treaty Gathering, the Robinson Huron Ogimaak signed a petition addressed to Governor General Mary Simon and Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell. The petition echoes the call that the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund has made for over a decade: it is time for the Crown to act honorably in accordance with the law.

The 21 RHT First Nations have received favourable decisions in Stages One and Two of their Annuities Case litigation. Neither Canada nor Ontario has sought to stay the Stage One or Stage Two Judgments of the Superior Court. Yet to date, more than two years following the June 17, 2019, Judgment, and despite the legal obligations, declarations and determinations pronounced by the Superior Court, the annual annuity payments under the Robinson Huron Treaty have not been increased by the Crown beyond the $4.00 per person last fixed in 1875.

In fact, the Crown has taken no steps to implement the Treaty augmentation promise on a go-forward basis. While the Petitioners and Memorialists acknowledge that the quantification of past compensation is part of Stage Three of the litigation, there is no reasonable basis for the Crown’s failure to implement the augmentation promise going forward.

“With the recent announcement from the Government of Canada that they will seek negotiations, we have an unprecedented opportunity before us,” said Ogimaa Sayers, “Entering negotiations is a chance to strengthen communities in the Robinson Huron Treaty territories and a chance to move forward from unnecessary litigation in a way that benefits everyone in Ontario.”

(Full text of petition and signatures follow.)