Treaty Land and Entitlements

The federal government and First Nations signed Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 between 1871 and 1906 in the area that is now Saskatchewan. The map link below shows the areas covered by the six numbered Treaties. A key component of these Treaties is the allocation of reserve land to First Nations people.

It has been formally recognized by the provincial and federal governments that 33 Saskatchewan First Nations did not receive the amount of land they were promised under the Treaties. While First Nations and the land reserved for them are a federal responsibility under the terms of the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement, 1930 the provincial government is obligated to help fulfil the federal government's outstanding Treaty land entitlements (TLEs).

In 1992, the provincial and federal governments and 25 First Nations signed the Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement. It established a framework to address outstanding TLE obligations. Eight subsequent TLE agreements with individual First Nations have since been signed.

The TLE agreements are comprehensive. Part of the provincial government's role in implementing the TLE agreements is to ensure that any provincial third-party interests are identified and resolved prior to reserve creation.

Specific claims relate to First Nations' grievances with the federal government for not fulfilling its lawful obligations under historic treaties and/or the way it managed First Nations' funds or assets. The federal government resolves these claims by negotiating specific claim settlement agreements with First Nations. Although the provincial government is not a signatory to these agreements it works with the federal government to facilitate any additional reserve creation arising from specific claim settlement agreements that contain a land component.