Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation receives advance payment for specific claim regarding Treaty 22 and 23 land surrenders

HAGERSVILLE, ON, March 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada remains committed to improving relationships with Indigenous Peoples and working with them to advance their rights. Working collaboratively to support First Nations priorities shows how seriously Canada takes renewing of relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

Today, Ogimaa-Kwe (Chief) Claire Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced an agreement in which Canada will make an advance payment of $30M to be applied against a future resolution of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation's Treaty 22 and Treaty 23 specific claim.

Canada and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation have been in negotiations to resolve this specific claim since 2022. The claim dates back to 1820 when Canada failed to protect the interests of the First Nation in the surrender and sale of 10,940 acres of the First Nation's reserve land within Treaties 22 and 23.

Innovative approaches including the Specific Claims Advance Payment Framework allow more timely access to compensation for First Nations to address historical wrongs at an earlier stage in the specific claims process. They also demonstrate the Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to reconciliation and advancing First Nation rights to self-determination, including under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  

The Government of Canada believes that the best way to address outstanding specific claims and advance reconciliation with First Nations is through negotiation and dialogue. Negotiated settlements help address past wrongs, honour treaty and legal obligations, and renew relationships with First Nations for the benefit of all people living in Canada.

Quotes

"Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation see this Advance Payment as a good-faith gesture by Canada, and as evidence of its seriousness to finally settle this 205-year-old Land Claim. Negotiations are making good progress, and it is our hope that a final agreement can be reached, that can be voted on by our Membership, late this year or in early 2026."

Ogimaa-Kwe Claire Sault
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation

"As we celebrate this advance payment agreement, we reaffirm Canada's commitment to addressing past wrongs. This agreement enables the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to access settlement funds earlier on in the specific claims process. It is our hope that this will create new opportunities to move forward together in the spirit of respect and partnership."

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Quick facts

• From April 1, 2020 to Feb. 21, 2025, 213 claims have been resolved for close to $13.17 billion in compensation.
• From April 1, 2024 to Feb. 21, 2025, 56 claims were resolved for $5.25 billion in compensation.
• Working in partnership with First Nations, Canada has resolved over 760 specific claims since 1973.
• The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation is located in Southern Ontario. Its Territory extends from the Rouge River Valley westward across to the headwaters of the Thames River, down to Long Point on Lake Erie, and then followed the shoreline of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and Lake Ontario until arriving back at the Rouge River Valley.
• The First Nation occupies, controls and exercises stewardship over approximately 3.9 million acres of lands, waters, and resources.
• The Mississaugas of the Credit has a registered population of 2,848 members as of January 31, 2025.

Associated links

• Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
• Specific Claims

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For more information, media may contact: Victoria Dreyer, Manager of Communications and Engagement, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, 905-768-7469, [email protected]; Gregory Frame, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, [email protected]