Declaration

Declaration

DECLARATION OF COLLECTIVE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE
OF ANISHINAABE NATION IN TREATY 2 TERRITORY
WITH RESPECT TO OUR LANDS, WATERS AND RESOURCES

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory exercise our inherent rights granted by the Creator, recognized by our sacred Treaty;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have been resilient and resistant throughout the imposition of colonization and dispossession from our lands, waters and resources, the strength, determination and unity of the people remain strong and we will continue to exercise our Inherent Rights granted by the Creator and reaffirmed by Treaty;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory continue to promote, utilize and protect our Inherent Rights which are practiced through our cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and philosophies, and which ground our Rights to lands, waters and resources;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory continue to assert our Rights affirmed in the making of the Treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements with the Crown of Great Britain and Ireland which Canada has pledged perpetually to recognize, observe and implement;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory affirm our Nation-to-Nation relationship with the Crown and the peace and friendship with the People of Canada as being the basis for a strengthened partnership;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory stand by and renew the offer made in the Treaty to share portions of our lands, only to the depth of a plow, for the purpose of immigration and settlement in exchange for just and equitable compensation to be paid;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to require our free, prior and informed consent with regard to any decisions or actions which may affect our rights and interests;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory demand that Canada uphold the Crown’s honour by working with the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory so that our rights and interests are protected and fully accommodated at all times;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have a right not to be forced off or to be removed from our lands and waters, and where that has unfortunately occurred in the past, the right to remedies and restorations;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to exercise our responsibility to maintain and strengthen our distinctive spiritual relationship with our traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, waters and other resources and to uphold our responsibilities to our future generations;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory are entitled to a complete accounting and just and equitable compensation for those resources, which contrary to Treaty, have been extracted and removed from our territory without our consent, and we call for the restoration of our lands and waters to health and good condition;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory are entitled to access to an empowered fair, independent, impartial, open and transparent process to assist the People of Treaty 2 Territory to resolve our disputes and differences, and if necessary, to adjudicate our rights with regard to our lands, waters and resources;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to redress, by means of restitution and/or just, fair and equitable compensation for the lands, territories and resources which are ours and which have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used or damaged without our providing our consent;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of our lands, waters and resources;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of our lands, territories and other resources, and to provide our free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting our lands, waters and/or other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization, or exploitation of minerals, water or other resources;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory are entitled to have effective mechanisms for just and fair redress for any such activities and to appropriate measures being taken to mitigate adverse, environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual impact;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to the recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements concluded with Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and to have those treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements be honoured and respected;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to ensure that Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and other governments take appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to achieve respect for each and all of these rights;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to have access to financial and technical support from Canada and other governments and through international cooperation for the enjoyment of these rights;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to access and the right to obtain prompt decisions through just and fair procedures for the resolution of conflicts and disputes with Canada or other parties, as well as to effective remedies for all infringements of our individual and collective rights;

We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory have the right to have the United Nations, its bodies, and including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and specialized agencies to work with us to promote respect for and full application of the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and follow-up the effectiveness of the Declaration.

Therefore, We the Peoples of Treaty 2 Territory call upon Government of Canada and Governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan to uphold and maintain the Honour of the Crown by working collaboratively with the People of Treaty 2 Territory, in obtaining the full implementation of our collective Rights.
Signed by the Council of Chiefs of First Nations in Treaty 2 Territory, on the 29th day of August 2018.

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