In order to understand Indigenous land ownership in Canada, it’s important to first gain a basic understanding of the Indian Act.

In 1876 the Indian Act came into effect. Many First Nations assert that the Indian Act significantly undermined historical treaties.

The Indian Act pertains only to First Nations peoples, not to Inuit or Métis. It is the principal statute through which the federal government administers Indian status, local First Nations or band governments, and the management of reserve land. (For the story of how the Government of Canada exerted control over Inuit land, take our course “Modern Treaty Governments”.)

Since its inception the Indian Act has been a source of paternalistic oppression that has stripped Canada’s First Nation peoples of their rights, not only to land, but in many other respects.