A federal court hearing in Manitoba this week focused on a debate over how to adjudicate Treaty 4 rights.
Chief Derek Nepinak of Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation is helping spearhead this mission with a statement claiming Canada allegedly violated treaty agreements by not increasing $5 annuity payments to treaty members to account for inflation.
In a statement of defense, the federal government argued that it is not liable for any damages and only owes the annuity obligation of $5 per treaty member, as specifically written in Treaty 4.
Nepinak's lawyer, Michael Rosenberg, says a class-action suit would allow his clients to immediately bring together as many as 74,000 beneficiaries of Treaty 4.
The proposed class action is seeking $100 million in damages, an accounting and compensation for "unpaid or underpaid" annuities, and changes to the annuity agreements so that the payments reflect inflation, along with other relief.
