The Canadian government is paying 1.3 billion Canadian dollars (about 960 million euros) to the country’s indigenous Sexica. Canadian media reported it. It is one of the biggest damages ever done by land confiscation.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the government took over a significant part of the territory of the Sakska.
“We are gathered here to right a wrong from the past,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the signing ceremony. Both Trudeau and Siksika president, Orai Crowfoot, signed the settlement at the ceremony. “We have come together to give ourselves a chance to rebuild trust in each other.”
In 1877 a treaty was signed, granting the lands in western Canada to the Saxeca. However, in 1910, the Canadian government reclaimed nearly half of the community’s land. The area was then sold to people who wanted to settle in the area.
“I can’t make up for the past with this arrangement, but I still hope it leads to a better future for this generation and future generations,” said Mark Miller, the minister responsible for relations with the country’s indigenous people.
In the signature, Kravot said that compensation can make a difference in the lives of people in the Sesika community, although it will not make up for past mistakes.
