Too often, emotion and ideology drown out fact. We hear claims that Indigenous peoples own all of Canada and that every acre of this country was stolen. That is not true, and repeating it does not make it true. The assertion rests on selective readings of history and law that ignore the foundation of our country: negotiated treaties, court rulings, and shared development built over 150 years.

Between 1871 and 1921, the Numbered Treaties covered most of Canada from Ontario to British Columbia. Those agreements, such as Treaty 1 here in Manitoba, were not casual arrangements. They were binding contracts in which Indigenous leaders ceded land in exchange for defined rights, including reserves, annuities, hunting privileges, and ongoing benefits. These are not opinions; they are legal documen

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