KLEIN: Manitoba faces rising tide of Indigenous land claims

In recent months, I’ve been sounding the alarm on a trend that demands more attention from every Canadian who values stability, investment and the rule of law. The land-claim movement that began in places such as British Columbia is now reaching into the heart of the Prairies, and the implications for property owners and businesses are profound.

Take the recent court action by the Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation and the Dakota Tipi First Nation in southern Manitoba. They have filed a statement of claim in the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba asserting that large swaths of land and subsurface mineral rights in the region, including the rich petroleum and potash deposits of the Williston Basin – were never ceded under treaty. The document alleges governments and corporations have been oper