The Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) says it is prepared to pursue legal action after the federal government rejected its call for an increase in the $5 treaty annuity paid to its members.
The LLRIB filed the claim in February 2025, arguing the federal government has failed to adjust the annuity to maintain its purchasing power. The LLRIB said it received a response from the government on March 24, 2026 rejecting their claim.
“We are deeply disappointed by Canada’s decision to reject LLRIB’s annuities claim for negotiations under the Specific Claims Process,” LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said in a press release. “Canada recently settled annuity claims with Treaty 8 First Nations yet has not chosen to treat Treaty 6 First Nations on the same basis. This inconsistency is fundamentally at odds with the honour of the Crown and Canada’s stated commitment to reconciliation.”
Cook-Searson said LLRIB would pursue “all legal action and political avenues necessary”. She said LLRIB’s claim is about honouring Treaty commitments.
“This rejection is a significant setback for reconciliation and further undermines confidence that Canada will honour the solemn promises made through Treaty,” Cook-Searson said in a press release. “It is also a clear example of the federal government’s infringement of our Treaty and inherent rights.”
Cook-Searson said the federal government told LLRIB they do not have a lawful obligation to raise the payment, which has remained unchanged since 1876.
The annual $5 annuity payments were included in Treaty 6, which LLRIB adhered to in 1889. However, the payment totals have not been adjusted for inflation.
For example, a $5 annuity payment made in 1914 would be worth $139.50 in 2026 when adjusted for inflation.
Treaty annuity payments vary depending on which treaty a First Nation signed. For example, Treaty 9 adherents receive $4 per year, while Treaty 1-8 signatories receive $5.
In an email to the Northern Advocate, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada spokesperson Eric Head wrote that there are complex legal questions at the heart of the Treaty annuity payment issue. He said the issue is still before the courts and the Specific Claims Tribunal.
“Those processes will provide the clarity needed to determine the best path forward with treaty partners,” Head wrote.
“Treaty 6 does not set out increases to annuity payments, and Canada has been making regular payments to members of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band as required under the Treaty. For that reason, Canada has not accepted the LLRIB’s claim to increase the annuity payment and will not be pursuing a negotiated settlement.”
The LLRIB is one of several First Nations challenging Canada over Treaty annuity payments. In February, a group of Treaty 1 First Nations were in court in Winnipeg seeking to have their $5 annuity payments adjusted for inflation.
Individual band members originally received a $3 annuity payment when they signed Treaty 1 in August 1871. Those payments were increased to $5 in April 1875. The plaintiffs are seeking $11 billion in compensation.
In 2023, the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba filed a lawsuit alleging annuity payments made to Treaty 5 First Nations had not been adjusted for inflation since 1875. When the Treaty was signed, it promised to provide all members with $5 annuity payments. Chiefs were to receive $25, while band councillors received $15 and each community received $500.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
