Treaty negotiations have their origins in the European settlement of North America. Britain recognized that the Aboriginal people who were already living in Canada had title to the land. In fact, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 declared that only the British Crown could acquire lands from First Nations, and only by treaty.
When the Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, a place was reserved in the constitution for Aboriginal people. In most of Canada, treaties were signed which set out the rights of Aboriginal people with respect to land, hunting and fishing. In British Columbia, however, very few historical treaties were signed, leaving the door open for future disputes.
Today’s B.C. Treaty Process is an historic attempt to settle the issues of land ownership, resource management and Aboriginal self-government for the benefit of all British Columbians.
