Wilfrid Laurier and Indigenous people

One of the issues covered in the discussions between Indigenous people and the government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier was land ownership rights in the Canadian west. During the frantic race to that part of the country at the turn of the 20th century, balancing white interests with those of Indigenous communities had enormous consequences for the latter, which suffered serious negative effects on their cultures and ways of life. Sharing the common assumptions of their day, the members of Laurier’s cabinet aimed to cut costs in the administration of the Department of Indian Affairs and facilitate surrender of reserve lands; Indigenous people across the country were persuaded or coerced into giving up thousands of acres of land. Treaties No.8, No.9, and No.10 were concluded, which brought Indigenous people under administrative control of the Canadian government in what is now a large part of northern Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, as well as part of the southern Northwest Territories. In response, Indigenous groups organized movements to defend rights recognized by treaties, protested against various government practices, and, in 1906, sent a delegation to England to meet King Edward VII.