Indigenous rights

Indigenous rights include the practices, traditions, and customs that existed among Indigenous peoples prior to the arrival of or colonization by European settlers, including picking berries, hunting, and fishing. While these rights are maintained by some Indigenous people who continue to live on the land of their ancestors and pursue their way of life, several colonial and federal policies, such as the establishment of reserves and residential schools, have undermined them. The Constitution Act of 1982 recognized Indigenous peoples’ ancestral and treaty rights. Since 1973 the government has been addressing outstanding issues and pending litigation through a comprehensive land claims process.