What is the connection between The Indian Act and treaties?
There is no direct link between the establishment of The Indian Act and treaties. Despite this, The Indian Act played a dominant role in the lives of First Nations people and has had an impact upon the present relationship between First Nations and the Government of Canada. Before Confederation in 1867, the colonial government developed policies that guided its relations with First Nations people in what is now eastern Canada. While Indian policies had developed in eastern Canada before the numbered treaties were concluded, these policies later evolved and extended west to First Nations in the Treaty 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 territories. In 1876, all laws pertaining to “Indians and lands reserved for Indians” were considered under The Indian Act. Although it has changed over the years, The Indian Act continues to exist today.
