FNMI Timeline

  • 1839

    The Act for the Protection of the Indians in Upper Canada passed laws to protect Indian reserves, and gave enfranchisement to any male Indian over the age of 21, and able to speak, read, and write in English or French.
  • 1876

    The Indian Act was passed, meaning that many regulations were made for the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. Some examples of the many regulations are land use, health care, and education, affecting all aboriginal people.
  • 1867

    The British North America Act gave the federal government responsibility for the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, and the land they live on.
  • 1869-1870

    The Metis Red River Resistance resulted in the Manitoba Act, which specified the Metis would receive more than 500,000 hectares of land in addition to the farms they had already established.
  • 1870

    The first residential school opened, which tried to assimilate First Nations and Metis people. These schools were to attempt to remove Aboriginal children's religion, culture, and way of learning without the parent's permission
  • 1875

    In 1875, as a result of treaty 5 being signed, the Canadian government gave a 57.9 kilometer strip of land in Winnipeg to the First Nations.
  • 1875-1876

    Treaty 5 was signed in northern Manitoba between the Swampy Cree nations.This treaty took place in 1875 as well in 1876. The peoples of treaty 5 were to receive $5 once signed the treaty, as well as 160 acres of land per family
  • 1876

    Treaty six was signed at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt, which gave the First Nations and Metis more land and benefits. The main reason for this treaty being signed, was that the Europeans were taking all their buffalo for food, and they realized that if they didn't sign the treaty, they would likely starve.
  • 1894

    The government made the Unorganized Territories Game Preservation Act, which moved bison to reverses to help their species survive. However, when the wood bison and plains bison were put into a reserve, the plains bison brought diseases and infected the wood bison, making the bison population collapse in the 19th century.
  • 1896-1910

    Metis settlers established farms at St Paul des Metis, which is now known as St Paul of Alberta, however they did not have title to this land. This town is now known for its multiculturalism and french culture
  • 1899

    Treaty 8 was signed between Queen Victoria and the First Nations around the Slave Lake area, which is now known as Grouard, Alberta.
  • 2003

    The supreme court decided that the Metis have the right to hunt and fish as part of the constitution about Aboriginals. The rights that they have recognize the Metis culture and their relationship to their land.