The Supreme Court of Canada has made the decision to side with the Williams Lake Indian band regarding a dispute over traditional lands.
A Thompson Rivers University Law grad who was involved in the case, Chris Albinati, says, this is an important decision not only for the band involved, but also for the rest of First Nations throughout Canada.
“So it deals with wrongdoings by the Crown, that took place prior to Canada becoming sort of, Canada as we know it, in terms of federal and provincial government.”
Albinati says, it speaks to the Crown’s broken promise that allowed settlers to move in, instead of protecting the First Nations’ lands.
“So really, what this decision means for that, is that those kind of actions that took place 160 plus years ago, can be addressed today. And that’s an important point for justice for sure.”
Albinati adds, it means the Williams Lake people can begin to deal with the next stages of compensation.