The national conversation on confederation-era treaties, and their neglect by Canada, is long overdue. Gina Starblanket and Dallas Hunt make this clear in the Yellowhead Institute Special Report, The Numbered Treaties, COVID-19 & the Politics of Life. While they discuss healthcare and mutual aid specifically, there is so much misinterpretation and misunderstanding around treaties generally. This annotation of a Numbered Treaty reveals the difference in expectations between settlers and First Nations, and the violences that have accompanied the enforcement of a very narrow interpretation of treaties. This narrow interpretation excludes First Nation perspectives but endures into contemporary policy and law.
