Treaty 8

Why a Treaty?

Letter from Edgar Dewdney, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, North-West Territories, to the Rt. Hon John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister and Superintendent General of the Department of Indian Affairs, 26 April 1884

"I am of the opinion that the making of a treaty may be postponed for some years, or until there is a likelihood of the country being requested for settlement purposes, JAMD, May 27/84."

This dispatch from Edgar Dewdney to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald outlined the destitute condition of First Nations north of Edmonton. The prime minister is urged to consider a treaty so that government assistance might be provided. Macdonald’s penciled reply along the left margin of the first page set federal policy on the Athabasca region for the next 15 years.

Ref. No.: RG 10, vol. 4006, file 241, 209-1

See also Aboriginal Peoples - Guide to the Records of the Government of Canada

Source

Letter from Edgar Dewdney

 

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