Canada’s federal government has spent nearly $18 billion to settle ‘specific claims’ by First Nations since 2015, including more than $7 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, a new study indicates.
Specific claims are filed by First Nations and are based on the government’s alleged violation of the Indian Act, relating to the administration of land or other assets, or the fulfilment of a treaty. These claims have been accepted by the federal government since 1974.
“Specific claims are for past treaty breaches, and as such, their number should be finite,” said Tom Flanagan, the author of the study published by the Fraser Institute on June 19. Flanagan is a Fraser Institute senior fellow and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary….