Sask. portraying 'totally false' depiction of Crown Land auction sales, groups say
CTV
With the auction sale of Saskatchewan’s Crown Lands continuing, multiple groups are questioning if the government’s processes go too far.
With the auction sale of Saskatchewan’s Crown Lands continuing, multiple groups are questioning if the government’s processes go too far.
Among those questioning are Chief Matthew Peigan of Pasqua First Nation.
Peigan understands the processes as his Indigenous nation sold off portions of its own Crown Land Entitlements in 2008. Since then, Peigan said the nation have acquired one quarter section of land and are in discussion for another one quarter section.
“The province has created a process called ‘public auctions’ and our opinion and our view — when you bring something to auction, you’re looking at disposing it and now you become a willing seller, basically,” Peigan said.
Peigan added that by doing this process, it stops the Indigenous nation from purchasing the lands based on the Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement.
“A First Nation could acquire Crown Lands based on a willing seller or willing buyer, the province is refusing to fulfill that agreement [by] telling the Frist Nation that if they want to acquire those lands, they have to enter into a general auction,” Peigan explained.
He said that new processes like mineral auctions are also in violation of treaty, along with Crown Land lease auctions.
