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OPINION: ‘Cows and plows’ settlement over a broken Indigenous treaty shows the urgent need for more transparent governance

Members of the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (TTR) in Manitoba recently voted to ratify the Treaty 4 Agricultural Benefits Settlement Agreement. This cows-and-plows settlement is a step toward rectifying historical wrongs. The process has also highlighted several ongoing governing challenges. This includes exposing a flawed Crown/Indigenous consultation process as well as the need for trust-building with Indigenous leadership.









Terry Lerat at Indigenous Producers Panel, AIM 2024. Photo: Ed White

First Nations should demand at-market lease rates: Lerat

First Nations need to stop leasing out their land to non-Indigenous farmers for below-market prices, says farmer and band councillor Terry Lerat of Cowessess First Nation in south-central Saskatchewan. Instead, bands should be getting every penny they can for the farmland they own and using that money to get themselves back into farming.