The Blood Tribe has won a land claim dispute with the federal government.
A federal court judge ruling Wednesday that the Canadian government breached Treaty 7 when the reserve’s boundaries were drawn.
The ruling finds that based on its population in the 1880s, the Blood Tribe was entitled to 710 square miles of land not the 547.5 square miles it received.
Compensation discussions to address the lost land will be held at a later date though the federal government does have 30 days to appeal Wednesday’s decision.
In a press release, the Blood Tribe says “The Blood Tribe Council wishes to thank the many people that supported this Claim through the years, including the many Elders who have provided evidence at both the Indian Claims Commission hearings and the Federal Court, the Society members, the Chief and Councillors who never gave up, the Blood Tribe members who participated in the Blockade and the run to Ottawa, the technicians that worked on the claim, the legal team of Walsh LLP and the Elders who have passed on without seeing this result but continued to give us strength throughout.”
The land claim was first filed in federal court in 1980.