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A northern Alberta First Nation is suing the federal government to increase its annual treaty annuity payments.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam says the $5 his members receive every year is an amount that’s stuck in 1899, when Treaty 8 was signed.
The payments date back to the signing of treaties across the country more than a century ago and were meant to provide assistance to First Nations members.
Depending on the treaty, annuity payments made to First Nations members across Canada total either $4 or $5, and have never increased.
In a news release Wednesday, Adam said Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation’s ancestors signed Treaty 8 with the expectation the benefits would continue for generations and not lose value over time.
“Treaty promises must remain meaningful, and it is not meaningful when a promise made in 1899 is still being paid at 1899 values,” Adam said.
“This case is about keeping promises.”
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First Nations across Canada, including other Treaty 8 signatories, have also launched legal challenges over the payment amount in recent years, and in 2023 Ottawa and the Ontario government reached a $10-billion settlement with 21 First Nations in that province.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation isn’t seeking damages for alleged underpayment for the past 127 years, but in a statement of claim filed Tuesday in Edmonton it says it wants the annuity program modernized to deliver meaningful help.
The claim notes the purchasing power of $5 has declined significantly since the treaty was signed and that there was never any mention of inflation when it was being negotiated.
One online calculator pegs $5 in 1899 to be worth roughly $200 in today’s cash.
“The benefits promised under Treaty 8 must have real value for First Nations people today and for generations to come,” Adam said.
The Crown-Indigenous Relations department said it was aware of the lawsuit but that it was unable to comment further because the matter is before the courts.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
