‘Living document’: 150 years of Treaty 6 marked with historic, future considerations

Exactly 150 years after the signing of Treaty 6, First Nations leaders, provincial and national dignitaries and those who live on Treaty 6 territory gathered at Fort Carleton Provincial Park to mark the anniversary of the agreement in the same place it began.

Treaty 6 was first signed on Aug. 23, 1875 and 6 covers most of today’s central Saskatchewan and Alberta. The agreement was the sixth of 11 treaties signed after Confederation by representatives of the Crown and First Nations chiefs.

On Sunday, dignitaries, First Nations leaders and hundreds of attendees paid tribute to the signing of the treaty.

Read more:

• Politicians, dignitaries and Indigenous leaders to mark 150th anniversary of Treaty 6
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• Treaty 6 marks 150 years as Fort Carlton hosts four-day commemoration 

Various Treaty 6 leaders spoke throughout Sunday’s ceremony, including Chief Christine Longjohn of Sturgeon Lake First Nation.

“Many treaty promises have yet to be fulfilled and implemented. Our people continue to face serious inequities in healthcare, housing, education, and infrastructure,” Longjohn said, speaking to those in attendance. “Too often, our nations are still fighting for what our ancestors believed (the) treaty had already protected.

“So, these four days cannot be only about looking back. They must also be about looking forward.”

National chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse, referenced the current trade climate between Canada and the United States.

“It is also appropriate that we are gathered here today, united, as we all face threats and economic disruption,” she stated. “Treaty relationships are as important now as they have ever been. So let me begin by saying that the AFN, of course, stands with Canada against the U.S. president’s illegal tariffs and threats, which threaten all of us.”

Woodhouse said the treaties require mutual respect and recognition, partnership and sharing to ensure no one is left behind.

“There is no expiration date on our treaties, but there is unfinished business,” she said.

In his remarks during the ceremony at Fort Carlton Provincial Park on Aug. 23, Premier Scott Moe shared that a commemorative monument to mark the occasion had been set to be unveiled, however it was not ready in time for an official opening by Sunday. Instead, Moe and First Nations leaders shared a rendering of a metal tee pee with 14 commemorative plaques surrounding it. Moe said the monument will open in the near future.

Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour is presented with a starblanket at Fort Carleton during the Treaty 6 150 celebrations on Aug. 23, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

The Premier said it is important for the province, every level of government and individuals to “really value and act on the spirit of the treaty, each and every day, in everything we do. Act on that intent to, you know, to come together and to make tomorrow better for everyone, regardless of where you live and whether you be Indigenous or non-Indigenous.

“Across this province and across this nation, we are seeing many positive steps forward, but there’s more work to do as well,” Moe stated.

Canada’s Governor General Louise Arbour travelled to be present for the anniversary event. Speaking on Sunday, she remarked that a treaty “is the enduring framework of a relationship rooted in mutual respect, a sacred and solemn agreement to be nurtured so that the peoples of this land could live in harmony and resolve disputes peacefully.”

She said Treaty 6 recognized a “sacred relationship with the land, the waters and the living things” and “sought to protect the Indigenous ways of life across this vast territory,” which was intended to be a generational promise.

“History unfortunately tells a very different story. Your ancestors were too often denied the justice, dignity, and respect to which they were entitled,” Arbour said, speaking to First Nations people and leaders in attendance.

“Colonization gave rise to some of the darkest chapters in Canadian history, including the failure to uphold treaty commitments and the profound harm caused by the residential school system.”

Recalling her own education, learning about those parts of Canadian history, Arbour shared she found it “painful” and “deeply unsettling,” after growing up “largely unaware of this reality.”

“My predecessor, the Right Honorable Mary Simon, reminded us that reconciliation is a shared responsibility, and it is a lifelong commitment. It begins with listening and with empathy. It requires sustained dialog and concrete actions from all Canadians. It is a collective journey, one that I’m committed to helping advance,” Arbour promised.

Prince Albert Grand Council chief Brian Harlotte noted the importance of the enduring impact of Treaty 6.

“It’s not something that you celebrate like the speaker said, like every 50 years,” he said.

Chief Joyce McLeod of Montreal Lake Cree Nation added the importance of understanding there are multiple treaties covering what is now Canada and considering the greater impact of these treaties as a whole.

About Treaty 6

The treaties cover most of present-day Ontario, the entirety of the prairie provinces and northeast British Columbia, most of the Northwest Territories and the southeast corner of Yukon.

First Nations leaders maintain the treaties were about sharing and preserving their land, as well as working to keep their hunting grounds, languages and general way of life, whereas the documents themselves say First Nations who signed the treaties “ceded” their claim to certain portions of land.

About 50 First Nations are part of the treaty. Nine chiefs initially signed the document, including Chief Mistawasis, Chief Ahtahkakoop and Chief James Smith.

The terms of Treaty 6 included a famine clause, committing the Crown to provide support for First Nations dealing with famine; a medicine chest clause, that requires the Crown to have a medicine chest in the home of each federal government agent working on or near a reserve, which is understood to be a commitment to health care; and a Crown promise to maintain schools on reserve.

Five dollars annually was pledged to every First Nations member, along with $1,500 annually in twine, ammunition and some farming and carpentry equipment. Annually, chiefs were to receive a salary of $25 and every three years, each chief was to receive a “suitable suit of clothing.” Each band was also promised six cows, four oxen, two female pigs, a bull and a boar.

–with files from The Canadian Press