Utoo Radio, April 12, 2024 The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Blood Tribe, an Alberta First Nation, is entitled to more than 420 square kilometres of additional territory under a treaty made with the Crown over a century ago. The court declared that Canada "dishonourably breached" the treaty provisions, resulting in a reserve of 1,839 square kilometres in area. The Blood Tribe had long argued that Canada did not fulfill a promise made in 1877 to set aside a reserve with an area of one square mile for each family of five people.

The court noted that the Crown recently acknowledged its breach of the land entitlement commitment but characterized the admission as an eleventh-hour concession in a protracted legal dispute.

A declaration that the Blood Tribe was entitled to more land will serve an important role in identifying the Crown's dishonourable conduct, assisting future reconciliation efforts, and helping to restore the honour of the Crown. The federal government is reviewing the decision and its effects, and the two parties are actively in negotiations on resolving this past injustice.

The Blood Tribe said it will review its options to ensure the federal government lives up to the promises made in the Blackfoot Treaty of 1877. The Supreme Court judgment underscored the "sacred nature" of binding commitments made in treaties between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples.