Office of the Treaty Commissioner

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Office of the Treaty Commissioner We Are All Treaty People The Office continued its work in Treaty land entitlement and education until its mandate expired in March 1996.

In 1989, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians and the Government of Canada created the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) with a five-year mandate to provide recommendations in the areas of Treaty land entitlement and education. The OTC played a vital role in the signing of the Treaty land entitlement agreements between 28 First Nations and the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan. With the conclusion of the original OTC mandate, the FSIN and Canada seized the opportunity to renew the Office of theTreaty Commissioner under a new mandate. The Honourable Judge David M. Arnot was appointed Treaty Commissioner for a ten-year period by an Order of the Governor in Council signed by the Governor General of Canada effective January 1, 1997. Following a brief closure of the OTC, the office was back up and running in the summer of 2007 under the leadership of the Honourable Bill McKnight. OTC Mission Statement

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC), an independent body, will serve as the primary mechanism to coordinate and facilitate a bilateral process between Government of Canada and the Federation of Saskatchewan Nations to achieve a common understanding on Treaties No. 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 in Saskatchewan. The OTC will assist the Parties in understanding the relationship building process inherent in the Treaties and promoting that relationship amongst all Canadians. The OTC is committed to coordinating the research, initiating, facilitating and supporting of initiatives aimed at achieving First Nations economic independence in the context of Treaty in a modern environment. The OTC is committed to coordinating independent and focused research on Treaty issues to assist the Parties. The OTC is committed to engaging in public information and public awareness programming to educate and advance good relations among all the peoples of Saskatchewan on Treaty issues. OTC Vision

The Government of Canada and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations will have a common understanding on Treaties No. 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 in the Province of Saskatchewan. OTC Values Commitment

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner is committed to the values of
Neutrality
Honesty
Integrity
Respect
Fairness
Accountability
Open Communication

This year was the 150th Anniversary of the Treaty Six Signing, which was extra special and historic with the visiting of...
10/22/2026

This year was the 150th Anniversary of the Treaty Six Signing, which was extra special and historic with the visiting of the original parchment coming out of the archives to be seen by the public and to visit the territory for the first time since it was signed.

Since its initial signing, the document has been held in Gatineau, Quebec with the Library and Archives of Canada Preservation Society.

“I think that it’s so important that we bring the original Treaty Six text back to the people, back to our communities to help us not only to remember, but to affirm our understanding of treaties and our understanding of the spirit and intent of the treaties, what they represent, (and) the importance they hold,” said Research Assistant at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner Eli Worme.

“It’s important that the spirit and intent that is talked about, the way we talk about treaty relationships, is reflected here in these original documents. You can see them and you can see that vision that was laid out and the vision that our ancestors had, and I think that vision is still here today.”

Read the full story at the Prince Albert Daily Herald paherald.sk[dot]ca/150-year-anniversary-brings-out-treaty-six-original-parchment-for-viewing-and-a-visit-back-to-the-territory/

Krystle Silverfox spends her days taping the back of 286 documents that record her mother's early life.Silverfox, an eas...
10/22/2026

Krystle Silverfox spends her days taping the back of 286 documents that record her mother's early life.

Silverfox, an east-Vancouver raised artist now based in Whitehorse, then redacts her mother's foster-care files by beading carefully over the personal or traumatic information contained on each page.

"I tape the back so that way it ... doesn't just rip apart easy," said Silverfox, a member of Selkirk First Nation in Yukon.

"I see beadwork as a way to convey care and, like, putting things together."

Read more about the project at CBC Indigenous cbc[dot]ca/news/indigenous/krystle-silverfox-artist-sixties-scoop-beading-9.7386937

Join the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and the Western Development Museum for a youth led conversation. Learn the im...
10/21/2026

Join the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and the Western Development Museum for a youth led conversation. Learn the importance of Treaty education and why it is every Saskatchewan resident’s obligation to learn and understand Treaty.

Details in the poster

Two Saskatchewan authors are among five finalists for the 2026 Scotiabank Giller Prize, earning national recognition for...
10/18/2026

Two Saskatchewan authors are among five finalists for the 2026 Scotiabank Giller Prize, earning national recognition for novels that explore Indigenous identity, family history and the lasting effects of Canada’s past.

Regina-based Métis author Tara Gereaux was shortlisted for "Wild People Quiet", while Michelle Good, a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation and an Order of Canada recipient, earned a place for "Eliza Sunshine".

The winner will receive $100,000 when the prize is awarded in Toronto on Nov. 16. The other four finalists will each receive $10,000.

Read the full story on Sask Today
sasktoday[dot]ca/provincial-news/two-saskatchewan-authors-bring-indigenous-history-to-giller-prize-shortlist-12886937

While most residential schools across Canada were shut down in the 1970s and 80s, Saskatchewan was home to the final ins...
10/17/2026

While most residential schools across Canada were shut down in the 1970s and 80s, Saskatchewan was home to the final institutions still operating in the country. Residential schools like Gordon Indian Residential School and Muscowequan Indian Residential School were running through much of the 1990s, leaving a generation of Survivors whose memories are still vivid from one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history.

In an ongoing series, Eagle Feather News is giving space for survivors of the Last Generation to share their experiences at residential school – in their own words.

Read their stories at Eagle Feather News
eaglefeathernews [dot] com/2026/10/12/the-last-generation-survivors-share-stories-from-canadas-final-chapter-of-residential-schools-2/

A new book sharing the history of the Chacachas Treaty Nation was launched this month. It’s filled with inspiring storie...
10/16/2026

A new book sharing the history of the Chacachas Treaty Nation was launched this month. It’s filled with inspiring stories of their Elders, leaders and citizens who have persevered for generations despite the many obstacles put in place by colonial practices and processes.

Our kēhtē-ayak remind us that Treaty is written in our lands, in our shared histories, languages, songs, ceremonies, traditions and laws and so our Treaty histories remain strong and alive.

By bridging the oral and the written, we confront the silencing and erasure of Treaty histories from mainstream education systems and help create a common understanding of Treaty grounded in truth.

The Lost Reserve: The Taking and Remaking of the Chacachas Treaty Nation, co-authored by historian Dr. Kenton Storey and the Chacachas Treaty Nation (with a foreword by Chief Charlie Bear) draws on extensive 150-year oral history and archival documents to provide readers with the truth of its Treaty history.

Read more https://otc.ca/the-lost-reserve/

Photos provided by Jimi Leigh Kinistino, WÂHKÔHTOWIN MEDIA.

Join the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and the Western Development Museum for a youth led conversation. Learn the im...
10/15/2026

Join the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and the Western Development Museum for a youth led conversation. Learn the importance of Treaty education and why it is every Saskatchewan resident’s obligation to learn and understand Treaty.

Happening on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

“We’re gonna take you home now.”Those were okimâw (Chief) Cory Dustyhorn’s words when he first touched the tipi cover co...
10/15/2026

“We’re gonna take you home now.”

Those were okimâw (Chief) Cory Dustyhorn’s words when he first touched the tipi cover connected to his great-great-great-grandfather, sîpiskwêsîkan.

After a century away from Kawacatoose First Nation, the ancestral item has returned to the Cree community.

Community and family members gathered around the tipi cover after it was brought back from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

They prayed over it and welcomed it home.

“When I first touched it, I just felt so emotional,” Dustyhorn said.

“I was thinking of all those that are gone on before me.”

Read the full story at IndigiNews
indiginews[dot]com/news/ancestral-tipi-cover-kawacatoose-first-nation/

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner was saddened to hear of the death of Morley Maier.Morley, alongside his wife Paula...
10/14/2026

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner was saddened to hear of the death of Morley Maier.

Morley, alongside his wife Paula, was among the six founding members who launched the Treaty Land Sharing Network. They hosted a TLSN gathering at their farm south of Yorkton in 2023, hand-delivering invitations to neighbouring farmers, First Nations, the Yorkton Tribal Council, and even the mayor.

“For Morley, welcoming people to the farm for whatever they needed, be it medicines or ceremonial sites, was the very least that the Treaty Land Sharing Network could be,” said a statement from the TLSN.

Morley and Paula contributed to Treaty Education, presenting at the OTC Treaty Learning Journey Conference in Yorkton in 2025. He was open-minded, kind, and dedicated to the work at the core of reconciliation, relationship building.

The OTC offers condolences to the family, friends, and community of Morley.

Address

303-2555 Grasswood Road East
Saskatoon, SK
S7T1C8

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+13062442100

Website

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