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Canada’s treaty relationship with Indigenous peoples is in crisis — not because Canadians don’t care, but because the way we currently honour those obligations is dysfunctional, opaque, and increasingly divisive. The federal government now spends nearly $24 billion per year on Indigenous services, up from about $13 billion in 2019–20, according to the Auditor General of Canada (OAG report). Yet outcomes in many communities have barely moved. Infrastructure failures persist. Unsafe drinking water advisories continue. And trust on all sides is eroding.

We are reaching a dangerous moment: if nothing changes, Canadians may not merely resent the system — they may begin to reject treaty obligations altogether. That would be a national disaster, morally and politically. We need a new approach that is fair, transparent, and results-driven.

So here is a trial balloon: a voluntary, 100-year “Treaty Modernization Agreement” that pays out treaty obligations in a structured, accountable, measurable way — while helping Indigenous communities build long-term economic sovereignty instead of permanent dependency.

This isn’t abolition. It isn’t assimilation. It’s modernization — and it might be the only path that prevents a complete breakdown of goodwill in the decades ahead.

A Simple Vision: A Century of Commitment, Delivered Honestly

Imagine treaties not as open-ended entitlement but as a 100-year contract: transparent funding, rising early when needs are greatest, tapering later as communities grow stronger.

Here’s what such a plan could look like:

1. A Guaranteed Base Payment for All Members

Every band member would receive an annual $1,000–$2,000 inflation-adjusted payment, routed directly to individuals. But band governments must publish transparent financial reports — online, accessible, and clear — to unlock the full amount. This is basic fiscal hygiene, not paternalism.

2. Bonuses for Measurable Success

Communities that achieve agreed-upon goals — clean water for all residents, higher high-school graduation rates, better youth employment, successful community-run businesses — would receive up to 50% more funding.

These aren’t colonial metrics. They’re Indigenous success metrics already visible in places like:

• Osoyoos Indian Band, known for its award-winning winery and economic diversification
• Fort McKay First Nation, where resource partnerships have delivered 98% employment
• Westbank First Nation, a leader in self-government and transparent governance

Evidence shows what works. This plan would reward it.

3. Safeguards Against Corruption and Waste

If independent audits or RCMP investigations uncover mismanagement, community-level funding temporarily drops to the guaranteed base. Proven diverted funds would go straight to families, bypassing leaders.

This isn’t punitive. It’s protection — for ordinary Indigenous citizens who suffer most when money disappears into bureaucratic fog.

4. A 100-Year Sunset (With Renewal)

The agreement would run from 2025 to 2125. In that century, Canada commits to fulfilling treaty obligations through:

• Upfront investment in infrastructure
• Predictable annual payments
• Transparent reporting
• Bonuses for success

At 2125, the arrangement can be renewed voluntarily. Nothing is extinguished. But nothing drifts forever, either.

5. Indigenous-Led Oversight

A new Indigenous-majority Treaty Accountability Commission would handle:

• auditing
• performance metrics
• transparency
• dispute resolution

This keeps Ottawa honest — something many Indigenous leaders rightly insist upon.

Why Change Is Necessary: The Status Quo Is Failing Everyone

Canada’s existing system is massively expensive, poorly coordinated, and shockingly ineffective.

Billions Spent, Little Progress

The Auditor General has repeatedly found that Indigenous Services Canada has not made satisfactory progress on key issues like health services, emergency management, or infrastructure (OAG report).

Even after years of promises, long-term drinking water advisories remain. In 2024, ISC acknowledged 28 active long-term advisories still affecting 26 communities (ISC report).

Procurement Concerns and Fraud Risks

Federal documents show ongoing concerns about weak verification of Indigenous procurement claims and ongoing vulnerability to fraud in contracting (ISC procurement update). Even ISC itself acknowledges that better integrity controls are needed.

Systemic Fragmentation

Parliamentary debates and committee reports consistently point out that treaty and program obligations are scattered across many federal departments, creating delay, duplication, and confusion (House of Commons debate).

In other words: no one is truly accountable.

Political Backlash Is Growing

Many Canadians are becoming skeptical about endless spending that produces weak results. This is dangerous. Without reform, public support for treaties — already strained — could collapse. That would harm Indigenous peoples first and most, and invite an ugly political reaction.

We must fix the system while we still have the national goodwill to do it.

Addressing Indigenous Concerns Honestly

A plan of this scale cannot be imposed. It must be voluntary and co-developed.

“Are you sunsetting treaty rights?”

No.
Treaty rights under Section 35 remain intact. This is a modernization of the cash obligation, not a constitutional extinguishment.

“Are bonuses a colonial imposition?”

No.
The performance indicators would be co-designed with Indigenous nations. Many First Nations already track their Community Well-Being Index and publish governance data. This rewards success on their terms.

“Can we trust Ottawa?”

Not without structural reform — which is exactly why this plan builds in Indigenous-majority oversight and transparent fund-tracking.

“Will this require more legal work?”

Yes. Much more.
Legislative design, oversight creation, financial modelling, and treaty-by-treaty negotiation will take years. But the alternative — drifting deeper into dysfunction — is far worse.

Why a 100-Year Plan Is the Only Sustainable Path

A century may sound long. But the truth is that the current system is infinite — infinite spending, infinite dependency, infinite frustration.

A 100-year Treaty Modernization Agreement offers:

• certainty for taxpayers
• predictability for Indigenous communities
• transparency for everyone
• a path toward long-term economic sovereignty

Most importantly, it reduces the risk that rising resentment will one day lead Canadians to reject treaties entirely. That would be catastrophic.

A modern, accountable, results-based agreement is not abandonment — it’s the opposite. It’s a chance to finally make good on Canada’s commitments, in a way that improves outcomes and preserves national unity.

If Indigenous communities want self-determination, and Canadians want accountability, then this is the kind of bold, honest conversation we need to start having.

Final Thought

We can either keep drifting toward mutual bitterness, or we can build a transparent, predictable 100-year plan that lifts communities up and restores trust.

This proposal is a trial balloon — not a final blueprint. It requires co-development, legal negotiation, financial modelling, and a lot of listening.

But doing nothing is no longer an option. Canada needs a sustainable treaty future. Indigenous peoples deserve real results. And our children deserve a country where reconciliation means something more than hashtags and hollow spending.

This is a way forward. It’s not perfect. But it’s a start — and we desperately need one.