Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the colonial authorities in Canada contracted treaties with the native tribes, known today as the Numbered Treaties. The treaties secured land for the government of Canada in exchange for certain payments, rights, and other benefits for the tribes. For example, Treaty 4 from 1874 promises the following to the tribal signatories:
The Numbered Treaties are still in force today. I’m wondering how the monetary payments are handled, particularly in light of inflation. Back when the treaties were signed, the Canadian dollar was worth a lot more; it was also on the gold standard and so inflation was not a concern. Using the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator, we find that $1 in 1914 (the earliest date the system supports) is worth $21.62 today. So a chief’s annual payment of $25 in 1874 should have been worth at least $540 in today’s money. Certainly not enough to make one rich, but an extra $540 a year is nothing to sneeze at.
So what do those covered by Treaty 4 actually receive these days in annual payments? Is it just $25, $15, and $5 in today’s money, or have subsequent agreements/litigation indexed the original value to inflation? Do chiefs and headsmen still get a suit of clothing, and if so, who decides the style and quality of the clothes? (Can the chief walk into a department store and demand the most expensive imported business suit? Can the government instead provide a suit from the meanest sackcloth?)