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Calder et al. v Attorney-General of British Columbia
  • The Calder et al. v Attorney-General of British Columbia (1973) is a famous Supreme Court of Canada decision that led to the  Comprehensive Land Claims Policy and the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (1975), which is now known as the first modern treaty.
  • This Supreme Court of Canada decision is known as the first time Indigenous land rights were recognized in Canadian law as something that existed prior to British colonization.
  • This decision came about when Frank Arthur Calder and the Nisga'a Nation presented the claim that their right to land was not lawfully extinguished by the government and they concluded that the Nisga'a still has aboriginal title over the lands.
Citation

Calder et al. v. Attorney-General of British Columbia [1973] S.C.R. 313, 1973. https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/5113/index.do

Policy Type
Supreme Court Case