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Failed Expectations

Report by Justice W. A. Macdonald

In 1942, the membership rolls of many Treaty 8 bands were purged of people who, it was claimed, had benefitted from scrip prior to taking treaty. Such was the outcry that a Royal Commission under Mr. Justice W. A. Macdonald of the Supreme Court of Alberta was appointed in May 1944, to look into the matter of band membership.

The incident provides graphic evidence of the long-term impact of the work of the Scrip and Treaty Commissions in 1899, and how this work can affect the lives of Native families today.

Ref. No.: RG 10, vol. 6811, file 470-3-6

Report by Justice W. A. Macdonald

Source

Report by Justice W. A. Macdonald