Treaty Recognition Week - Ontario

Treaty Recognition Week in Ontario is the first week of November every year.  Treaty Recognition Week was introduced in 2016 to honour the importance of treaties and help all Ontario citizens to learn about Treaty rights and relationships.  In 2018, Treaty Recognition Week is 5-9 November 2018.

First Nations were the original occupants of this land we call Ontario. Our shared history begins around 400 years ago, when Europeans first arrived.

Treaties between the British Crown (government) and Indigenous Peoples were negotiated and signed with the intent of delivering mutual benefits. First Nations signed as independent, self-governing nations.  There are 46 Treaties in Ontario.

Despite the promise of early treaties and the respectful partnerships they established, Indigenous Peoples were targeted by colonial policies designed to exploit, assimilate and eradicate them.

Today, the Ontario government recognizes the wrongs of previous generations.  The report "Journey Together" is a plan outlining Ontario’s commitment to changing the future by rebuilding relationships based on trust and respect.  Part of that commitment includes educating all Ontarians about the role treaties play in each of our lives and in our relationships with each other.  Though they were signed more than a century ago, treaty commitments are just as valid today as they were then. Every Ontarian is a treaty person.