The history of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation in this territory begins around 1700 when they moved into southern Ontario from their former homeland north of Lake Huron. The Mississaugas are a branch of the greater Ojibwa Nation, one of the largest native groups in Canada.
The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation are signatories to the Williams Treaties. These treaties involved the surrender of the last large portion of the territory in the southern regions of Ontario that had not been given up to government. First Nation leaders and community members entered into these negotiations to address the issue of settlers encroaching on their traditional lands. Instead, the outcomes of these treaties were continued injustices against the First Nations including insufficient compensation, inadequate reserve lands, and the inability to freely exercise harvesting rights.
On October 29, 2012, in a case brought by the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nations, Canada and Ontario took the position at trial that harvesting rights associated with pre-confederation treaties signed by the First Nations were not intended to be surrendered in 1923 with the signing of the Williams Treaties. This position recognizes the Williams Treaties people’s constitutionally protected harvesting rights and means Williams Treaties harvesters are able to exercise rights in line with those of other treaty people in most of Ontario.
In June 2018, the Williams Treaties First Nations ratified the Williams Treaties Settlement Agreement with Canada and Ontario This agreement aims to reconcile some of the injustices of the Williams Treaties by recognizing pre-existing treaty harvesting rights for First Nations members, compensating the First Nations who were unfairly compensated in the original treaties, adding additional reserves lands. This settlement also involved formal apologies from the governments of Canada and Ontario for the harmful impacts of the Williams Treaties.
