Robinson Huron First Nations to argue that Ontario has a fiduciary duty to increase annuities to the Supreme Court of Canada

OTTAWA (October 6, 2023) — The Government of Ontario is appealing the decision made by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2021 in the Robinson Huron Annuities Case to the Supreme Court of Canada on November 7 and 8, 2023.

Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) members and the legal team will be at the hearing to argue that the Ontario Court of Appeal’s majority were correct in upholding Justice Hennessy’s interpretation of the augmentation promise and that Ontario is obligated to increase the collective annuity.

In 2021, the Government of Ontario appealed Justice Hennessy’s Stage 1 and 2 decisions. The Stage 1 appeal focused on the interpretation of the augmentation promise, which was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA). Stage 2 dealt with Ontario’s technical defenses of limitations and Crown immunity, which were unanimously rejected by the ONCA. Ontario then submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada seeking to overturn the trial and ONCA’s decisions.

Following the hearing, Duke Peltier and Sagamok Anishnawbek Chief Angus Toulouse from the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund will be available to speak to the media about the implications of the appeal on the Robinson Huron Annuities Case and the proposed settlement of $10 billion with the Governments of Ontario and Canada that was announced earlier this year.

To watch virtually, please visit the Supreme Court website. 

If you are interested in speaking to a Robinson Huron spokesperson, please contact: media@emdashagency.ca.