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Aboriginal people have been petitioning for a land settlement in eastern Ontario since 1772. Reaching a final resolution is complicated by conflicting claims to ownership and questions about the legitimacy of Algonquins of Ontario. That group contains only one Algonquin band and is made up primarily of non-status individuals who have established a claim to Algonquin heritage.

Four Algonquin First Nations in Ontario are challenging the group’s claim, saying it overlaps almost 900,000 acres of their territory. Algonquins in Quebec have argued they should be entitled to compensation for the Ontario land because pre-colonial Algonquin lands were not restricted by provincial borders. There is also opposition to the tentative deal benefiting non-status Indians.

These are reasonable concerns, but the Algonquins of Ontario deal doesn’t extinguish the right of other Algonquins to seek settlement for their claims to the same territory, a spokesman for the group says.

The Algonquins of Ontario are getting closer to a settlement because they have done the hard work required to make a deal. Other aboriginal groups would be wise to join them. The federal and Ontario governments are keen to make deals with aboriginal people and there is value in settling this claim once and for all. That’s useful leverage for all aboriginal groups.

For non-aboriginal Canadians, a settlement brings not only fairness but an end to the uncertainty created by unsettled land claims. Getting there won’t be cheap, but going through the same process three times over the same land is not attractive. Everyone needs to do the work necessary to get all the players to the table.