AMC Denounces Misleading Use of “Compensation” in Resource Revenue Sharing Language, Calls for Full Engagement with All First Nations
June 26, 2025
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
AMC Communications
Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) strongly rejects the characterization of provincial resource revenue sharing as “compensation,” as recently stated by the Manitoba Provincial Development Association (MPDA) in its public endorsement of the Province’s commitment to share revenues from resource extraction.
The AMC is deeply concerned by the MPDA’s language and framing, which misrepresents the nature of First Nations’ relationships to land and resources. The use of the word “compensation” implies that resource revenue sharing is a remedial gesture — a transactional payment for past harms — rather than what it must be: the recognition and affirmation of the inherent rights, title, and jurisdiction of First Nations over their territories.
“There is no compensation that can account for the generations of wealth taken from our Nations without consent,” said Grand Chief Kyra Wilson. “Revenue sharing must not be seen as a gift or a payout — it is a legal and moral obligation tied to Treaty and our inherent rights.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs calls on the Manitoba government and its partners to immediately cease using the term “compensation” when referring to resource revenue sharing with First Nations. This language diminishes the constitutional and Treaty-based rights of First Nations and reframes our jurisdiction as something that can be paid off rather than respected. Revenue sharing must be firmly grounded in recognition of First Nations’ inherent rights, title, and governance over our lands and resources. Any framework for revenue sharing must be co-developed with First Nations governments, not announced without prior engagement. To date, no comprehensive consultation has taken place with all 63 First Nations in Manitoba. A legitimate and rights-based approach requires respectful, transparent, and consent-driven processes that honour the sovereignty of each Nation — not selective outreach or unilateral commitments made public without First Nations’ leadership at the table.
The AMC will continue to assert the sovereignty of First Nations in Manitoba and demand that all governments and external organizations respect the rightful place of First Nations as full decision-makers over their lands, waters, and resources.
For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs:
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho / Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples.