Additions to Reserve Policy

“A reserve is a parcel of land where legal title is held by the Crown (Government of Canada), for the use and benefit of a particular First Nation. An Addition to Reserve (ATR) is a parcel of land added to the existing reserve land of a First Nation or that creates a new reserve” [reference].

“In 2013, during a public comment period which ran from July to October, a draft revised policy was released to seek feedback from First Nation stakeholders and the broader public on how to further improve the policy and Addition to Reserve process in general.” [reference]. Feedback from these comments resulted in the Government of Canada issuing a new policy directive, effective July 27, 2016.

Despite the 2016 policy directive, the ATR process remains unsatisfactory to First Nations groups. For example, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) made resolutions in 2010, 2012, and 2018 calling for the improvement of the federal government’s policy on ATR.