Why did the Canadian government negotiate treaties with First Nations in the western territories during the 1870s?

The Canadian government negotiated the Numbered Treaties with First Nations in the 1870s primarily to secure legal title to western lands for settlement and to avoid the violent conflicts that had characterized expansion elsewhere.12

Key motivations included:

• Legal Precedent: Following the Proclamation of 1763, the government recognized that it was legally required to negotiate with Indigenous nations to establish the right to settle newly annexed regions, rather than simply seizing them.1
• Prevention of Violence: Legislators were acutely aware of the high human and financial costs of interethnic conflicts occurring in the United States and elsewhere in the British Empire. They viewed diplomatic resolution as a way to ensure settler safety and prevent the types of uprisings seen in the American Midwest.13
• Indigenous Agency: First Nations leaders were also motivated to negotiate. They recognized that armed resistance was not a viable long-term strategy for maintaining sovereignty, especially as they observed the hardships faced by Indigenous peoples in the United States who had resisted white expansion. By negotiating, they sought to secure enduring legal rights, reserves, and ongoing support in the form of annuities, health care, and education.123