Misipawistik Cree Nation Chief Heidi Cook filed a Statement of Claim in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench asking the Court to order the cancellation of licensed hunting for moose in those areas of the Traditional Territory of the Misipawistik Cree Nation that encompass Game Hunting Areas 10, 15 and 15A.
Chief Cook said, “the Misipawistik Cree Nation has attempted to address moose population declines with the Province going back over 10 years, and has repeatedly informed Premier (Wab) Kinew and the Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures that we cannot meaningfully exercise our constitutionally protected Treaty right to hunt moose for food and for our support and subsistence. The Supreme Court of Canada says that we hold a ‘top priority’ over all other users to hunt moose to meet our food requirements but Manitoba knows that we have to travel to Saskatchewan to try to exercise our Treaty right to hunt for food.”
Chief Cook continued, “without consulting us or even informing us, Manitoba unilaterally amended regulations in both of 2024 and 2025 to enact a Draw for Manitoba resident moose hunting licenses in Game Hunting Areas 10, 15 and 15A even though we insisted that Manitoba cancel the licensed hunt.”
“Manitoba acknowledges its constitutional obligation to ensure that we can meaningfully exercise our Treaty right to hunt for food. Instead of working with Misipawistik to protect our vulnerable moose populations, we were shocked when Manitoba unilaterally announced on May 1, 2025 that Manitoba was actually expanding licensed moose hunting in those parts of our Traditional Territory that include Game Hunting Area 10. Minister Bushie has infringed our Treaty rights and placed the sustainability of our moose population at risk by allocating 97% of the total population of bull moose in Game Hunting Area 10 to licensed moose hunters,” added Chief Cook.
“We have asked the court to declare that the licensed hunt for moose in Game Hunting Areas 10, 15 and 15A unjustifiably infringes the meaningful exercise our acknowledged right to hunt for food, support and subsistence and to cancel the licensed moose hunt,” Chief Cook concluded.