JUST THE FACTS

· The average cost in claims settlements per year is $5.2 million.
· The average cost of negotiations paid by Canada each year is $2.2 million.
· The annual cost of claims settlement is 1.01 to 1.45 per cent of annual GST revenues.
· The average annual cost of claims settlement is 1.05 to 1.5 per cent of projected annual corporate tax revenues.

· In 1995/96 the department of Indian Affairs spending estimates reported that a number of cases brought to court sought damages in the millions for breach of trust and fiduciary duty. At the time, more than 450 cases were filed against INAC and the Crown with liabilities totalling more than $5 billion. There are now approximately 800 specific claims and several comprehensive claims.

· The Crown refuses to consider interest payments on longstanding losses and routinely uses stalling tactics to delay settlement, budgeting only so much per year for claims.
· A government bill passed with the effort of former Indian Affairs minister Robert Nault would raise the cap on settlements and raise the number of claims settled each year. It currently sits passed into law, but unimplemented.