Secret Life of Canada

No, really, what IS the Royal Proclamation?!

It’s been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights — but what is it, exactly?

For one thing, it's old! It was issued by King George III on October 7, 1763

A picture of the 1763 Royal Proclamation.
The Royal Proclamation of 1763, declared by King George III, set out how inhabitants of what is now Quebec would be treated under the British and established the relationship between First Nations and the Crown. (Library and Archives Canada/Proclamation Royale, 1763/ R188, RG13-F-6)

It's been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode Falen and Leah dive into the history of the Royal Proclamation of 1793, a document that is often spoken about when discussing the history of Canada and Indigenous land rights. But what do we really know about it?

Listen to the full episode below. Listen to more episodes here, and get transcripts of our series here.

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