The Pasqua First Nation is locked in a legal battle with the federal and provincial governments over what it alleges is a violation of the Treaty Land Entitlement agreement.

The band says the province refused its application to select about 2,400 acres in southwestern Saskatchewan under the TLE agreement but later granted access to some of these lands to a third party.

Pasqua Chief Todd Peigan says as part of the TLE framework, the province should have first consulted with First Nations before granting access to a third party.

“The damage we are seeking is because we have been on those five that they sold privately,” said Chief Peigan. “(The government) has an obligation before they make any lands available for sale to consult with the TLE First Nations.”

The area of land is home to K + S Potash’s Legacy Project.