After years of waiting, Anishinabe Algonquin Nation gets its own space in the Parliamentary Precinct

Members of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation — whose unceded land is now the home of Canada's Parliament — are officially getting their own dedicated space across from Centre Block after years of advocacy and tensions.

A signing ceremony took place in Ottawa Wednesday between the leaders of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation — a collection of First Nations in western Quebec and Ontario — and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree to establish the nation's new permanent presence in the Parliamentary precinct.

«This agreement signifies Canada's commitment to us, the host nation, and it feels really good,» said Grand Chief Savanna McGregor of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council.

The deal marks a turning point in the federal government's relationship with the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation, which has long fought for recognition.

Anandasangaree said the agreement binds the government and any future governments to transferring the land to the Algonquin.

«This is a monumental moment for both of our nations,» he said.

«This is Canada giving back and returning to the rightful owners, the Anishinabe Algonquin people, their lands.»

The site of the new Algonquin building is just a parking lot right now. But over the next few years, it will be transformed into a place to celebrate Algonquin culture.

It's located beside the Indigenous Peoples Space at 100 Wellington Street, the former home of the U.S. embassy.

Agreement comes 5 years after hunger strike

In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the embassy building would become the first national space dedicated to Inuit, Métis and First Nations in the Parliamentary Precinct, but did not include the host nation.

The Algonquin staged a two week protest in 2019