1894

Magnus Begg (from 1894– 1897) resided on Siksika Reserve and was recognized through the Indian Act, 1876 as Indian Agent for Treaty 7 First Nations from 1894 to 1897 whose all-encompassing power stemmed from the Indian Act. Section 137 of the Indian Act, 1894 stated that the Indian Agent had full authority invested in him by the federal Department of Indian Affairs to control all aspects of reserve life, including enforcing school attendance. Along with the police, the Indian Agent had the “force of law” to enter the home and remove children “to secure compulsory attendance of children at school.” Parents who were reluctant to have their children removed from home to attend residential school faced “punishment, upon summary conviction, by fine or imprisonment, or both” (Indian Act, 1894, Section 137[2]).