ollaimh is correct is stating that not until 1970 were Canada's aboriginal people able to pursue aboriginal rights in the Supreme Court of Canada. In British Columbia, the BC treaty process by means aboriginal rights could be pursued did not exist until 1993.
In British Columbia, 49 sets of negotiations are underway in the courts.
The sad affair of child abuse in government and religious native schools hopefully is over.

As ollaih and Et T. posted, many aboriginal settlements lack basic amenities; near Calgary and some other cities, they are able to get money through sand and gravel, casino, and other operations, but others, like the Cree, are unable to mount legal actions in Alberta courts to protect their lands.
Near the oil sands operation in Alberta and Saskatchewan, they face contamination of the rivers and lakes and loss of land to the expanding operations, without compensation.
The oil sands cover an area the size of Florida. Leases are granted without consultation with or compensation to aborigilal peoples living on the land. The Athabaska, River formerly a source of fish, potable water, and animal habitat over a large area, is degraded by toxins and use of water to extract the bitumen.
http:..dirtyoilsands.org/files/TEN_CITSC_TarSands_Info_Sheet.pdf
(and other papers on the net).

The Canadian oil sands (primarily, other smaller Canadian contributors) furnish twice as much oil imported by the U. S. as Saudi Arabia and Mexico combined, the next two largest sources. [Jan. 2011 figures, Canada 2.826 million bbls, Saudi Arabia 1.102 million bbls and Mexico 1.366 million bbls (U. S. government figures, www.eia.doe.gov).

Yet the aboriginal peoples get nothing for the land that has been taken from them and loss of its use.