OTTAWA, ON—Prior to the October 19 federal election which brought in the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the leaders of Canada’s three major political parties all promised to negotiate a massive settlement on a land-claim with the Manitoba Métis Federation. This is a deal that is estimated to cost the Canadian government billions of dollars. With a new government just installed in Ottawa, it remains to be seen what will transpire.

This discussion began as the result of a Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2013 that found Canada had bungled the land deal that ended th...