Alberta\u0027s sovereignty act needs to be withdrawn, not amended, several members of the Assembly of First Nations Chief said Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, several Alberta chiefs said the province held zero consultations with them ahead of tabling Bill 1: Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act. Chief Darcy Dixon of Bearspaw Nation west of Calgary said the bill shows a complete disregard for First Nations people, their treaty rights and their role as stewards of the land.
The government released a statement Tuesday evening outlining those amendments, which include that any changes to laws made by cabinet must be made through usual legislative processes. The government has also brought forward changes to the definition of “harm” in the act, limiting it to an act on or interference with an area of provincial jurisdiction or interference with the charter rights of Albertans.
The bill states that nothing in the act can be construed as ignoring treaty rights. It also states resolutions cannot be unconstitutional. Chief Tony Alexis of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Treaty 6 said he has been reviewing the bill and that all Treaty 6 chiefs remain in unanimous opposition to it. He said the bill is a national and treaty issue, and that it must be withdrawn, not amended.
“Let me be clear, this bill is without rigour and is alarmingly open for interpretation, it is too uncertain and its impacts potentially too harmful and widespread,” said Alexis. “Let’s be honest, this all comes down to land and resources. We are yet again the inconvenient Indian standing in the way of unprotected resource extraction, and other exploitation of treaty lands.”Article content
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Assembly of First Nations chiefs call for sovereignty act to be withdrawnAlberta\u0027s sovereignty act needs to be withdrawn, not amended, several members of the Assembly of First Nations Chief said Wednesday.
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Assembly of First Nations chiefs call for sovereignty act to be withdrawnAlberta\u0027s sovereignty act needs to be withdrawn, not amended, several members of the Assembly of First Nations Chief said Wednesday.
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