Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta thanks Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for following protocol and meeting with Treaty 6, Treaty 7, Treaty 8 Chiefs, and the Blackfoot Confederacy while visiting Treaty territory. We also thank him for reminding Premiers at the Western Premiers’ Meeting that the duty to consult is a constitutional responsibility of government.
Premier Kinew was quick to point out that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was wrong in suggesting that constitutional consultation duties can be avoided simply because a petition is citizen initiated.
“We appreciate Premier Kinew recognizing what the Alberta Government continues to ignore,” said Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi. “The duty to consult is not optional. It is not a procedural inconvenience. It is a constitutional obligation owed to First Nations.”
This is not the first time Premier Smith has been publicly corrected on her government’s constitutional responsibilities. Recent court decisions have made it clear that First Nations cannot be excluded from decisions that may affect Treaty rights, including matters connected to the Alberta independence petition.
For Treaty 8 First Nations, Alberta separation has never been political theatre. The discussion raises serious questions about inherent and Treaty rights, mobility across Treaty territory, access to lands and resources, and the future relationship between First Nations and the Crown.
Rather than recognizing the seriousness of these issues, Alberta has chosen a different path. In recent months, we have witnessed the Alberta Government attack court decisions, flirt with rewriting Section 35 of the Constitution, and repeatedly fail to uphold its obligations to First Nations.
“It is refreshing to see real leadership coming from a Canadian premier, and we applaud Premier Kinew for his important comments,” said Grand Chief Mercredi. “What we have seen from Alberta is not leadership. We see a government that moves the goalposts whenever the Canadian Constitution and the rule of law become inconvenient to its political agenda.”
Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta stands with everyone working to protect Treaty rights, uphold the Constitution, and ensure governments are held accountable to their legal obligations.