Chiefs hold emergency meeting over Alberta independence, call out Danielle Smith
Some Treaty 6, 7, and 8 chiefs in Alberta, who held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, are upset with Premier Danielle Smith, who recently tabled Bill 54, making it easier for residents to organize an Alberta independence referendum.
The legislation follows the election of Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom some argue will continue the anti-Alberta policies of Justin Trudeau.
Smith, who says Canada is not working for Alberta, will travel the province this summer with her “What’s Next Panel” to discuss Alberta’s future within Confederation, among other concerns residents may have and may want to put to a referendum.
“This is treaty country, and any talk of separation is really insanity, because there is no pathway to separation,” said Troy “Bossman” Knowlton, chief of the Piikani Nation, a First Nation in Brocket, in a virtual Q&A with media.
“You can have all the referendums you want, but there is no way — and for the province to not engage with First Nations, and to make statements like that really shows the (disrespect) they have for the original inhabitants of this land.”
Bill 54 amends the Citizen Initiative Act to lower the signature threshold for triggering a provincial referendum from 20% to 10% of eligible voters, approximately 177,000 signatures. It allows citizens to petition for referendums on issues like independence, potentially enabling a 2026 vote if sufficient signatures are collected.
The chiefs, who have treaties with the Crown, are livid that Smith allegedly never consulted them. They’re not interested in seeing Alberta leave Confederation. At Tuesday’s event, they thanked Smith — and her alleged disrespect — for bringing them together.
“We’re not going anywhere — our treaties predate the province,” said Kelsey Jacko, chief of the Cold Lake First Nation.
“Smith has no right talking the way she is, because we are treaty people.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, Smith, who says she doesn't want Alberta to leave Confederation, was asked how she would uphold treaties with indigenous people in the event Alberta seeks independence.
“I think there’s been lots of court challenges and court decisions around First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights, and we would honour all of those,” she said.
“What I have said is that you can’t vote away treaty rights. You can’t vote away Indigenous rights. You can’t have a referendum on things that are enshrined in our various constitutional conventions and laws and court decisions.”
