Two First Nations have issued warnings at Alberta Premier Danielle Smith floating the concept of Alberta independence, saying treaty rights cannot be bargained away and they have no intention of leaving Canada.In letters dated Wednesday, the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation wrote both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, urging them to “get the province of Alberta in line.” Chiefs Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake and Billy-Joe Tuccaro of neighbouring Mikisew Cree First Nation said Canada is built on sacred treaties that predate Alberta by decades and “are to last forever.”Their correspondence to Carney asks the new Liberal government to stop what the chiefs call an increase in treaty violations. The companion letter to Smith accuses the premier of “attempting to manufacture a national unity crisis” by lowering the bar for a referendum on leaving Confederation. .The chiefs tell Smith her actions breach Treaties 6, 7, and 8 and demand she “stand down” immediately.Thursday, Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton echoed that position in a public statement. Knowlton said Western frustration after the federal election is understandable, but warned any move toward independence must secure First Nations consent. “Proceeding down a path towards separation cannot be undertaken without the consent of Alberta’s First Nations,” said Knowlton, promising to “aggressively protect” treaty and inherent rights.The Tsuut’ina Nation, Bearspaw Nation, Chiniki Nation and Goodstoney Nation issued a statement saying "While we the undersigned hear the deep frustration echoing across Alberta and much of the Prairies, with the recent election exacerbating growing discontent with Confederation, we must caution against efforts to facilitate separation from Canada.""First Nations will not separate. Any efforts to separate will be met with our full opposition," said the chiefs.Smith’s government introduced Bill 54, which slashes the number of signatures needed to force a separation question onto a provincial ballot. “The Act is not new legislation, and it was never designed to nor does it breach treaty agreements. The Citizen Initiative Act, I think, is the purest form of democracy we have,” said Smith.“It gives all Albertans an opportunity to play a direct role in the democratic process by inviting them to take a direct say on issues their fellow citizens want to put to the people. Any Albertan can put an idea forward on any topic, and if they're able to get the number of signatures, then it would go to a vote, and that includes a vote of members of First Nations. And we encourage indigenous peoples to participate in the process.”Some organizers claim they are already collecting names at a pace that could meet the new threshold, including the Alberta Prosperity Project which has over 80,000 signatures after only 36 hours.
